This guide is designed to get you started on your research for MUS 102. The books and other sources below are not a complete list of what the library has on the topics you are covering this semester. The items listed below are meant to give you an idea of the kinds of materials we offer and link you to sources recommended by your instructor.
If you are looking for a particular book or having difficulty finding the information you need, you can find my contact info at the bottom of this guide.
Article databases recommended by your instructor:
For most of your encyclopedia and background information, I recommend using Credo Reference. You can search an entire encyclopedia library with a single search.
Grove dictionary of American music
The articles of the dictionary range from small definitions of dance styles and musical terms to mid-length biographies of important performers, composers, and music patrons, to longer examinations of larger subjects such as the history of jazz, musical instruments, music education in the US and the American history of the orchestra.
The Grove Dictionary of American Music is a great reference source, but searching on their site isn't very straightforward. Below you'll find a screenshot of the main page of the dictionary to show where to search inside of this specific book.
The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music by
A guide to the thousands of characters, who people the history of music, this volume brings together all the biographical information about composers, performers, music theorists and instrument makers from the days of praise chants to the bop and pop of today. A companion to The New Harvard Dictionary of Music, this biographical dictionary emphasizes classical and art music, but also gives attention to jazz and blues, rock and pop, and hymns and showtunes across the ages - with care devoted to coverage of the 20th century.
The Routledge History of Social Protest in Popular Music by
This collection of 28 essays aims to analyze the trends, musical formats, and rhetorical devices used in popular music to illuminate the human condition. By comparing and contrasting musical offerings in a number of countries and in different contexts from the 19th century until today, The Routledge History of Social Protest in Popular Music aims to be a probing introduction to the history of social protest music, ideal for popular music studies and history and sociology of music courses.
Country Music by
Articles cover specific genres within country music as well as instruments used. Written in a lively, engaging style, the entries not only outline the careers of country music's greatest artists, they provide an understanding of the artist's importance or failings and a feeling for his or her style. Select discographies are provided at the end of each entry, while a bibliography and indexes by instrument, musical style, genre, and song title round out the work.
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