Music: World Music Research Tips Subject Guide
Overview
Basic Information
These sources provide definitions of terms and basic information on topics and people. They may also list other sources of information.Garland Encyclopedia of World Music Online
A comprehensive online resource devoted to music of all the world's peoples. Includes more than 9,200 pages of material in ten volumes, each volume containing an overview of the region, a survey of its musical heritage, traditions and themes; and a description of specific musical genres, practices, and performances, Includes: audio examples, illustrations, photographs, maps, drawings, and more. Print edition also available in library: see below.
Garland Encyclopedia of World Music Ref ML 100 .G17 1997
Comprehensive encyclopedia of world music. Each volume covers a continent or region. Details
Oxford Music Online Covers music and musicians of all types and time periods; includes
bibliographies, composers' worklists, links to related sites, audio and music examples. Provides access to Grove Music Online (incorporating the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, the New Grove Dictionary of Opera, and New Grove Dictionary of Jazz), as well as The Oxford Dictionary of Music and The Oxford Companion to Music.
This subscription is limited to three simultaneous users. Please logout when finished. Includes articles on all types of music around the world.
Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World Ref ML 102 .P66 C66 2003
Covers popular music throughout the world. V.1: Media, Industry, Society; v.2: Performance and production; v.3-7, music by region (Caribbean and Latin America; North America; Asia and Oceania; Africa and Middle East; Europe. Details
New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians Ref ML 100 .N48 2001
The primary music encyclopedia in English. 29 volumes. Covers music and musicians of all types and time periods; includes bibliographies and composers' worklists. For online version, see listing for Oxford Music Online. Details For world music, it is best to look up a country, region, instrument, or consult the index (v. 29).
Books, Scores, Recordings, Videos
Classic Library Catalog WMU's Classic online catalog (also known as WestCat), is used to identify books (including electronic books), government documents, journals, audio and video, slides, music scores, and other items in the University Libraries' collections. The catalog can be searched by title, author, subject heading, keyword, call number, and more.
Use the Advanced Search to combine terms such as countries, geographical regions, ethnic groups, names of instruments, and the term music or folk music.
BOOKS ON WORLD MUSIC ARE AT THESE CALL NUMBERS: Africa, ML 350; Asia, ML 330-345; Arab countries, ML 348; Australia and Oceania, ML 360; Europe, ML 240-325; Central America, ML 330; North America, ML 200-215; South America, ML 199, 230-239.
New Library Catalog In 2009 we added a new interface to our catalog. It still identifies books (including online books), journal titles, government documents, music, videos, maps, and other items in the University Libraries. It can still be searched by title, author, subject, but now you can choose the format and location in your first search. There are easy ways of narrowing your search in the left column, it offers "did you mean" spelling, favorite lists, and lets you tag items with your own labels.
Contemporary World Music Explore music from all regions and from every continent in this audio streaming database: reggae, worldbeat, neo-traditional, world fusion, Arab swing, African film, Bollywood, Indian classical, flamenco, klezmer, gospel, gagaku, and more. Over 20,000 tracks.
Smithsonian Global Sound More than 35,000 tracks of music and other sound, including American folk and blues idioms, American Indian, world music, jazz, children's songs, historical spoken word, and many natural and human-made sounds. Browse the collections, search for specific recordings, create playlists.
Articles in Journals and Magazines
You must use a periodical index (not WestCat) to find articles. Some primary indexes are listed below. For information about other databases with articles related to music, see the guide Music Research Tips.HOW TO LOCATE PERIODICALS: Search for the journal or magazine in Journal Finder (link below). If the library does not have the periodical, you may be able to get the article through interlibrary loan.
International Index to Music Periodicals Full Text Indexes and abstracts articles, reviews and other features from more than 430 music periodicals from 20+ countries, with full text coverage of 125 journals and magazines. Articles cover the full spectrum of subjects within the field of music. All aspects and types of music are represented.
Music Index Online A comprehensive index covering 800+ U.S. and international music periodicals. Includes articles, book reviews, dissertations, and obituaries. Links to full-text journals in JSTOR. Coverage from 1973. Search using keywords. Help is available online.
ProQuest Research Library Indexes popular magazines, scholarly journals, newspapers and trade publications in a wide range of subject areas, including business, education, humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Full-text available for over 2,500 journals. Coverage from 1971.
Journal Finder (Find It @ WMU)
Find electronic and print journals available at WMU. Search for a journal title, browse journals by subject or collection, or look for a specific article if you have a citation (CitationLinker).
Musical Instruments
Books about Instruments General, Ref ML 102 .I5, ML 460-; Keyboard, ML 549-; Strings, ML 750-; Winds, ML 930-; Plectral, ML 1000-; Percussion, ML 1030-; other, ML 1050-1093; Pedagogy, MT 170-733 You may also find information about instruments in books and articles about the music of the country or region where the instrument is used.
New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments Ref ML 102 .I5 N48 1984
The largest encyclopedia about instruments. See other reference books on instruments at Ref ML 102 .I5.
Survey of Musical Instruments Ref ML 460 .M365 S94
No illustrations, but good descriptions of instruments and how they are played.
Musical Instruments of the World Ref ML 102 .I5 D5
Good illustrations of many instruments.
Instrument Encyclopedia Information about instruments around the world, beginning with the collection of the Stearns Museum at the University of Michigan. Good starting place for research. Links.
Making and Playing Musical Instruments Ref ML 460 .B5513 1989 (also in General Stacks)
Good illustrations, with instructions for making many instruments. Details
Microsoft Musical Instruments CD-ROM station in Music and Dance Library
Illustrates and describes instruments, with sound examples.
Instruments (Worldwide Internet Music Resources) Links to many sites, organized by instrument.
Selected Library and Web Resources
This is a selective list of books, periodicals, and Web sites (in that order) relating to world music. Books and periodicals are located in Music and Dance Library unless otherwise indicated. Ref indicates shelved in Reference.Encyclopedia of World Cultures GN 307 .E53 1991(Ref) IN WALDO LIBRARY, CENTRAL REFERENCE
In ten volumes, this source includes more than 1,500 cultural groups, maps, filmography, and a list of extinct cultures of a region. Details
Ethnomusicology: a guide to research Ref ML 128 .E8 P67 2004
A guide to the field of ethnomusicological research. Lists print, sound, and film/video resources, including books, indexing tools, encyclopedias and dictionaries, and much more. Details
Excursions in World Music ML 3798 .E93x 2001 Details
Musics of Many Cultures: an introduction ML 3798 .M87 Details
The Rough Guide to World Music Ref ML 102 .W67 W67 2006
An excellent introduction to music around the world; good cross-section of topics. There are other Rough Guides on specific musics or regions. Find them by searching "rough guide" as a phrase in a keyword search in the library catalog (WestCat). Details
Worlds of Music: an introduction to the music of the world's peoples ML 3545 .W67 1996 Details
Asian Music Journal, in library and online. Details
EOL: Ethnomusicology Online Peer-reviewed journal; includes reviews. Special section on Cambodian music and dance.
Ethnomusicology Journal, in library and online. Current issues available in library only. See also the Society for Ethnomusicology. Details
The World of Music Journal, in library.
Ethnomusicology, Folk Music, and World Music Links to organizations, institutions, archives; bibliography, periodicals, and online publications; recordings; websites by geographical region. Details
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Greg Fitzgerald
gregory.fitzgerald@wmich.edu
269-387-5236
Last updated: June 2009