Music

Music of the United States             Printable Version (PDF)

General Dictionaries, Encyclopedias and Indexes | Biographies | Reference Books on Specific Subjects | Books in the Circulating Collection | Journals/Periodicals | Selected Multi-Volume Sets in the Media Collections | Internet Resources

** Selected titles are listed here; for more books on these topics, look in the same call number sections **

General Dictionaries, Encyclopedias and Indexes

Hall, Charles J. A chronicle of American music, 1700-1995.
Ref ML200.H15 1996

Horn, David. The literature of American music in books and folk music collections: a fully annotated bibliography. With 1988 supplement.
Ref ML120.U5.H7 [1977]

Krummel, Donald William. Bibliographical handbook of American music.
Ref ML120.U5.K78 1987

Marco, Guy A. Checklist of writings on American music, 1640-1992.
Ref ML120.U5.M133 1996

Musical America International Directory.
Ref ML12.M88 2007 (Annual; latest 2 years only kept; latest on Reference)

The New Grove dictionary of American music.
Ref ML101.U6.N48 1986 v.1-4

The new Grove dictionary of music and musicians / edited by Stanley Sadie. 2nd edition.
Ref ML100.G883 2001 v.1-29 and available online (MIT only) at http://libraries.mit.edu/get/grove-music

Resources of American music history: a directory of source materials from colonial times to World War II; by D.W. Krummel, et al.
Ref ML120.U5.R47 [1981]

Warner, Thomas E. Periodical literature on American music, 1620-1920: a classified bibliography with annotations.
Ref ML120.U5.W18 1988

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Biographies

Anderson, Ruth. Contemporary American composers: a biographical dictionary.
Ref ML390.A54 1982

Brainard's biographies of American musicians / edited by E. Douglas Bomberger.
Ref ML106.U3.B73 1999
Covers the 19th century.

Gracyk, Tim. Popular American recording pioneers, 1895-1925.
Ref ML106.U3.G67 2000

Musical Americans: a biographical dictionary, 1918-1926 / collected and edited by Mary DuPree.
Ref ML106.U3.M87 1997

Who's who in American music: classical. 2nd ed.
Ref ML106.U3.W6 1985

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Reference Books on Specific Subjects

African-Americans | Film Music | Instrumental Music | Popular Music | Pre-1865 Music |
Sheet Music | Vocal Music | Women

African-Americans

De Lerma, Dominique-Rene. Bibliography of Black music.
Ref ML128.B45.D44 v.1-4 [1981-84]

Floyd, Samuel A. Black music in the United States: an annotated bibliography of selected reference and research materials.
Ref ML128.B45.F6 1983

Peterson, Bernard L. A century of musicals in black and white: an encyclopedia of musical stage works by, about, or involving African Americans.
Ref ML102.M88.P37 1993

Skowronski, JoAnn. Black music in America: a bibliography.
Ref ML128.B45.S6 [1981]

Southern, Eileen. Biographical dictionary of Afro-American and African musicians.
Ref ML105.S67 [1981]

Trice, Patricia Johnson. Choral arrangements of the African-American spirituals: historical overview and annotated listings.
Ref ML128.V7.T75 1998

White, Evelyn Davidson. Choral music by African American composers: a selected, annotated bibliography. 2nd ed.
Ref ML128.C48.W5 1996

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Film Music

Funnell, John. Best songs of the movies: Academy Award nominees and winners, 1934-1958.
Ref ML2075.F86 2005

Hischak, Thomas S. Film it with music: an encyclopedic guide to the American movie musical.
Ref PN1995.9.M86.H57 2001

Hischak, Thomas S. The American musical film song encyclopedia.
Ref ML102.M68.H57 1999

McCarty, Clifford. Film composers in America: a filmography, 1911-1970.
Ref ML128.M7.M123 2000

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Instrumental Music

Drucker, Arno. American piano trios: a resource guide.
Ref ML128.C4.D78 1999

Gillespie, John. A bibliography of nineteenth-century American piano music, with locationsources and composer biography-index.
Ref ML128.P3.G54 1984

Hettinger, Sharon L. American organ music of the twentieth century: an annotated bibliography of composers.
Ref ML106.U3.H47 1997

Johnson, Harold Earle. First performances in America to 1900: works with orchestra.
Ref ML120.U5.J6 [1979]

Koshgarian, Richard. American orchestral music: a performance catalog.
Ref ML128.O5.K67 1992

Phemister, William. American piano concertos: a bibliography.
Ref ML128.P3.P5 1985

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Popular Music: See Subject Guide: Pop and Rock Music

Pre-1865 Music

Britton, Allen Perdue. American sacred music imprints, 1698-1810: a bibliography.
Ref ML128.H8.B68 1990

Heintze, James R. American music before 1865 in print and on records: a biblio-discography.
Ref ML120.U5.H458 1990

Hixon, Donald L. Music in early America: a bibliography of music in Evans.
Ref ML120.U5.H676 [1970]
Index to the music found in Charles Evans' Early American Imprints, 1639-1800.

Sonneck, Oscar George Theodore. A bibliography of early secular American music, 18th century.
Ref ML120.U5.S699 1964

Wolfe, Richard J. Secular music in America, 1801-1825: a bibliography.
Ref ML120.U5.W855 [1964]

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Sheet Music

Board of Music Trade of the United States of America. Complete catalogue of sheet music and musical works. 1870.
Ref ML120.U5.B6 1973

Crew, Danny O. Presidential sheet music: an illustrated catalogue of published music associated with the American presidency and those who sought the office.
Ref ML128.P66.C74 2001

Dichter, Harry. Handbook of early American sheet music, 1768-1889.
Ref ML112.D53 1977

Hoogerwerf, Frank W. Confederate sheet-music imprints.
Ref ML125.C6.H66 1984

Library Company of Philadelphia. American song sheets, slip ballads, and poetical broadsides, 1850-1870.
Ref ML128.S6.P544 [1963]

Newberry Library. The Newberry Library catalog of early American printed sheet music.
ML136.C5.N47 1973 v.1-3 Oversize Materials

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Vocal Music (See also Subject Guide: Songs)

Bloom, Ken. American song: the complete musical theatre companion.
Ref ML128.M78.B6 1985

Borroff, Edith. American operas: a checklist.
Ref ML128.O4.B58 1992

Carman, Judith E. Art-song in the United States, 1759-2001: an annotated bibliography. 3rd ed.
Ref ML128.S3.C37 2001

Crew, Danny O. American political music: a state-by-state catalog of printed and recorded music related to local, state and national politics, 1756-2004.
Ref ML128.A54.C74 2006

DeVenney, David P. American choral music since 1920.
Ref ML128.C48.D45 1993

Jasen, David A. Tin Pan Alley: an encyclopedia of the golden age of American song.
Ref ML102.P66.J37 2003

Lust, Patricia. American vocal chamber music, 1945-1980: an annotated bibliography.
Ref ML128.V7.L8 1985

Norton, Richard C. A chronology of American musical theater.
Ref ML1711.8.N3.N67 2002 v.1-3

Orr, N. Lee. Choral music in nineteenth-century America: a guide to the sources.
Ref ML128.C48.O77 1999

Villamil, Victoria Etnier. A singer's guide to the American art song, 1870-1980.
Ref ML128.S3.V5 1993

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Women

Block, Adrienne Fried. Women in American music: a bibliography of music and literature.
Ref ML128.W7.B6 [1979]

Crew, Danny O. Suffragist sheet music: an illustrated catalog of published music associated with the women's rights and suffrage movement in America, 1795-1921, with complete lyrics.
Ref ML128.W7.C74 2002

Grattan, Virginia L. American women songwriters: a biographical dictionary.
Ref ML106.U3.G73 1993

Skowronski, JoAnn. Women in American music, a bibliography.
Ref ML128.W7.S6 [1978]

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Books in the Circulating Collection

The main call number section for books on the history of American music is ML200, although some will be found in other sections as well. The primary subject heading is Music - United States - History and Criticism. Related works are in ML200.4 (19th century), ML200.5 (20th century), ML200.8 (specific U.S. city), etc.

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Journals/Periodicals

American music (Champaign, Ill.).
[No Call #] v.1 (1983) to present and online (MIT only)

Black music research journal.
[No Call #] 1981/1982 to present and online (MIT only)

Bulletin of the Society for American Music (formerly Sonneck Society Bulletin).
[No Call #] v.26 (2000) to present and online (free, open access)

Chamber Music (Chamber Music America).
v.17 (2000) to present
Issue 5 of each year is an annual directory.

Early Music America: the magazine of historical performance.
v.5 (1999) to present

Journal of the Society for American Music.
[No Call #] v.1 (2007) to present and online (MIT only)

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Selected Multi-Volume Sets in the Media Collections

American roots music / directed by Jim Brown.
ML3551.A54 2001b v.1-2 [DVD]

The blues: a Smithsonian collection.
PhonCD F G3701.B5.B53 v.1-4

Blues masters: the essential blues collection.
PhonCD F G3701.B5.B563 v.1-18

Jazz / [directed] by Ken Burns.
ML3506.J383 2000 v.1-10 [DVD]

The JVC/Smithsonian Folkways video anthology of music and dance of the Americas.
M1627.J35 1995 v.1-6 [VIDEO]

Martin Scorsese presents the blues: a musical journey.
ML3521.M37 2003a v.1-7 [DVD] and
PhonCD F G3701.B5.M27 v.1-5

Repercussions:a celebration of African-American music.
Vcas F G3200.R46 v.1-4

Southern journey. (Alan Lomax collection)
PhonCD F G3860.S65 v.1-13

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Selected Internet Resources

http://american-music.org/resources/ResourcesOnWeb.php
Meta-site maintained by the Society for American Music, containing links to a wide variety of resources and organizations.

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/mussmhtml/mussmhome.html
Site of the Library of Congress' "Music for the Nation." Site contains over 62,500 pieces of sheet music from the years 1820 to 1860 and over 47,000 pieces of sheet music from 1870 to 1885, including popular songs, piano music, sacred and secular choral music, solo instrumental music, method books and instructional materials, and music for band and orchestra.

http://www.lib.duke.edu/music/sheetmusic/collections.html
Extensive list of links to collections of American sheet music. Maintained by Duke University's Music Library.

http://www.amc.net/
Site of the American Music Center. Provides access to the Center's library, American music news, and links to related sites.

http://www.amrhome.net/
"The American Music Resource (AMR) provides a multi-dimensional source of reference information about all styles of music indigenous to the Western Hemisphere. It is intended to serve efficiently and quickly: text-only. The collection houses over 800 bibliographies, lists and files, and is indexed below by topic (genre and style subdivisions) and subject (individuals - mostly composers). Some listings also include links to selected Internet resources, as does the netography."

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This page was last updated on 08/17/07