Music Appreciation Subject Guide LRC@TCC

Scope: Resources for the study of Music Appreciation

Call number areas to browse:

Keywords to search:
Names of musicians and composers, types of music (classical, jazz, folk, popular) vocal, instrumental, orchestras, voice, musical movements, arrangements, choral music, concerts, composition, criticism, history, analysis, music appreciation

Subjects to search (Library of Congress):

Books. Periodicals,  and Audiovisuals in our catalog: Use library subject headings and keywords in the library catalog to locate books, periodicals and audiovisuals owned by the library. You can limit your search by campus holdings, language and format (books, computer files, visual materials, etc.).

Online Reference E-Books:
Arts and Humanities Through the Eras - From ancient Egypt through the Age of Enlightenment, this database profiles milestones and movements in the arts, literature, music and religion from a specific period.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music - It is a rich mine of information for lovers of music of all periods and styles. The dictionary includes over 14,000 entries on musical terms from allegro to zingaro, and on musical works from Aida to Tosca, as well as musical instruments and their history, composers, librettists, musicians, singers, and orchestras. It also boasts comprehensive works lists for major composers.

The Oxford Companion to Music - The classic reference work includes articles that range from clear, concise definitions of musical ideas and terms to extended surveys of musical forms and styles, with specialist coverage of virtually every musical subject. It places music in its social and cultural context, with a range of new entries on topics such as politics, religion, psychology, and computers. The book covers current research in and approaches to music, including analysis, theory, ethnomusicology, and performance practice. All varieties of musical forms are convered, including jazz, popular music, and dance.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera - Plot synopses and first performance details, bibliographies of works about opera, entries on singers (including their debuts and career highlights, with notes on voice type, style, and reputation), definitions and discussions of technical terms and operatic styles, and surveys of the history of opera worldwide are all included.

Library Database Resources (r):
Humanities International Complete - Humanities International Index (more than 2,300 journals and more than 2.9 million records) plus unique full text content, much of which is not found in other databases. The database includes full text for more than 1,200 journals.

Oxford Music Online - Formerly Grove Music Online is a comprehensive, searchable music reference site, combining the New Grove Dictionaries of Music and Musicians, Opera and Jazz.

Internet Resources:
Essentials of Music - Introduction to classical music built around Sony's Essential Classics music series. It features Eras, Composers, and a Glossary.

Teoria - Online tutorials, complete exercises, and articles about music all in the same place. In the “Tutorials” area, visitors will learn about how to read music and how to identify different chords, intervals, and harmonic functions. Moving along, the “Exercises” area lets visitors test their mettle with interactive materials that will take them through the world of key signatures, jazz, and clef reading. Finally, the site also has a “Reference” area which provides answers to such questions as “What is a chord?” along with offering a detailed explication of the bits and pieces of information that can be found in a bar of music.

Directory from Google - List of websites dealing with styles of music.

University of North Texas Music Library: Jazz Research Portal - Briefly annotated collection of links to jazz metasites, history, artists, online journals, and academic programs and archives.

A Beginner's Guide to Classical Music from About.com includes Medieval, Renaissance, Opera, and more.