Music History and Appreciation
Welcome to the research guide for Music History and Appreciation. The following databases and websites are available linked from here and from the Electronic Resources section found on the library home page. Print resources are available in the PHC on campus collection or by mail to the distance learning members of our community. You may check the location and availability of an item in the on campus collection through the online catalog, Voyager, accessed through the library home page.
Professional library assistance is available on campus, by phone at 541-441-8400, or through email at library@phc.edu.
Databases
netLibrary provides access to a variety of full-text print resources with specific resources relevant to composers, music periods, and genres.
JSTOR is a database of scholarly articles from a broad variety of disciplines.
ProQuest Periodical database covering a wide range of topics. The "Suggested Topics" box at the top of the results list can help you refine your search terms or look at different aspects of your topic. Check the box in the search or click on the tab in the results to limit your results to Scholarly Journals.
Internet resources
Performing Arts Encyclopedia is a wealth of information on all areas of American music and musicians. This site is maintained by the American Memory Project of the Library of Congress. http://www.loc.gov/performingarts/
Stanford Music Links provides access to vast array of archived sound recordings of primarily 20th century American music. http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/ars/index.html
Print resources available in the library
The PHC on campus collection includes quite a few resources that can be accessed through the online catalog, Voyager. You may choose a key word search, title search, or browse by call number. If you choose to brows by call number, music resources are located in the M section of the LOC classification system. Additional items in the collection include:
New Grove dictionary of music and musicians is a definitive source for comprehensive and detailed descriptions of composers, musicians, musical styles, and periods. It is available in the PHC collection at Ref ML100 .N48
Harvard concise dictionary of music provides and overview of various musicians, musical styles and periods and is a good place to gather information as you select or narrow your research topic. Is available in the PHC collection at Ref ML 100 .R28
Research tips
- Search by subject: Once you have located one item in the catalog, you may click on the search term within the record to find other items on the same, or similar, subjects.
- Search by call number: Once you have located one item in the catalog, click on the call number to view similar titles that surround that item on the shelf.
- If you are unable to locate an item in the PHC online or on campus collection, you may request resources through Interlibrary loan (ILL). ILL requests may be made directly into the library database WorldCat. If you have difficulty requesting an ILL in WorldCat, you may use the form on the website or request assistance from any of the library staff.
- Once you locate an appropriate resource, potential valuable resources may be listed in the item's bibliography.
- Loudoun County Public Library's Purcellville branch is available to students. The catalog can be accessed online and a library card obtained with a PHC I.D.
Turabian is the approved citation format for this course. Information on proper Turabian citation is available in the PHC collection, Chicago manual of style, at Ref Z 253 .U69 2003 or online at several sites, such as http://library.osu.edu/sites/guides/chicagogd.php .
