InfoGuides: MUSI 630: Opera Literature: Background Information

Trial Music Databases

We have started a one-month trial for two music databases, running until November 27.

Medicitv: this is an excellent resource for classical music videos, lectures, interviews, and a large collection of operas, ballets, and other performances.

To access the Medicitv database, please use this link: http://mutex.gmu.edu/login?URL=https://edu.medici.tv/

Nkoda: this is a digital sheet music library. It provides access to over 100,000 scores, including classical works, popular music, educational materials, and performance parts from numerous publishers.

Access Link/ instructions:

Sign up using the following link: https://app.nkoda.com/institutions/bec66eaf-8b43-4133-aada-5d6feb024590
Once you have clicked the link you'll be taken to a page with a "Get Started" button – just click that, and then enter all of the information requested.
Use your GMU email but please create a new password. (Do not use your GMU password)

After the initial sign-up, you can simply use the standard email and password login on the nkoda app or web platform – there’s no need to reuse the above link.

Download the Nkoda App

You’ll need the Nkoda app to view content (the web version doesn’t support viewing scores).

In the web app, click Download Nkoda
After installing, click ‘Open in Nkoda’ to launch the app.

Once linked, you can log in with your email and password—no need to use the custom link again.

You can:

PDF upload: Users can upload and store their own PDF files within the app.

Cross-platform availability: The service is accessible via an app on iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows.

Please send me feedback to: cbadilla@gmu.edu

Background Resources

Use encyclopedias and dictionaries to get background information on your topic.

Opera Timeline

Oxford Music Online
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.
RILM Music Encyclopedias
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.
Music Online: Classical Music Reference Library
Covers all classical genres, spanning music from the Medieval period to the 21st century, including definitions of musical terms and biographical information on the major classical composers and artists. Includes the authoritative reference titles Baker's Dictionary of Music, Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, and Baker's Student Encyclopedia of Music.
Oxford Reference
Contains more than 300 Oxford University Press dictionaries and reference works. Texts are updated after new editions of the print book are published.