InfoGuides: MUSI 431: Music in History and Society III: Ethnomusicology: Getting Started

Background Resources (Encyclopedias; Dictionaries)

To begin your research, use encyclopedias and dictionaries to get background information on your topic.

Oxford Music Online This link opens in a new window
Includes Grove Music Online, The Oxford Dictionary of Music, and The Oxford Companion to Music, as well as the Encyclopedia of Popular Music and other genre-specific resources. Features full-text searching of over 60,000 articles on all aspects of music.
Music Online: Garland Encyclopedia of World Music Online This link opens in a new window
A comprehensive resource devoted to music research of all the world's peoples. Each volume contains an overview of the region, a survey of its musical heritage, traditions and themes; and a description of specific musical genres, practices, and performances. Included are detailed photographs that show musicians, musical instrument, and the cultural context of dances, rituals, and ceremonies. Other images include drawings, maps, and musical examples for further study.
RILM Music Encyclopedias This link opens in a new window
Collection of over 60 encyclopedias in full text, comprising more than 300,000 entries and including volumes published between 1775 and the present. The content of this extensive multilingual collection spans the most important fields and subject areas of historical musicology, ethnomusicology, and theory, on topics ranging from popular music and rock, opera, instruments, blues and gospel, to performers, recorded music and women composers. New titles are being added annually. Tutorial for the RILM Music Encyclopedias database.

The Oxford Encyclopaedia of the Music of India
Comprehensive, authoritative, and up-to-date, the Oxford Encyclopedia of the Music of India depicts the story of Indian music through 2,000 years of history. Entries cover forms of music from classical to film-originated, as well as dance styles, technical terms, instruments, and biographies of vocalists, musicologists, saints, poets, gurus, composers, and instrumentalists.

Pop Culture Universe: Icons, Idols, Ideas This link opens in a new window
Contains information on American and world popular culture, from the 1900s to the present. Includes essays, images, quotes, and more.

The Encyclopedia of Popular Music
This authoritative biographical encyclopedia covers popular music, including folk, blues, world music, rock, heavy metal, techno, reggae, and hip hop from 1900--2009.