II. Music Information Resources

Encyclopedias / Dictionaries

Encyclopedias

Encyclopedias provide a variety of in-depth articles usually related to a broad area of study such as music. Encyclopedias provide access to biographical, historical, and topical information. Music encyclopedias usually include a complete overview of a composer's life and work as well as a detailed list of his/her compositions. Articles in encyclopedias are typically written by a scholar on the topic and conclude with a bibliography.

Dictionaries

Most dictionaries provide definitions of terms. Some dictionaries describe the vocabulary of a discipline such as music (e.g. New Harvard Dictionary of Music).

Biographical Dictionaries

A biographical dictionary provides biographical sketches of a group of people (e.g. Baker's Biographical Dictionary).

Uses

Overview a particular topic. Find important dates and information for a person or topic.

Typical citation

²Rob Bowman, "The Grateful Dead," in New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed.

Did you know?

Many of these are available online.