LibGuides: Music Research Guide: American Music

What's on this page?

This is the American Music (AM) tab! Below you will find links to AM resources, databases, websites and other helpful stuff.

Awesome AM Websites and Databases!

Recent Researches in Music Online
Online version of the Recent Researches series of scholarly performance ready music scores. Download/print both scores and commentary on lesser performed works in different genres, instrumentations, eras, and geographical locations. Coverage dates: 500 - early 20th century.

Recent Researches in American Music
Recent Researches in American Music encompasses a wide variety of genres, styles, and epochs that define the music of our country.
New Music USA
Combined efforts of the American Music Center and Meet the Composer, advocating composers, producers, performers, and other music related efforts in the USA.

Library of Congress ML and MT Help

Call numbers that apply to American music

ML 159 - 3785 - History and Criticism

ML162-197 By chronological period - Ex. American music in the early 20th century

ML198-360.6 By region or country - History of music in the US

ML385-429 Biography - Alpha by composer in ML410 (Beach, Copland, Hanson)

ML430-458 Composition/performance - American performers

ML3400-3465 Dance music - Ballet in America (Ex. Copland)

ML3469-3541 Popular music - Rock and roll, Film music

ML3544-3776 Folk, national, and ethnic - Ex. American folk song, spirituals, Native American

Reference Materials

Reference materials whether text or music score that might be helpful. Some of these are our call number listings of publications in the Awesome AM Websites section.

Recent Researches in American Music M2 .R2382 in several volumes.

Music in the United States M2.3 .U6 M87 in several volumes

Thematic Catalogs ML134 (alpha by composer - can also have research guides)

Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians - ML100 or online under Databases

Dictionary of American Classical Composers - ML106 .U3 B87 2005

Oxford Music Online (Grove)
This is the best place to start music reference research. Everything "music" is in Grove. Bibliographies at the end of each article are great for further research. Works lists at the end of each article give correct chronological nomenclature (op. and #), dates, publishers and notes about individual works.

"Dictionary of Music and Musicians" (called "The Grove") started by Sir George Grove has been in existence since 1879 in various editions. The last print edition in 2000 will probably be the last "print" edition. We have several editions including a first edition if you want to explore how music and points of view about music have changed over the years.

American Music Databases

Databases that contain primarily American music content whether text or streaming.

American Song
American Song is a streaming database that allows people to hear and feel the music from America's past.
more...less...
Includes songs by and about American Indians, miners, immigrants, slaves, children, pioneers, and cowboys. Songs of Civil Rights, political campaigns, Prohibition, the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, anti-war protests, and more.
African American Music Reference
African American Music Reference offers the first comprehensive coverage of blues, jazz, spirituals, civil rights songs, slave songs, minstrelsy, rhythm and blues, gospel, and other forms of black American musical expression.
Database of Recorded American Music
A scholarly source of recordings including audio, notes and essays from major American labels.
Garland Encyclopedia of World Music
The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music Online is the first comprehensive online resource devoted to music research of all the world's peoples including the US.
Jazz Music Online
Jazz Music Library is the largest and most comprehensive collection of streaming jazz available online — with thousands of jazz artists, ensembles, albums, and genres.

Subject Guide

Cari Alexander

Email Me

Contact:

Email: c.alexander2@tcu.edu

Phone: 817-257-6623

Subjects: Genealogy, Music