There are several important article databases that are available for free through the New York Public Library (with your NYPL library card).
Below is a curated selection of music-related databases:
- Index to Printed Music: Collections & Series
"...is a tool for finding individual pieces of music printed in standard scholarly editions, as it indexes each individual piece in a collection. Music for specific performing forces is easily retrievable, thus offering detailed repertory for performers, conductors, and directors of ensembles."
- ProQuest Dissertations and Theses
"Includes citations for dissertations from 1861 to those accepted as recently as last semester. Abstracts from 1980 - present. The database represents the work of authors from over 1,000 North American graduate schools and European universities, from a diverse array of academic subjects including literature, languages, art history, music history, philosophy, history, mathematics, psychology, and science. A subset of these documents is publicly available using the website PQDT Open."
- RILM
"The online version of the Repertoire International de Litterature Musicale, RILM Abstracts of Music Literature (1969-present) is a continuously updated bibliography of music literature providing broad international coverage including full text records in over 202 languages from 3,700 journals."
- RIPM: Online Archive of Music Periodicals: 1800-1950
"Full text archive of specialized music journals, daily newspapers, articles in literary periodicals, theatrical journals and magazines, as well as engravings and lithographs in the illustrated press."
In addition, here are a couple general academic databases that might be of use to your research:
- Academic OneFile
Search or browse by discipline for both full-text articles and abstracts from scholarly, trade, and general-interest publications, addressing subjects related to current events, general sciences and technology, social sciences, arts, and humanities. Included in this collection are articles from the Chronicle of Higher Education.
- Academic Search Premier
Contains a vast collection of academic articles, journals, and other scholarly content across various fields.
