This guide suggests resources and strategies for research on instrumental & vocal performance.

Background Information  |    Find Articles  |  Find Books  |  Criticism & Reviews  |  Primary Sources  |  People  |  Organizations  |  Web Resources  |  Additional Resources

Encyclopedias and other reference works are an excellent place to start a research project or simply learn more about a particular topic.  They provide topic summaries, context, and bibliographies for further reading.

The illustrated encyclopedia of musical instruments ( R 784.1903 Il6) 
American vocal chamber music, 1945-1980 : an annotated bibliography (R 784.3 L976A)
Cobbet's cyclopedic survey of chamber music (R785.7003 C636)
A dictionary of opera and song themes : including cantatas, oratorios, lieder, and art songs ( R 781.97 B249dic 1976 )
Dictionary of pipe organ stops (R786.63 Ir9d2)
Encyclopedia of percussion (R786.81903 En19)
Guide to the pianist's repertoire (R 786.2016 G596g3)
Music for the voice; a descriptive list of concert and teaching material. (R 781.97 K119M 1968)
Organa Britannica (R786.6241 B633o)
String Music in Print (787.016 F228s2)

 
 

Search indexes, abstracts, and databases to find journal, magazine, and newspaper articles.  For a complete list of Kent Library's online indexes and databases, see the Find: articles page (http://library.semo.edu/find/articles.asp).

To find historical/source materials, use the following print sources:
Music Index (for materials before 1979)
Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature
 

To find recent articles and scholarly/peer-reviewed articles use the following online databases:

Acamic Search Premiere
Eric
Iter
Music Index
Proquest Research Library
Wilson Omnifile

Use the Kent Library Catalog (http://library.semo.edu/find/books.shtml) to find books, periodicals (journals, magazines, & newspapers), videos, government documents and other materials.

Keyword searches allow you to use your own words as search terms.
Subject heading searches use Library of Congress subject headings. Printed volumes of these headings are located near the Reference Desk on the main floor.
 

Music performance
(name of instrument) performance - e.g. violin performance
Performance practice music

(this will bring up this heading, and additional headings divided by century -- 17th Century, 18th Century etc.)

Singing
Singing Interpretation Phrasing Dynamics Etc 

Browse the shelves by call number.  Use the Dewey Decimal chart  to get you in the right subject areas or try the following:

782 Vocal music
783 Music for single voices; the voice
784 Instruments & instrumental ensembles
785 Ensembles with one instrument per part
786 Keyboard & other instruments
787 Stringed instruments
788 Wind instruments.
 

High Fidelity -- Periodicals (1980-1986)
High Fidelity and Musical America -- Periodicals (1970-1980)
High Fidelity Incorporating Musical America -- Periodicals (1965-1969)
Musical America  -- Periodicals (1987-1992) and online in Proquest Research Library (1988-1992)

A treatise on the fundamental principles of violin playing (787.1 M877t2) 

Learn about important people, such as authors, researchers & historical figures related to this topic or field.

Baker's biographical dictionary of musicians (R 780.922 B177b 2001)
Universal dictionary of violin & bow makers (R787.12058 H389u

Professional organizations and/or societies often provide very useful topic related information.

Representative listings below.  For a more comprehensive listing, consult the Encyclopedia of Associations (R Ref Desk 061 G131e)

American Symphony Orchestra League
American Viola Society
American Guild of Organists
Chamber Music America
Chorus America
Contemporary A Cappella Society of America
Guitar Foundation of America
Gala Choruses
International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians
International Double Reed Society
International Horn Society
Music societies & organizations listed by the Scholarly Societies Project
National Band Association
National Opera Association
Violin Society of America
 
 
 

Internet Public Library music performance links
Librarian's Index to the Internet Musical Instruments Links
Meet the Music.org   search for Orchestras by state
My auditions.com  | job vacancies by instrument and voice

For a list of Web searching tools, see the Find: web resources page (http://library.semo.edu/find/webpages.shtml).

Classical music archives -- collection of public domain MIDI files that can be imported into notation programs
Virtual Instrument Museum -- pictures, sound clips and video clips of musical instruments from all over the world.