REMEMBER: Use Butler Libraries'Catalog to find:
Be sure to use the limiters on the left-hand side of the screen to narrow down your results!
Also, REMEMBER: Work out some of your search strategy before going online! Think about your topic. Write down key terms, concepts, titles, and the names of key people whose thinking or work is relevant to your topic. Be sure to include synonyms of key terms and concepts. Also, consider important geographic locations and time periods (i.e., geographic and chronological limiters).
InterLibrary Loan (ILL)
If you find materials in WorldCat that Butler Libraries do not own, you can obtain these through Interlibrary Loan (ILL). This is a service that enables Butler students to have access to library resources NOT OWNED by the Butler Libraries. You make Interlibrary Loan requests directly from the catalog or a database by clicking the "Request" button. If there is no request button, log on to your Library Account.
From your account you can:
For all ILL questions contact Sarah Damery at 317-940-9677 or sdamery@butler.edu.
The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music by
"Garland's ambitious 10-volume series takes a cultural approach to its focus on the music of all the world's peoples. Each volume is arranged topically, regionally, or by ethnic group, and complemented by an extensive index. Although each volume will differ because of the nature of the material, the organization remains consistent throughout all: regional overviews first; music in the social context next; then finally, the musical traditions of individual countries or ethnic groups. Of exceptional value are the CDs that accompany each volume, often with previously unrecorded music, as well as the resource guides, extensive bibliographies, and photographs."
The New Grove Dictionary of American Music by
"The New Grove Dictionary of American Music is the most comprehensive and enlightening history of America's musical heritage ever published. American Grove is focused solely on the unique styles and traditions of American music. It covers popular musical forms such as country, rock, pop, soul, folk, blues, jazz, bluegrass, and big band. It explores America's vibrant classical heritage--from colonial times to John Cage--and also provides substantial articles on the traditional music of diverse cultures such as Native Americans, Jewish Americans, and Islamic Americans. The Dictionary investigates the social, cultural, and historical forces that shaped our distinctive musical identity--from the Civil War to the impact of pop culture ... the rise of technology to the plurality of religions ... from the supremacy of film to the evolution of the civil rights movement. ..."
The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments by 
The Oxford History of Western Music by
Intends to illuminate, through a representative sampling of masterworks, those themes, styles, and currents that give shape and direction to each musical age. Taking a critical perspective that challenges the wisdom of the field, the author sets the details of music--the chronological sweep of figures, works, and musical ideas-- within the larger context of world affairs and cultural history.
Thematic Catalogues in Music by
Use this source to discover if thematic catalogs are available for a give composer and who created them. Thematic catalog numbers aid in location specific pieces of music.
RISM (Repertoire international des sources musicales) by
"International Inventory of Musical Sources" - use these volumes to locate primary source scores in libraries around the world.
Collected Editions, Historical Series and Sets, and Monuments of Music by
"Inventories over 8,000 historically important collected editions of music. It seeks exhaustive coverage for numbered monumental sets and composers' collected editions, and gives complete listings for many musicologically significant publishers' series and anthologies."--Jacket.
The Harvard Dictionary of Music by
" ... Combining authoritative scholarship and lucid prose, this is the essential guide for musicians, students, and everyone who appreciates music. Includes entries on all the styles and forms in Western music; comprehensive articles on the music of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Near East; descriptions of instruments with historical background; and articles that reflect today's beat, including popular music, jazz, and rock. Encyclopedia-length articles by notable experts alternate with short entries for quick reference, including definitions and identifications of works and instruments." (From publisher's description)
The Oxford Companion to Music by
"A comprehensive single-volume reference to the Western musical tradition. Hundreds of entries explore all aspects of music theory, performance practice, composers, artists, instruments, notation, and more. "
A Dictionary of Music Titles by
An excellent source for background information and additional identifying information for musical "nicknames" of works (e.g., "London Symphonies," "Moonlight Sonata") and genre terms (e.g., prelude, sarabande, etc.)
International Vocabulary of Music by
Provides translations of musical terms and instruments in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish.
A Companion to Twentieth-Century Music by
Provides useful info about 20th Century composers, compositions, festivals, and related musical terminology (e.g., minimalism, white noise, musique concrete, etc.).
The Well-Tempered Announcer by
"The purpose of this guide is to provide the systematic linguistic tools needed for the proper pronunciation of names of composers, conductors, performers, titles of compositions, music terms, and place names in a wide assortment of European and East Asian languages ..."
Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians
" ... Under new editorship since Slonimsky's death in 1995, coverage has expanded to over 1,000 new entries on classical music and over 2,000 new entries on jazz and popular music. Nice features include reprints of Slonimsky's witty introductions to earlier editions and indexes for genre, nationality, and women composers and musicians."--"Outstanding Reference Sources," American Libraries, May 2002.
The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music by
"A long-awaited companion to The New Harvard Dictionary of Music, and compiled with the same meticulous scholarship and delight in detail, this biographical dictionary emphasizes classical and art music, but also gives ample attention to jazz and blues, rock and pop, and hymns and showtunes across the ages - with unusual care devoted to coverage of the twentieth century."
Sourcebook for Research in Music, Third Edition by
Since it was first published in 1993, the Sourcebook for Research in Music has become an invaluable resource in musical scholarship. The balance between depth of content and brevity of format makes it ideal for use as a textbook for students, a reference work for faculty and professional musicians, and as an aid for librarians. The introductory chapter includes a comprehensive list of bibliographical terms with definitions; bibliographic terms in German, French, and Italian; and the plan of the Library of Congress and the Dewey Decimal music classification systems. Integrating helpful commentary to instruct the reader on the scope and usefulness of specific items, this updated and expanded edition accounts for the rapid growth in new editions of standard works, in fields such as ethnomusicology, performance practice, women in music, popular music, education, business, and music technology. These enhancements to its already extensive bibliographies ensures that the Sourcebook will continue to be an indispensable reference for years to come. (From the publisher)
Here are some useful basic LC classes for music:
M = Scores
ML = Music History & Literature
ML100-109 Dictionaries and encyclopedias
ML105-107 Bio-bibliography
ML113-158 Bibliography
ML134 Composer catalogs, thematic catalogs, A-Z
ML159-3797 History and criticism
ML1620197 By time period
ML385-429 Biography
ML410 Composers, A-Z
ML416-421 Performers, A-Z
MT = Musical Instruction and Study (scores or books)
MT3 History of music education
MT5.5-7 Music theory
MT6.5 Collections of music for analysis
MT90-146 Analytical guides
MT170-810 Instrumental techniques
MT820-949 Voice instruction
Use the WorldCat Discover Box (found on the Butler Libraries homepage) to begin your search for print books owned by Butler Libraries, PALNI (Private Academib Library Network of Indiana) Libraries and other WorldCat Libraries around the world.
You can select "Books" from the limiter list on the left-hand side of the screen when you get the results from your initial search so that the results list only shows books.
The books owned by the Butler Libraries will have the following at the bottom of the brief record for the item:
This link will connect you to the a guide that provides directions for accessing and downloading ebooks within each of our ebook collections.
Email Butler University Libraries
Irwin Library: 317-940-9227
Science Library: 317-940-9937
CAT: 317-940-8575
