LibGuides: Music: Home

Music

Welcome to the Music Department research guide. Here you'll find links to books, ebooks, databases, and websites relevant to all genres of music. Click the tabs on the left to find information on your topic, from tertiary to secondary to primary sources. Questions about the research process can be directed to any library or ARC staff member.

Internet Resources

AllMusic
A comprehensive and in-depth resource for finding out more about the albums, bands, musicians and songs you love
DC Punk Archive
The DC Punk Archive was established in 2014 to document the vibrant and influential punk music scene of Washington D.C. going back to 1976
Grateful Dead Archive Online
Documents the band's activity and influence in contemporary music from 1965 to 1995
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Includes inductees, sound clips, birthdates, a timeline, materials for students and teachers, and more
Rock 'n' Roll: Beginnings to Woodstock
Primary sources covering the beginnings of rock ‘n’ roll
Rock and Roll Music (Smithsonian)
Features photos and memorabilia from some of the biggest moments and personalities in rock music history
Rock Music Timeline
The evolution of rock and roll music in the order it happened with classic albums, hit songs, and important events from the first fifty years of rock, pop, hip hop and soul music
Sun Records: a History
Launched in Memphis in 1952, Sun Records became home to rock pioneers like Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and others
Timeline of African American Music: Rock ‘n’ Roll
Explores the foundational elements of rock ‘n’ roll and centers african-american artists in relating the early days of the genre
Trouser Press Magazine
A New York-based rock music magazine that specialized in a number of genres — British Invasion history, new wave, progressive and independent-label releases — during its existence, 1974 to 1984
Women in Rock and Roll’s First Wave (Case Western Reserve University)
Preserves and tells the stories of the women and girls who created and performed rock and roll songs in the 1950s and early 1960s
Women of Rock Oral History Project (Smith College)
Documents the lives and careers of women in rock music, focusing primarily on artists who have been left out of the popular rock narrative
Women Who Rock
Explore the role of women and popular music in the creation of cultural scenes and social justice movements in the Americas and beyond

All About Jazz
Includes reviews, discussion topics, sound files, etc.
Brubeck Collection (University of the Pacific)
A unique accumulation of materials representing the creative life of one of jazz's most renowned practitioners
Buffalo Jazz Report (SUNY Buffalo)
Includes the full run of the independent publication devoted to jazz, 1974-1978
The Chicagoan Magazine (University of Chicago)
Modeled after the New Yorker, this magazine ran from 1926 to 1935 and sought to portray Chicago as a cultural hub. Full issues are reproduced in this near-complete digital collection
Downbeat Magazine
An American music magazine established in 1934 in Chicago and devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond"
Felix E. Grant Jazz Archives (University of the District of Columbia)
Includes interviews with major artists, from Cannonball Adderley to Phil Woods, originally broadcast on WMAL Radio 630 from 1965-1984
Hogan Archive of New Orleans Music and New Orleans Jazz (Tulane University)
Supports the research and study of New Orleans music and culture of the late 19th and 20th centuries forward
Institute of Jazz Studies (Rutgers University)
The world's foremost jazz archives and research library
Jim Cullum Riverwalk Jazz Collection (Stanford University)
An archive of the Riverwalk Jazz radio program and website, featuring streaming audio of nearly 400 programs broadcast since 1989, with illustrated essays, information about band members and guest artists, complete playlists, and supplementary recordings
Leonard Feather Blindfold Tests Collection (University of Idaho)
Includes recordings of Feather playing jazz recordings for other jazz musicians, asking the listeners to guess the artist on the recording and to talk through their thought process
Louis Armstrong House Museum
Collects and shares archival materials that document Armstrong’s life and legacy
Monterey Jazz Festival Collection (Stanford University)
Includes digitized recordings from the annual festival, as well as a complete run of festival posters

Alan Lomax Digital Archive
A huge treasure trove of songs and interviews recorded by the legendary folklorist Alan Lomax from the 1940s into the 1990s have been digitized and made available online for free listening
AllMusic (Blues)
A comprehensive and in-depth resource for finding out more about the albums, bands, musicians and songs you love
Appalachian Blues (Smithsonian)
Provides an overview of Appalachian Blues - including notable names and milestones, as well as the genres development within the larger cultural context of black life and music
The Blues (Library of Congress)
A brief overview of blues history, with links to various blues-related assets in the LOC collection
The Blues (Smithsonian)
Links to Blues-related collection items hosted by the Smithsonian and other high-profile cultural institutions
Blues Archives (University of Mississippi)
One of the largest collections of blues recordings, publications, and memorabilia in the world
Delta Blues Museum
Learn about key figures and locations in blues history through immersive online exhibits
Mississippi Blues Trail
Discover the people and places that spawned the blues
William R. Ferris Collection (UNC Chapel Hill)
Images in this digital collection document life in Mississippi and the Mississippi Delta; folk, blues, gospel, fife and drum corps music, and other musical types

Classical.net
Reviews of CDs, DVDs, and books; links to other classical music web sites
Classical Composers by Era
A visual representation, with links, to classical composers, separated into the eras in which they composed
Composer Diversity Database
A project from The Institute for Composer Diversity, which is "committed to the celebration, education, and advocacy of music created by composers from historically underrepresented groups including women, composers of color, LGBTQIA2S+ composers, and disabled composers"
Gramophone
Classical music reviews, news, playlists, features and blogs from Gramophone, a leading classical music magazine
History of Classical Music (Naxos)
An overview of the classical periods, from the medieval to the present, and defining recordings representing each period
International Music Score Library Project
Petrucci Music Library. Major database containing public domain scores; includes complete works of many composers.
Music by Black Composers
Violinist Rachel Barton Pine's extensive collection of resources to spread awareness of and access to music by Black composers
Music Division Digital Collections (Library of Congress)
Primary source materials maintained by the Library of Congress and including sheet music, interviews, photographs and other memorabilia
MusRef
From Brigham Young University. Includes a searchable bibliography of music and dance reference sources (both online and print formats)
Mutopia Project
The Mutopia Project offers sheet music editions of classical music for free download
OREL Foundation
Biographical, bibliographical and media information concerning composers whose music was banned during the years of Nazi oppression in Europe

Learn and better understand United States History through music. Sources may cover material extending before or after the time period under which they are listed.

Pre-Colonial Music

Colonial Music

Revolution Era Music

Early American Music (Colonial Music Institute)
Information & essays on early American music from the Colonial Music Institute and the George Washington Presidential Library

19th Century Music

Band Music from the Civil War Era
This online collection brings together musical scores, recordings, photographs, and essays documenting an important part of the American musical past.

20th Century - Present

The Great American Songbook Foundation
The Great American Songbook Foundation hosts a vast library and archives along with a regularly updated collection of online exhibits.
Jazz Research (Library of Congress)
A guide to the extensive jazz holdings in the Music Division at the Library of Congress, which includes scores, manuscript material, sheet music, books, serials, and copyright deposit lead sheets.
National Jukebox (Library of Congress)
The Jukebox includes more than 10,000 recordings made by the Victor Talking Machine Company between 1901 and 1925.
Women and the Blues (Digital Public Library of America)
Primary sources tracing the influence of women on the blues movement.

Sources Spanning Several or All Eras

Black Composers (Library of Congress)
The Library of Congress research hub for information by and about black composers.
Early American Sacred Music (Library of Congress)
This research guide focuses on early American sacred music through 1820.
History & Music (Feb. 2019 Issue of 'The American Historian')
Professors and historians tackle music topics from the early American republic and the 20th century.
JSTOR Music Collection
Search 76 journals and over 1000 e-books, published over more than a century, that focus on music and musicology.
Smithsonian Music
Smithsonian Music brings together rich resources from throughout the institution’s museums and research centers to provide unique musical opportunities and to increase access to the nation’s collections.
Songfacts
Songfacts is a searchable database of song information where you can find out the stories behind the songs, get the lyrics, and watch the videos.
Songs of America (Library of Congress)
From popular and traditional songs, to poetic art songs and sacred music, the relationship of song to historical events from the nation's founding to the present is highlighted through more than 80,000 online items.
Star-Spangled Banner (Library of Congress)
A wide variety of resources from the Library of Congress on the complicated and controversial history of the Star-Spangled Banner.