Introduction
There are many music dictionaries and encyclopedias and, depending on the topic you are researching, you may need to consult a specialized one or a more general one. We've highlighted several of the core encyclopedias and dictionaries for world music topics below to get you started.
If you need any help navigating these sources, don't hesitate to ask a librarian!
Core World Music Dictionaries & Encyclopedias
The Garland Encyclopedia of World MusicCall Number: Online Resource; also in print MPAL Reference Non-circulating ML100 G27The definitive reference tool for ethnomusicology. Divided into 10 volumes by geographic area: Vol. 1 Africa; Vol. 2 South America, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean; Vol. 3 The United States and Canada; Vol. 4 Southeast Asia; Vol. 5 South Asia: The Indian Subcontinent; Vol. 6 The Middle East; Vol. 7 East Asia: China, Japan, and Korea; Vol. 8 Europe; Vol. 9 Australia and the Pacific Islands; Vol. 10 The World's Music: General Perspectives and Reference Tools. The tenth volume contains useful information (like glossaries, indexes, bibliographies, and discographies). Accompanying CDs can be obtained at the Circulation Desk.
Continuum encyclopedia of popular music of the worldCall Number: MPAL Reference Non-circulating ML102.P66 C66This encyclopedia covers popular music. It is divided into two sections. Section one covers general topics (Including: Vol. 1 Media, Industry and Society; Vol. 2 Performance and Production). The second section covers musical styles by location and is divided into the following sections: Vol. 3 Caribbean and Latin America; Vol. 4 North America; Vol. 5 Oceania and Asia; Vol. 6 Africa and Middle East; and Vol. 7 Europe
Bloomsbury Music & SoundBloomsbury Music and Sound is a growing digital hub that provides access to exclusive reference content, cutting edge scholarship, and a variety of learning resources across a range of subject areas in music and sound studies. To browse: go to the menu at the top and choose Explore > Place to choose a country or choose Browse Contents > World Map to select a region of the world.
Oxford Music OnlineCall Number: Online Resource; also available in print at the reference desk ML100 G76N382001This online tool contains The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, which after Garland this should be the first place you look to start your research. It has entries on people, things, and terms covering all areas of music.
Selected Musical Terms of Non-Western Cultures: A Notebook-Glossary by Call Number: MPAL Reference Non-circulating ML108K38 S4Offers definitions of and information about a wide variety of words and phrases. Entries rarely go into great detail but it could be a good starting place or resource to check facts.The information is arranged alphabetically in one volume.
The Concise Garland Encyclopedia of World Music by Call Number: MPAL Reference Non-circulating ML100 C697The Concise Garland Encyclopedia of World Music is an adaptation of the Dartmouth Medal winning Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, with contributions by the leading scholars in ethnomusicology marking the first half-century of the discipline's modern history. The new Concise edition will appeal to a more general audience, including libraries, high-school classrooms or the personal collections of world music enthusiasts.
