Music Reference for when life is like a dream… …and for when you wake up. Lisa Hooper

What we’re gonna do: 1 st Half –Subscription Music Reference Resources (Let me show you) What they’re good at What they’re not so good at 2 nd Half – Alternative Music Reference Resources (You decide) What they’re good at What they’re not good at

Music Reference Resource Subscriptions Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music (print or ebook via Credo Literati) Harvard Dictionary of Music (print or ebook via Credo Literati) Oxford Music/Grove Online (an Oxford Press resource) Garland Encyclopedia of World Music (an ASP resource) Classical Music Reference Library (an ASP resource) African American Music Reference Library (an ASP resource)

Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music Check to see if you already have access via Credo Literati. Pros – Widely recognized as a core music reference resource Entries are written by scholars and went through a peer-review process Often, but not always, includes a complete works list and dates each work was composed Provides a brief bibliography students can refer to for further reading Cons – No longer updated, static content Does not have entries for many contemporary composers Entries for non-traditional composers of the 20 th century tend to be very short (for example, Pierre Schaeffer’s entry is 1 paragraph with no works list and only 1 title in the bibliography) Content is limited to biographical information

Harvard Dictionary of Music Check to see if you already have access via Credo Literati. Pros – Widely recognized as a core music reference resource Entries are written by scholars in the field When useful, provides demonstrative illustrations Provides country of origin for foreign language terms Includes brief descriptions of art music by country Cons – No longer updated, static content

Oxford Music /Grove Music Online This is a subscription resource via Oxford University Press, or in print (2001 is most recent edition) Pros – Widely recognized as a core music reference resource Peer-reviewed entries are written by scholars in the field Online edition updated regularly with attention paid to contemporary composers Includes audio excerpts, images, bibliographies for further reading, and works lists when available and appropriate Tools & Resources section includes the Grove Opera Indexes, Music Timelines, and Subject Guides Cons – There is a price tag for all of this content

Garland Encyclopedia of World Music This is a subscription resource via Alexander Street Press Pros – Widely recognized as a core reference resource for ethnomusicology Peer-reviewed entries written by experts in the field Articles are comprehensive and include images and bibliographies Only source to aggregate this amount and quality of information about world music Print edition no longer available as new on the market; used still a couple thousand dollars for full set. Cons – No longer updated, static content Not user friendly by any stretch of the imagination There’s a price tag

Classical Music Reference Library This is a subscription resource via Alexander Street Press Pros – Includes electronic access to core reference sets and monographs on classical music Is only source for electronic access to core reference titles such as Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of Musicians and Women in Music Includes biographies by major academic presses that would regularly form a core music collection Cons – Most recent imprint is 2010 Not user friendly Comes with a price tag

African American Music Reference Library This is a subscription resource via Alexander Street Press Pros – Includes electronic access to large collection of monographs Many titles are considered core to basic music library collections and essential to collections catering to popular music researchers Includes academic/university presses in addition to trade and niche presses Cons – Most recent imprint is 2011 Not user friendly Comes with a price tag

Music Reference Resource Alternatives AllMusic ( Where They At ( Music Rising at Tulane ( All About Jazz ( Folk Music Index ( Internet Broadway Database (IBDB) ( Performing Arts Encyclopedia (

AllMusic ( A free database of artists with content largely provided by the for profit entertainment firm Rovi Corp. Pros – Price tag can’t be beat Coverage of classical music is passable, particularly for popular composers; coverage of popular music is very strong. Provides basic biographical information about composers, artists and bands as well as works lists (including opus numbers) and discographies Cons – Citations and sources of information are not provided Must be cross-referenced with other sources to ensure accuracy Coverage of important composers who are less present in the popular consciousness is limited Is limited to information related to artists/composers; i.e. is not a multi- purpose reference source

Where They At NOLA ( A free collection of interviews and photographs of New Orleans Bounce and Hip Hop artists. Pros – Interviews conducted by music journalist Partial transcripts always provided, audio of interviews provided when possible Provides lists of record labels artist has recorded with Provides list of other bounce or hip hop artists each artist has collaborated with Identifies neighborhoods each artist is associated with Cons – Unclear how artists are identified for inclusion Unclear if interviews and materials are still be actively collected Includes quality images of related ephemera, news clippings, video, and recordings Includes interactive map of clubs and neighborhoods

Music Rising at Tulane ( A free collection of teaching material related to musical culture of the Gulf South. Pros – Includes a number of short demonstrative video clips Includes access to digitized oral histories held by Hogan Jazz Archives Provides shortened versions of peer- reviewed articles on related subjects (with links to full articles found in User friendly approach to site design and organization of content. Cons – Video clips are findable on YouTube and may become unavailable Method for maintaining and updating site content not clear Although provides access to digitized archival material, does not give guidance on finding and accessing analog archival material

All About Jazz ( A community built resource for jazz studies Pros – A searchable collection articles, photographs, biographies, and concert, festival, and recording reviews Includes interactive timelines for those who create personal accounts Most comprehensive website for jazz Possible to link to author bios Cons – Not peer-reviewed content; written by All About Jazz staff and a user community Provides means for musicians to promote & boost themselves or their recordings on the site No citations for verification of information or further readings

Folk Music Index ( An index to recorded and print resources about folk music Pros – The most comprehensive folk music index in print or online Maintained by a librarian, can assume there’s a high level of quality control Browsable and searchable by keywords, titles, performers, and publishers Cons – Looks clunky and unappealing to students Not regularly updated (last updated 2013) Not possible to integrate with holdings and other subscription databases via SFX

Internet Broadway Database ( A comprehensive database to Broadway shows Pros – Regularly updated and maintained by the Research Department of The Broadway League (the national trade association for Broadway) Searchable and browsable by shows, people, theatres, characters, awards, and songs Charts gross income and attendance updated daily Provides brief descriptive or biographical information for shows, theatres, people, and characters Cons – ?

Performing Arts Encyclopedia ( Encyclopedia of performing arts materials in the Library of Congress Pros – Provides access to digitized primary source material at the Library of Congress Diverse topical coverage (examples include accordion music, electronic music, protest songs, zither music) An authoritative source Cons – Not all content indexed is digitized Can be confusing to use and navigate

Music Reference Resource Alternatives Questions? Contact lisa Hooper