Research Guides: Music: Background Resources & Websites

Select Websites

The Aria Database
"Holds information on the complete operatic aria collections of Mozart, Verdi, Berlioz, Wagner, and Puccini as well as the partial collections of over 50 other composers."
The Lester S. Levy Sheet Music Collection (Johns Hopkins)
"Browse over 30,000 pieces of American popular music, dating as far back as 1780."
Musopen
"Over 100,000 classical sheet music pdf files, all for free and in the public domain. Browse sheet music by composer, instrument, form, or time period."

Encyclopedia Databases

Encyclopedias and other background resources will give you overviews of large topics, definitions, and bibliographies of important works. They are especially helpful in terms of building your keywords for searching in databases or in the indexes of books.

Britannica Academic
For any research project, nothing beats an article from Britannica to serve as an overview. Britannica will also lead you to academically-vetted Web content, as well as full-text magazine articles.
Because of the breadth of content, some students use Britannica as a one-stop destination for all their needs, especially for shorter assignments. Watch out for a European bias here, because some topics unique to the U.S. get ephemeral treatment.
Credo Reference
Features in-depth articles from scholarly encyclopedias, especially from the arts and humanities.
Gale eBooks (formerly Gale Virtual Reference Library)
Includes The History of R&B and Soul Music, The History of Rap and Hip-Hop, and St. James Encyclopedia of Hip Hop Culture.