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Research Guides
Music of the Baroque
CHECKLIST FOR DOING RESEARCH ON BAROQUE COMPOSERS
I. Find your composer and define your topic.
- Consult a Music Encyclopedia or a general music history book for an Overview of Your Topic.
Some of the important encyclopedias of music in the Music Services Department include:
The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd edition.
Available in book form at the Music Reference section of the Knight Library at ML100 .N48 2001 (29 volumes- including an index!) and on the web (as the GroveMusicOnline (for UO students and faculty only) at http://www.grovemusic.com/grovemusic/home/index.html
(Note: You must be connected through the UO's computing center to the UO web site to get access to the New Grove, as well as any of the other indexes listed in this guide.) To find a list of composers from the Baroque era, browse the online version under the Explore section/ Biographies.
This will allow you to hone into Composers by era, and get a list of the possible Baroque composers in the Grove.
[For an excellent definition of what constitutes the Baroque era, search "Baroque" in the search mode-Claude Palisca's article gives the dates of the Baroque era.] The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians
[MUSIC REF. ML 100. N48] (20 vols.) A good general starting point for information on composers and music.
(Look under:The last name of the composer.) - Other dictionaries and encyclopedias useful to consult (for names of composers of the Baroque era):
Cohen, Aaron.
International encyclopedia of women composers. 2d ed.
New York: Books & Music (USA), c1987.
[MUSIC REF. ML105.C7 1987 2 v.] Lists women composers of the 17th century in Appendix A: Women Composers by Country (and subdivided by era), pp.825-853. The New Grove Dictionary of Opera.(4 vols.)
[MUSIC REF. ML102.O6 N5 1992b + online on the web for UO students and faculty in GroveMusicOnline at http://www.grovemusic.com/index.html] The Oxford Companion to Music.
[MUSIC REF. ML100 .O94 2002 + online on the web (UO only) by title] Has an excellent article on the Baroque that names names. For a larger list of the music encyclopedias and dictionaries in the UO's Music Services Department, see:
A Sampling of Dictionaries and Encyclopedias for Musicians - For other lists of composers of the Baroque era:
Scan general music history texts and books on music history (such as the Grout) for names.
- Examples:
Abraham, Gerald.
The Concise Oxford History of Music.
London; New York: Oxford University Press, 1979.
[MUSIC ML160 .A27] Lists Baroque composers, which are included in the index in the back with their birth and death dates. (See pp.914 - 968)
Note: This source is not in the Music Reference section! The Classic FM Guide to Classical Music.
London: Pavilion, 1996.
[MUSIC REF. ML100 .N53 1996] Has a chronology of music on p.15 that lists some Baroque composers, as well as parallel dates in history. - And, finally, a resource on the web to scan (Very limited!): The Classical Music Locator/Baroque Period Search the Index of Forms & Styles of Music, under Baroque Period, for a small list of names.
II. Use a Research Guide to find resources on your composer:
The following guide, compiled by a graduate of the UO (and the 2005 Distinguished Alumnus!), is an excellent source on the styles and music of the Baroque era:
Sadie, Julie.Companion to baroque music.
New York: Schirmer Books, 1991.
[MUSIC REF. ML193 .C56 1991] The chronology (on pp. 449 - 504) lists events in the Baroque era, with the composers' names attached.
III. Locate Books on Your Composer in Our Library:
- Search the last name of your composer in the Subject section of the UO Library's on-line catalog. [Note: If the book you found in our library isn't available, use SUMMIT, the Orbis/Cascade Alliance's joint catalog,to request a copy from another library in the Pacific Northwest. You should receive the book in three working days!]
- Browse the shelves under the ML410 call number (what the Library of Congress and this library assign to biographies) to find older biographies of the composers that may not show up in the Library's catalog.
IV. Find Citations to Journal & Magazine Articles by Searching Printed & Electronic Indexes:
- Some of the most important indexes to search are:
- The Music Index
On the web from 1975 to the present and in paper on Music Reference shelves from 1949 - 1989; on the Music Index Table from 1990- 2001.
[MUSIC REF. ML118 .M84] [To find your subject, search under the composer's last name, then first] - RILM (Music Literature) [Repertoire international de litterature musicale] [Available on the web from the UO Library's Articles, Databases & Indexes on the left-hand side. Also available in paper form for the last ten years on the Music Index Table.] RILM is especially good for articles in non-music resources and in languages other than English. Annotations are given for a great number of the resources. A number of the articles connect to the online version of the article.
- Academic Search Premier
A general index that includes access to the online version of a number of music journals.
Those journals below that are included in this resource are noted with an asterisk(*).
V. Find the Journals & Magazines in the Knight Library:
- Using the green-tabbed library catalog Search (on the Library's web site), type the title of the journal in the blank space; pull down the left-hand Search for arrow to TITLE and the right-hand arrow to Journals & Serials
- Use the Library's FindText button to discover our connections to online journals.
The UO Library's web site includes a FindText button for every journal to which we have access, including listings of online journal articles and connections to other journal resources.
Whether you are searching a specific journal title in our catalog, or finding whether we own a journal that appears in the index citations, the FindText button provides instant access. - Important Journals in the Music History Field:
(These are indexed in the Music Index and RILM, as well as in other resources. Those sources available in full text have an asterisk (*) to the left of the journal.)-
*Acta musicologica.
[Publication of the International Musicological Society]
[MUSIC ML 5 .M6
LIB. HAS: 27(1955)- present in paper; 1931 - 2002 online * Archiv fur Musikwissenschaft.
[MUSIC ML 5 .A63]
LIB. HAS: 1(1918)-8(1926),10(1953)- present in paper; 1918 - 2003 online Current musicology.
[MUSIC ML 1 .C9]
LIB. HAS: 1(1965)-42(1986);43-present *Early music.
[MUSIC ML 5 .E3]
LIB. HAS: 1 (1973) - present, both in paper and online *The Journal of musicology.
[MUSIC ML 1 .J683]
LIB. HAS: 1(1982)- present in paper; 1984 - 2004 online *Journal of the American Musicological Society.
[MUSIC ML 27 .U5 A83363]
LIB. HAS: 1(1948)- present in paper, 1948 - present online Musica disciplina.
[Publication of the American Institute of Musicology.]
[MUSIC ML 5 .M722]
LIB. HAS: 2(1948)- present Die Musikforschung.
[MUSIC ML 5 .M9437]
LIB. HAS: 2(1949),6(1953)- present * Performance practice review.
[MUSIC ML 1 .P10876]
LIB. HAS: 1(1988)- 10(1997) in paper; 1988 - 1997 online Research chronicle. [R.M.A.Research Chronicle]
[Publication of the Royal Musical Association]
[MUSIC ML 5 .R8]
LIB. HAS: 1(1961)- present Revue belge de musicologie. Belgisch tijdschrift voor muziekwetenschap.
[Publication of the Societe belge de musicologie.]
[MUSIC ML 5 .R292]
LIB. HAS: 1(1946)- present * Revue de musicologie.
[Publication of la Societe francaise de musicologie.]
[MUSIC ML 5 .R32]
LIB. HAS: 1(1917)- present in paper; 1922 - 2000 online * Studia musicologica.
[Publication of the Academiae Scientiarum Hungarica]
[MUSIC ML 5 .S925]
LIB. HAS: 1(1961)- present online; 1961 - 2002 online
Search the UO Library's web catalog
VI. Score Sources for Research
- Recent researches in the music of the Baroque Era
[MUSIC REF. M2 .R238] - Recent Researches In The Music Of The Classical Era
[MUSIC REF. M2.R2381] - Composers' Complete Works
- Indexes to the Score Sets The following sources provide composer-specific access to the M2's (Monuments of Music) and the M3's (Composer's Collected Editions) in our collection: Heyer, Anna Harriet, 1909-
The following score sets may be useful in researching your composer's biography. Often the introductions include important and recent biographical information.
Part of the mark of a good music library is their collection of the scholarly editions of the complete works of composers. The UO Knight Library has a large collection, arranged under the M3 call numbers, then alphabetically by the composer's last name, in the Music Services Reference area.
Historical sets, collected editions, and monuments of music: a guide to their contents.
3d ed. Chicago: American Library Association, 1980.
[MUSIC REF. ML113.H52 1980 v.1 -v.2] Hill, George Robert and Norris Stephens.
Collected editions, historical series & sets & monuments of music: a bibliography.
Berkeley, Calif.: Fallen Leaf Press, c1997
[MUSIC REF. ML113 .H55 1997] (Updates the Heyer for newer collections, including Recent Researches in the Music of...) Hilton, Ruth B.
An index to early music in selected anthologies.
Clifton, N.J.: European American Music Corporation, c1978.
[MUSIC REF. ML116 .H54] Note: Don't forget to check the New Grove's works lists under the composers' entries. These will often include an index to the specific volume in the collected editions or monuments in which a work is located.
VII. Borrow what books and journal articles we don't own:
- Search Other Library Catalogs from the UO Library's web page to get books and scores.
Of particular use to music history scholars are the following resources:
Using the same subject headings as you used in the UO Library's catalog, consult SUMMIT for resources at other Pacific Northwest member libraries. You can request those items we don't own (or that we own and are checked out) by clicking on the SUMMIT symbol on the UO Library's web catalog, then filling out the request on line. You should receive the item within three working days!
WorldCat
This resource allows you to search 20,000+ library holdings, using the same headings as the UO Library's catalog.
You can order these items online by clicking on the ILL button at the top of the screen,then filling out the information form.
Items borrowed through ILL take an average of two weeks to come in to our library. - Prepare Interlibrary Loan requests for books, dissertations, etc. not listed in SUMMIT or WorldCat. Forms are available on-line on the UO Library's Interlibrary Loan website at http://libweb.uoregon.edu/general/services/ill/
- Verify your citations received from sources other than the on-line indexes above by searching in the indexes searched above.
[In general, the Library won't borrow items if you haven't found them in a commercial index.]
VIII. Other Sources:
- Record Jacket Program Notes:
- Videocassettes about Composers:
- Thematic Catalogs for Composers:
- Other Biographical sources:
- When all else fails, or you can't get started on your project, consult a librarian about other sources. The music librarians are Leslie Bennett (e-mail = lbennett@uoregon.edu ; phone at 346-1930; or Rebecca Belford (e-mail = rbelford@uoregon.edu; phone at 346-1850.
Many record jackets have scholarly information about composers and their works. To find these in our collection, search under the Author section of the UO Library's catalog by the composer's last name, then first name.
Limit your search to Audio Recordings, and browse the items to see if they have program notes(which you can find by looking at the "Description" section of the catalog "card".) Note any that have multiple pages. They may have significant information about your composer and/or his/her works.
Another great source of record liner notes in the UO Library's Audio Resources Online. The databases are connectible through the Library's web site under Videos & Music. Scroll down on the page to the Audio Resources Online listings, and go to the Classical Music Library. You can browse this streaming audio source by composer or by period, then click on the Info button, then the Composer tab, and you'll find a wealth of information about your composer.
These can be found by searching the UO Library's catalog by Subject under the composer's last name, then limiting your search to Video Recordings.
The Library owns a number of videocassettes that are biographies of composers, and might provide interesting information about them. The videos may viewed in the Reserves & Video Collection (on the first floor of the Library) or checked out for 3 days, if they aren't on reserve for a class.
Another source that is especially helpful for doing research on composers are the thematic catalogs compiled by their biographers (such as Koechel for Mozart and Hoboken for Haydn.) These sources often begin with a short biography of the composer, then list their works in chronological order, often including information about the piece's dedicatee, as well as first performances and instrumentation.
Most composers' thematic catalogs are shelved in the Music Reference section of the Music Services Department (across from the Music Reference Desk) and are found in the ML 134 call number range. The sources are then shelved alphabetically by the last name of the composer. Mixed in with these thematic catalogs are bio-bibliographies, which not only include biographical information about the composer and a works list, but also listings of books and articles about that composer.
To get more information about a composer from a different perspective (or in case you can't find your composer in the encyclopedias listed above), consult the: Biography and Genealogy Master Index
This source provides indexing to most of the major reference works in libraries, and allows you to see what other disciplines have said about your composer (as well as searching other music encyclopedias.) You will have to look up the sources listed in this index in our catalog to see if we own them-and many of the non-music resources will be located in Knight Reference section on the main floor.Last Modified: 01/11/2008