SCSU Hilton C. Buley Library: Music: Music Databases

Music Databases - Subject Specific

Listed here are some databases specifically for music research. But don't limit yourself. Other, more general databases can also provide information relevant to your research.

JSTOR Advanced Search This link opens in a new window
JSTOR's Music Collection includes about 94 academic music journals and 21 journals on the performing arts. To access the collection, start with JSTOR's advanced search page, then scroll down the list of disciplines and check the boxes next to Music and/or Performing Arts.
Music Online: Classical Scores Library, Volumes 1-5 This link opens in a new window
A series of five volumes encompassing all major classical musical genres and time periods from the Middle Ages to the 21st century with full, study, piano, and vocal scores.
Naxos Music Library This link opens in a new window
Naxos Music Library provides streaming audio of recorded music along with liner notes, opera synopses and libretti, composer and artist biographies, discographies, and other information vital to music research. It is easily searched by browsing, keyword, or robust advanced search options.
Naxos Music Library provides streaming audio of recorded music along with liner notes, opera synopses and libretti, composer and artist biographies, discographies, and other information vital to music research. It is easily searched by browsing, keyword, or robust advanced search options. Requires Adobe Flash Player 10.
Naxos Music Library: Jazz This link opens in a new window
The Naxos collection of jazz music offers many of the same features as their regular database – streaming audio, supplementary documents, and robust search options – but specifically for jazz music.
The Naxos collection of jazz music offers many of the same features as their regular database streaming audio, supplementary documents, and robust search options but specifically for jazz music. Requires Adobe Flash Player 10.
Oxford Music Online This link opens in a new window
Grove Music Online Oxford Companion to Music, The Oxford Dictionary of Music, Encyclopedia of Popular Music, musician biography
Oxford Music Online is the gateway offering users the ability to access and cross-search multiple music reference resources in one location. With Grove Music Online as its cornerstone, Oxford Music Online also contains The Oxford Companion to Music (2002), The Oxford Dictionary of Music, 2nd edition (revised 2006), and Encyclopedia of Popular Music, 4th edition (2006).
RILM: Repertoire International de Litterature Musicale Abstracts This link opens in a new window
RILM (Répertoire International de Littérature Musicale) is a comprehensive guide to publications on music from all over the world. It includes citations to articles, books, bibliographies, catalogues, dissertations, Festschriften, iconographies, critical commentaries to complete works, ethnographic recordings, conference proceedings, electronic resources, reviews, and more.
RILM (Repertoire International de Litterature Musicale) is a comprehensive guide to publications on music from all over the world. It includes citations to articles, books, bibliographies, catalogues, dissertations, Festschriften, iconographies, critical commentaries to complete works, ethnographic recordings, conference proceedings, electronic resources, reviews, and more.
Rolling Stone Archive This link opens in a new window
The backfile of Rolling Stone, from its launch in 1967 to the present.
One of the most influential consumer magazines of the 20th-21st centuries, it initially sought to reflect the cultural, social, and political outlook of a generation of students and young adults. It has been a leading vehicle for rock and popular music journalism, as well as covering wider entertainment topics such as film and popular culture. Major journalists and authors to have contributed include Hunter S. Thompson, Patti Smith, and Tom Wolfe.

Related Databases

While not dedicated to the subject of music, the following databases may contain pertinent information for your research.

Academic Search Premier This link opens in a new window
One of the best all-purpose, multi-subject databases, with full text articles from newspapers, magazines, academic journals, encyclopedias, and books, plus references to many other articles. Also a good source of images from the news.
This multi-disciplinary database provides indexing, abstracts and much full text for academic journals, magazines, trade publications, and newspapers on every topic.
America: History & Life This link opens in a new window
America: History & Life is the definitive database of literature covering the history and culture of the United States and Canada, from prehistory to the present.
America: History & Life is a database of literature covering the history and culture of the United States and Canada, from prehistory to the present. Indexing, abstracts and some full text from journals and books.
Arts & Humanities Citation Index This link opens in a new window
Searchable database of cited and citing articles in the arts and humanities.
Find out who has cited who, and who has cited you. Access covers 1975-present. The Arts & Humanities Citation Index, part of the Web of Science, is a multidisciplinary index to the journal literature in the arts and humanities including archeology, architecture, dance, music, film and theater, history, humanities, literature, and religion.
Dissertations & Theses This link opens in a new window
Includes full text dissertations as well as the indexing and abstracts from Dissertation Abstracts back to 1637.
Includes full text dissertations and theses as well as the indexing and abstracts from Dissertation Abstracts back to 1637.
Humanities International Complete This link opens in a new window
Humanities International Complete provides full text of hundreds of journals, books and other published sources from around the world. Produced by Whitston Publishing (an imprint of EBSCO Publishing), this database includes all data from Humanities International Index (more than 2,100 journals and 2.47 million records) plus unique full text content, much of which is not found in other databases. The database includes full text for more than 890 journals.
Humanities International Complete provides full text from journals, books and other published sources from around the world. Includes all data from Humanities International Index plus unique full text content.
International Bibliography of Theatre & Dance with Full Text This link opens in a new window
The definitive research tool for the study of theatre and the performing arts. This database was initiated by the American Society for Theatre Research, and since 1984, the Theatre Research Data Center (TRDC) at Brooklyn College has published 14 volumes of the IBTD.
International Bibliography of Theatre & Dance with Full Text is the definitive research tool for the study of theatre and the performing arts, a fully indexed, cross-referenced and annotated database of journal articles, books, book chapters and dissertation abstracts on all aspects of theatre and performance in 126 countries.
Project Muse This link opens in a new window
Provides 100% full-text, affordable and user-friendly online access to a comprehensive selection of prestigious humanities and social sciences journals.
Provides 100% full-text, affordable and user-friendly online access to a comprehensive selection of prestigious humanities and social sciences journals.

Music Education

Research in music education may require using databases in both subject fields: music and education. Listed below are commonly used databases that focus on education.

Education Research Complete This link opens in a new window
Education Research Complete is the definitive online resource for education research. Topics covered include all levels of education from early childhood to higher education, and all educational specialties, such as multilingual education, health education, and testing.
Education Research Complete covers all levels of education from early childhood to higher education, and all educational specialties, such as multilingual education, health education, and testing. Inexing, abstracting, and full-text content from journals, books, and conference papers.
ERIC (Education Resource Information Center) This link opens in a new window
ERIC, the Education Resource Information Center, contains more than 1,300,000 records and links to more than 317,000 full-text documents dating back to 1966.
ERIC, the Education Resource Information Center, provides access to education literature and resources on all levels of education and all aspects of the field. The database provides access to information from journals included in the Current Index of Journals in Education and Resources in Education Index. The database contains more than 1,300,000 records and links to more than 317,000 full-text documents dating back to 1966.
Teacher Reference Center This link opens in a new window
Provides indexing and abstracts for more than 270 of the most popular teacher and administrator journals and magazines to assist professional educators
TRC provides indexing and abstracts for 280 periodicals. In addition, 96% of journals indexed in TRC are peer-reviewed. Topics include: Assessment, Best Practices, Continuing Education, Current Pedagogical Research, Curriculum Development, Elementary Education, Higher Education, Instructional Media, Language Arts, Literacy Standards, School Administration, Science & Mathematics, and Teacher Education.

Music Therapy

Since there are no databases dedicated to research in music therapy, a researcher might search music and psychology databases separately. The following are recommended psychology databases.

PsycInfo This link opens in a new window
American Psychological Association’s (APA) renowned resource for abstracts of scholarly journal articles, book chapters, books, and dissertations. The largest resource devoted to peer-reviewed literature in behavioral science and mental health.
American Psychological Association۪s (APA) renowned resource for abstracts of scholarly journal articles, book chapters, books, and dissertations. The largest resource devoted to peer-reviewed literature in behavioral science and mental health. It contains over 2.5 million citations and summaries dating as far back as the early 1800s. Journal coverage, which spans from 1887 to present, includes international material selected from more than 2,400 periodicals in more than 27 languages.
PsycArticles This link opens in a new window
From the American Psychological Association (APA). Definitive source of full-text, peer-reviewed scholarly and scientific articles in psychology.
From the American Psychological Association (APA). Definitive source of full-text, peer-reviewed scholarly and scientific articles in psychology. The database contains more than 140,000 articles from over 60 journals published by the APA, and its imprint the Educational Publishing Foundation (EPF), and from allied organizations including the Canadian Psychology Association and Hogrefe Publishing Group.

Streaming Video

Films on Demand (Music & Dance Video Collection)
With equal emphasis on recordings of live performances and documentaries, this collection spans both time and space to cover a wide variety of music and dance from around the world and throughout history. Opera, jazz, and classical. Ballet, modern, and step dancing. It’s all here.

Qwest TV Collection This link opens in a new window
Music Online: The Qwest TV Collection preserves diverse live performances, covering the evolution of jazz and beyond — representing funk, soul, hip-hop, folk, indie, electronic, blues, and other eclectic world genres.
Co-created by Quincy Jones & Reza Ackbaraly, this unique collection of highly curated 150 titles makes timeless concerts and global music accessible for research, teaching and learning.