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Music: Articles/Databases
About articles
Articles are collected into journals, magazines, newspapers, and other types of "periodicals" that are produced on a regular basis, or "periodically." Most databases let you select or limit to scholarly or academic articles or publications, as well as dissertations, conference reports, etc.
Content from RILM, IPA Source, and Met Opera on Demand are not included in the "Find articles, books & more" search. This makes it important to use these specific databases! Look at the example searches, tutorials, and search tips below.
- Databases, journals, & articlesVideo defines each and explains how they fit together
Music-specific databases
- RILM Abstracts of Music LiteratureScholarly material on all aspects of music and related fields. RILM content is not included in the "Find articles, books & more" search. Also includes dissertations: then use WorldCat to request Doc Delivery from other libraries.
- RILM PowerPoint tutorialClick the speaker icon in the upper right of each slide for audio.
- Music Periodicals DatabaseInformation on all aspects of music, including music education, theory, performance, composition, ethnomusicology, and theatre.
- Berliner Philharmoniker Digital Concert HallClick on "Start Institutional Access", then register (create) a free account using your GVSU email address.
Includes concert videos: symphonies, concertos, and vocal works by all the major composers from the Baroque to the present day. - IPA SourceContains phonetic transcriptions & literal translations of opera arias, German Lieder, French mélodies, & Italian art songs, featuring the texts to the works of all the great song & opera composers as found in the most common anthologies.
- Met Opera On DemandMet Opera On Demand provides instant access to more than 650 full-length Metropolitan performances.
General Databases
- Academic Search UltimateGeneral database which includes music.
- America: History and Lifefor U.S. and Canadian music topics or composers
- Biography Index Past and PresentInformation about composers' and musicians' lives.
- Historical Abstractsfor non-U.S. / non-Canadian music topics or composers
- JSTORThe Music Collection contains the full text of scholarly research & theory journals. Includes journals published in the Netherlands, Croatia, Hungary, Germany, & France.
- WorldCatFind scores & recordings from other libraries: Click the box for Sound Recordings or Musical Scores.
Music Research Annual
- Music Research AnnualFull text of a journal of key issues in music studies
RILM Database search example
Music Periodicals Database search example
- Music Periodicals Database imageAdvanced Search
Search tips for finding articles
- use "quotation marks" around phrases
- truncate - shorten a word to its trunk or root to get alternate endings - with an asterisk * (shift 8), e.g., truncat* finds truncate, truncated, truncation
- apply Boolean connector AND to combine unlike ideas, e.g., dance AND promotion
- apply Boolean connector OR to connect synonyms, e.g., advertisements OR campaigns
Put it all together:
- "hip hop dance" in one box
- AND (promot* OR advertis* OR campaigns) in the next box
- use parentheses in single-box searching - when you don't have another set of boxes, e.g.,:
- "hip hop dance" AND (promot* OR advertis* OR campaigns)
Use the left or right menus to narrow your results, e.g., by language, date, subject, etc.
Databases have a citation (information about an article such as the title, author, name of the journal or magazine, volume and issue (which correspond to the date), date, and pages) and sometimes they will also contain an abstract, or summary, of the article.
Databases also often cite multiple types of resources - books, essays or chapters, government documents, etc.
Some databases will also have the complete item (called the full text): you should see a link to an HTML or PDF document. Or click on - this will check the other library databases for the full text of the article.
- Last Updated: Dec 4, 2024 3:36 PM
- URL: https://libguides.gvsu.edu/music