MSM Library: Introduction to Music Research: Reference Books

A Brief Note

As of Summer 2025, our reference books have been integrated with the circulating collection.

Understanding Thematic Catalogs and Bibliographies

Thematic Catalogs are comprehensive lists of a composer's works that are indexed by type/genre and/or medium. Each entry ideally includes an authoritative identification number, invaluable information regarding the provenance of the piece, and a musical incipit of the opening bars of the piece (and of individual movements for larger works). Thematic catalogs and bio-bibliographies are classed in ML134-ML134.5.

Bibliographies are collections of primary, secondary, and tertiary sources about a specific subject or person. Some bibliographies are annotated, meaning that each entry has a brief description and justification for its inclusion. A subset of bibliographies are Bio-bibliographies, which also include biographical information about the subject of the bibliography. Subject, or "repertoire" bibliographies are classed in ML128, arranged alphabetically by topic. Bibliographies of individuals are classed with thematic catalogs in ML134-ML134.5.

Discographies are bibliographies of sound recordings. While a significant portion of the canon can be accessed online through sites such as Naxos, Youtube, and Spotify, there is also a significant portion that is only available in a tangible format (CDs and LPs are the most common). Discographies are especially useful for sound recordings of non-western music and jazz. These are classed in ML156-158. Bibliographies of discographies are classed in ML128.D56.

Other Print Reference Materials

We have around 800 reference books in the Library. You can browse them here or in person in the stacks. Keep in mind that there may be crucial bits of information in your research journey that are only available in print!

Examples

Thematisch-Systematisches Verzeichnis der musikalischen Werke von Johann Sebastian Bach : Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis (BWV³) by by Wolfgang Schmieder ; Revised by Christine Blanken, Christoph Wolff, and Peter Wollny
Call Number: ML134.B155 A35 2022

ISBN: 9783765104008

Publication Date: 2022

Third, extended new edition in German. Revised by Christine Blanken, Christoph Wolff and Peter Wollny, and edited by the Bach-Archiv Leipzig, this completely redesigned edition of the BWV is a comprehensive and contemporary reference work of Bach's compositions. The volume includes more than three decades of new scholarly research since the publication of the 2nd edition in 1990. Recently found versions, sources, indices, work collections, surveys and attributions are systematically organized. With a preface and notes on layout, contents & use in German and English.

Spirituals : A Multidisciplinary Bibliography for Research and Performance by Kathleen A. Abromeit
Call Number: ML128.S4 A29 2015

ISBN: 9780895797995

Publication Date: 2015

This annotated bibliography documents articles, books, and dissertations published since 1902. Of those, 150 are books; 80 are chapters within books; 615 are journal articles, and 150 are dissertations, along with a selection of highly significant items published before 1920. The most recent publications included date from early 2014.

Disciplines researched include music, literature and poetry, American history, religion, and African American Studies. Items included in the annotated bibliography are limited to English-language sources that were published in the United States and focus on African American spirituals in the United States, but there are a few select citations that focus on spirituals outside of the United States. Of the one thousand annotations, they are divided, roughly evenly, between: general studies and geographical studies; information about early spirituals; use of spirituals in art music, church music, and popular music; composers who based music on spirituals; performers of spirituals (ensembles and individuals); Bible, theology, and religious education; literature and poetry; pedagogical considerations, including the teaching of spirituals as well as prominent educators; reference works and a list of resources that were unavailable for review but are potentially useful.

Ellingtonia : The Recorded Music of Duke Ellington and His Sidemen by W.E. Timner
Call Number: ML156.5.E45 T5 2007

Publication Date: 2007

More than a discography, the book comprises all the activities of these musicians, including studio recordings, movie soundtracks, concerts, dance dates, radio broadcasts, telecasts, and private and unissued recordings, as well as recordings made by Ellington's sidemen under their own names or with other bands. W. E. Timner provides the date, location and personnel for each session, the label of first issue, master and take numbers (if available), and song title, including alternate titles and derivatives.