Reference and Research Resources

 

AllMusic.Com offers a vast amount of well-organized, thorough and interesting information on all types of music from most countries of the world. You can search or browse for musical genres, mood, theme, songs, instrument, composers, music from various countries. You will find articles about all aspects of music, and brief audio samples of most of the music, albums, songs, singers, performers, bands, orchestras, etc. 

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Looking for a review of a recording of classical music? Gramophone's Recommended Recordings - based on the Gramophone Good CD Guide - is a good place to start. Click on the letter of the composer's name, and then on the name, and the reviews will be displayed. Also includes the Concise Grove Dictionary of Music, in which you can find information about classical music, including composer biographies.

  Click the link below that you want to search at FindArticles.

Articles from Entertainment Magazines, Art Journals and Book Reviews
Use this searcher to find an read articles in Arts and Entertainment magazines and journals. 
Articles from Academic Journals, Education Magazines and Science News
Use this searcher to find an read articles in Reference & Education magazines and journals. 
 
 

  Amazon.Com Classical Music Section

Search/browse for your genre, composer, performer or album title. Then listen to the audio samples of the music. Samples in Amazon.Com tend to be 30-60 seconds in length.

 

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British Broadcasting Music Reference Resources

A Choral Timeline

This Choral Timeline traces - selectively - a path from some of the earliest sacred music for unaccompanied voices to the choral repertoire of the present day. Includes audio samples requiring the free RealPlayer. 

Advanced Classical Music Searcher 

From this single page you can search three excellent classical music resources: Search for Composer / Performer biographies in the Grove Concise Dictionary of Music; search the Classical Music Glossary for articles on Instruments, Notation, Styles, Classical Terms, Concepts or even Venues; and an Advanced Album Search for detailed album listings, many with audio clips. Includes audio samples requiring the free RealPlayer. 

Music Artist Profiles 

From this page you can search Artist Profiles that give essential information about composers, writers and musical artists. You may search or browse by categories/genres. Includes audio samples requiring the free RealPlayer. 

Classical Music Reviews 

From this page you can find critical reviews of classical music recordings, and also hear brief examples of them. Simply click on the name of a composer, and the reviews will be displayed. Includes audio samples requiring the free RealPlayer. 

Musical Recording Reviews 

From this page you can find critical reviews of a wide variety of music recordings, and also hear brief examples of them. Simply click on the name of a composer or performer, and the reviews will be displayed. Includes audio samples requiring the free RealPlayer. 

Classical Composer Search 

From this page you can search two excellent classical music resources: Search for Composer / Performer biographies in the Grove Concise Dictionary of Music; search the Classical Music Glossary for articles on Instruments, Notation, Styles, Classical Terms, Concepts or even Venues. Includes audio samples requiring the free RealPlayer.

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Recorded Music, Scores and Biographical/Historical Resources 

 

The Aria Database 

The Aria Database is a collection of information about opera and operatic arias. Besides providing basic information about each aria, the Database includes translations for many arias and aria texts for those that are not affected by copyright restrictions. The Database also provides access to a collection of operatic MIDI files to give visitors an idea of what each aria sounds like. 

Classical Net - Basic Repertoire List - Quick Composer Reference 

Find out information and get examples of the best known music from various historical periods here. Periods covered are: Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, 20th Century, and Modern. Includes many audio files of the works listed. 

Classic Cat - the free classical music directory 

is a directory with links to over 1500 free to download classical performances on the internet, sorted by composer and work. To find the classical music you select a composer, a work and a performing musician. Then you are transported to the page of the musician(s) where the music is hosted and you can download it. 

Choral Public Domain Library: A Free Sheet Music Archive 

The Choral Public Domain Library (CPDL) is the largest website devoted exclusively to free choral sheet music. Begun in December 1998, the site has over 300 contributors and 7,600 scores. The easiest way to find scores is to use the 'Quick Search' in the left hand corner. Includes many MIDI instrumental sound files of the pieces in the collection. 

Discover Classics 

This site's main goal is to create a reliable international portal for classical music, based initially on Russian performers and resources, which offers a global audience access to recordings and related products and services of only the highest quality. Search or browse by composers or performers. 

Musipedia: The Open Music Encyclopedia 

This is a a searchable, editable, and expandable collection of tunes, melodies, and musical themes. Musipedia uses the "Melodyhound" melody search engine. You can find and identify a tune even if the melody is all you know. You can also search by keywords or by "search phrases". 

Performing Arts: Treasures of the American Performing Arts 1875-1923 

Performing Arts, captures a glimpse of this world with visual and audio images drawn from the extensive archival collections at The New York Public Library. The site features an authentic look at this past, from the Broadway theater and Tin Pan Alley to the art of dancer Loie Fuller and composer Charles Griffes, all brought to you in original documents. 

Lied and Art Song Texts: Texts and Translations to Lieder, ... and other Vocal Music 

The Lied and Art Song Texts Page is an archive of 17,370 texts used in Lieder and other classical Art Songs (Kunstlieder, Canzoni, Romansy, Canciones, Liederen, Laulua, etc.) as well as in many choral works and other types of classical vocal pieces (26,216 settings and growing). Several thousand translations to English, French, German, Spanish and other languages are also offered. Search by Composer, Poet, First Line, Title and Language. 

The Cyber Hymnal 

This site has over 4,900 Christian hymns & Gospel songs from many denominations. You will find lyrics, scores, MIDI files, pictures, history, & more. To use the site effectively, you'll need speakers, a sound card & a browser that supports JavaScript and XHTML, and can play MIDI files. Browse by Titles, Topics, People, and more. 

New Hymns for the Common Lectionary - by Mark Ryman 

This collection of hymns is a work in progress. Includes words, as well as MIDI recordings. As hymns are completed, they will be posted. The composer is "committed to doing new hymns for the Gospel lessons one month ahead-of-time". The project will consist of over 600 hymns on the lessons, plus hymns for special days and occasions. 

The Norton Anthology of English Literature: Archive 

This archive provides a number of streaming audio files of poetry readings (e.g., Shakespeare's Songbook; Eight Old English Poems; selections from Beowulf read by Seamus Heaney). 

Patriotic Melodies (I Hear America Singing, Library of Congress) 

Patriotic Melodies tells the stories behind many of the songs that have now become part of the American national heritage. Here you can listen to Kate Smith sing "God Bless America," page through a manuscript of Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man" or learn about the origins of our national anthem -- "The Star Spangled Banner." Provides a combination of hymns, national songs, music of the theater, radio and television, military themes, and poetry.

 

 

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