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Music Databases (Descriptions)

Use UConn's licensed databases to find journal articles, streaming media, and more. The descriptions below can help you select the appropriate database. UConn's licensed databases are restricted to UConn students, faculty, and staff. Off-campus or wireless users will be prompted to enter their UConn NetIDs when they click on database links in the library site. (Learn more about off-campus login.)

Topics Covered

Audio Online (Streamed) -- Listen to music online [go direct]
Music Research Databases -- find articles, full-text resources, etc.
Catalogs -- HOMER, WorldCat, etc.
Multi-Disciplinary Databases for Articles
Retrospective Journal Indexes -- find pre-1949 articles
Reference Databases -- dictionaries, biographical, all UConn databases, etc.
Additional Topics

Audio Online Databases (Streamed)

  • Follow the link above to listen to music online!
  • Includes classical, jazz, folk, and world music.
  • Collections include Naxos Music Library, plus African American Music, American Song, Classical Music Library, Contemporary World Music, and Smithsonian Global Sound.
  • Some (but not all) of the recordings are listed in HOMER.

Music Research Databases

  • Garland Encyclopedia of World Music Online Access is restricted. Click for more information.
    In-depth essays on distinct musical cultures with online audio clips. Books are also available ML 100 G16 1998 Music Ref. Volumes are grouped by geographic region (Africa, Southeast Asia, etc.), with detailed indexes in the paper volumes. (Unlike most encyclopedias, the articles are not in alphabetical order by topic.) Each print volume includes a CD recording in the rear pocket.

  • Grove Music Online. Access is restricted. Click for more information. Largest comprehensive music encyclopedia in English.
    • Online equivalent of the The New Grove Dictionary of Music & Musicians, 2nd edn. Includes full-text encyclopedic articles on musical terminology, history, theory, practice, people (e.g., composers, performers, printers, librettists, scholars, etc.), styles, places, etc. Includes searchable works lists and bibliographies, as well as visual examples and sound clips. Second edition published December 2000; 29-volume print equivalent available at ML100 .N48 2001 Music Ref.

  • International Index to Music Periodicals (IIMP)  Access is restricted. Click for more information. Descriptions and summaries of articles and reviews from music journals, mostly 1996-present (has some minimal citations for older articles).
    • Basics: describes and summarizes articles and reviews from 375 music journals (1996-present). Has citations only for 142 journals going back to inception.
    • Focus: scholarly research, professional/applied topics (e.g., conducting, ensemble management, vocal pedagogy or technique), book and media reviews, music education, popular music, etc., plus feature music articles and obituaries appearing in the New York Times and the Washington Post. Includes non-English language.
    • Dates covered: 1996-present has detailed summaries and subject descriptors. Pre-1996 has fewer journals and citations only. Updated monthly.
    • Descriptions: see Dates Covered above.
    • Full text: has some links to full text in other databases. Otherwise check journal title in HOMER or EJL. Contains NO full text of its own.
     
  • JSTOR Access is restricted. Click for more information. Full-text of core scholarly journals, including 41 music titles. Coverage starts with the journal's first volume, but excludes the most recent three to five years.
    • Basics: full text of hundreds of journals across all disciplines. Includes articles, reviews, letters, etc.
    • Focus: scholarly research. JSTOR also includes music articles in non-music journals. These are useful if you are researching socio-econo-historical contexts. Includes non-English language.
    • Dates covered: journal's inception up to last 3 to 5 years. This protects the publishers' subscriptions; read about JSTOR's moving wall. Search UConn's eJournal Locator to find online journals with more recent full-text coverage.
    • Descriptions: has citations and full text of articles. Only includes summaries ("abstracts") if the article itself had an abstract in the journal. Otherwise has no summaries or subject descriptors.
    • Full text: has the full text of the journals it covers. Citations and full text can be searched or browsed.

    Warning: JSTOR only has the full text for some journals. It omits hundreds of other music journals. Do not rely on it exclusively!

  • Music Index Access is restricted. Click for more information. 1976-present, describes music articles and reviews, all topics.
    • Basics: describes articles and reviews from most music journals (more than 640), all musical topics.
    • Focus: scholarly research, professional/applied topics (e.g., conducting, ensemble management, vocal pedagogy or technique), book and media reviews, music education, popular music, etc. Indexes letters and other critical details. Includes non-English language.
    • Dates covered: 1976–present. See print version (ML 118 M84 Music Ref.) for 1949–2005.
    • Descriptions: has citations, but no abstracts. Has limited subject heading/descriptors.
    • Full text: has some links to full text in other databases. Otherwise check journal title in HOMER or EJL. Contains NO full text of its own.
    • See list of journals indexed. 

  • ProQuest Dissertations (same as Dissertation Abstracts) Use this AND RILM to find dissertation citations. Also has full text to some dissertations.
    • Includes citations to two million dissertations (including about 28,000 music dissertations) from accredited U.S institutions since 1861 on all topics (not just music). Selectively covers masters theses, Canadian dissertations, and European dissertations. Has abstracts for dissertations beginning July 1980 and masters theses beginning spring 1988. (This means that for pre-1980 dissertations, there are fewer keywords available for searching; it may be harder to find a dissertation if the title is not descriptive.) To read abstracts for pre-1980 dissertations, note the DA number and year, then go to the print version of Dissertation Abstracts at Z 5055.U5 A53 Babbidge Stacks. This subscription database is updated monthly and has a robust search engine.

  • RILM Abstracts (EbscoHost) Access is restricted. Click for more information. 1967-present, describes and summarizes scholarly writings on music and related disciplines.
    • Basics: describes and summarizes scholarly articles, essays, dissertations, books, scholarly reviews, Festscriften, etc.
    • Focus: scholarly music topics. Excludes professional and applied topics. Broad, international coverage, includes non-English language.
    • Dates covered: 1967–present.Updated monthly.
    • Descriptions: has citations and abstracts (generally). Detailed subject descriptors (generally). Print equivalent (1967-1998) is at ML 118 R48.
    • Full text: has some links to full text in other databases. Otherwise check journal title in HOMER or EJL, and check dissertation titles in ProQuest Dissertations (for full text). Contains NO full text of its own.
    • Other Useful Information:
    • About RILM -- detailed scope, titles covered, etc.
    • Journal titles indexed in RILM
    • RILM Classifications -- use these to limit by category (e.g., musicology, pedagogy, theory)
    • RILM Publication Type Codes -- use these to limit by pub type (e.g., article, dissertation)
    • How to Search RILM (PDF) -- older FirstSearch guide. Concepts still apply. Searches are obsolete.
    • Field tags (e.g., ti=title, au=author, so=source, py=publication year, etc.): see "Database Help" in RILM (these can be helpful when searching). Another database vendor (CSA) has a good RILM fact sheet, though some field codes may differ

Catalogs

  • HOMER Lists UConn's library books, scores, recordings, videos, and paper and e-journal subscriptions.
    • Lists paper or electronic journal subscriptions, but NOT articles.
    • Does NOT include searchable full text to books or articles. It DOES have links to some resources with full text (it is a gateway, not a "full text resource").
    • Has NO info about paper subscriptions. Use HOMER if you need info on both paper and electronic.
    • Does NOT include article citations. It only tells you if UConn has a subscription to a particular title.
    • Does NOT include searchable full text to books or articles. It DOES have links to some resources with full text (it is a gateway, not a "full text resource").
  • WorldCat Access is restricted. Click for more information. Shows you what other libraries have. Request ILL here.
    • Over 30 million bibliographic records for materials cataloged by libraries worldwide. Includes books, scores, sound recordings, etc. Updated daily. Includes library holdings and an "interlibrary loan" button.

  • Library Catalogs -- Catalogs of libraries in Connecticut, the U.S., and worldwide.

  • Music Libraries Elsewhere

Multi-Disciplinary Databases for Articles and Reviews

The following resources index some (but not all) music journals. The coverage is often more up-to-date than the music databases, these databases often contain full text, and they help identify music articles in non-music journals. Be careful: many music journals are NOT indexed in the general databases, and subject terminology is not written by music specialists

  • Academic OneFile Access is restricted. Click for more information. 1980s-present (dates may vary). Describes, summarizes, and includes a good amount of full text for articles and reviews in scholarly journals and popular magazines covering many fields in the arts, humanities, sciences, social sciences, and general interest; includes newswires and full indexing of The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and Christian Science Monitor.
  • Academic Search Premier (Ebsco) Access is restricted. Click for more information. Multidisciplinary magazine & journal database provides the full text of over 4,500 journals and magazines, and describes the contents (articles and reviews) in over 8,000 journals in all disciplines. Topics include news and current events, politics, literature, communication science, business, medicine, psychology, and many more. Includes full text to at least 25 music journals, and indexes some additional music journals. Does not describe nearly as many music journals (and their articles) as IIMP, Music Index, RILM, etc., but is often more up-to-date.
  • JSTOR Access is restricted. Click for more information. Provides full-text of core scholarly journals, including 38 music titles. Coverage starts with the journal's first volume, but excludes the most recent three to five years. For more info, see the JSTOR entry under "Music" above.
  • Project Muse Full-text articles and reviews in humanities and social sciences journals.

Retrospective Journal Indexes (for pre-1960s articles)

Reference Databases

  • Biography & Geneology Master Index (Gale) Access is restricted. Click for more information. Indexes 11 million biographical sketches in over 3000 current and retrospective reference books. Contemporary and historical figures.
  • Books in Print Access is restricted. Click for more information. Lists prices and availability of books. Search by genre, author, publisher, etc. Also includes highlights on newsworthy books, forthcoming books, some reviews, and author biographies.
  • Oxford Reference Online Access is restricted. Click for more information. Full-text language, grammar, and subject dictionaries and reference works. Performing arts titles include The Oxford Dictionary of Dance, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera, Who's Who in Opera, and The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. Other topics include quotation books, history, religion, law, mythology, folklore, literature companions, the sciences, and more. See complete title list.
  • Research Database Locator UConn subscribes to over 240 web based research and citation databases. Most of these resources are limited to the University of Connecticut community.

Additional Topics

See these additional links for more databases or explanations:

Dictionaries & Encyclopedias (Music)
Dissertations on Music (includes additional databases)
eJournal Locator (identifies UConn's online journal subscriptions)
Full Text Online Resources for Music
Journal Articles on Music
Music Education Databases
News and Reviews in the Arts

This page was found at http://www.lib.uconn.edu/music/DBmusic.html.

Music & Dramatic Arts Library
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Last Updated: Tuesday, 12-May-2009 21:17:15 EDT