Interdisciplinary Indexes and Databases for Music Research

Arts Library, UCSB

This serves as a guide to those databases and indexes accessible via the UCSB library home page, InfoSurf, which may be particularly helpful to undergraduate and graduate students in music. The selections have been limited to those databases and indexes which have been categorized under "Humanities" & "Ethnic and Gender Studies" and further refined to include just those sources helpful in music and related interdisciplinary research.The summaries repeat much of the information given in the description for each database on the library page, but when pertinent, have been focused more closely on the database's usefulness to music research.

19th Century Master File (Was "Poole's Plus" See Below.)

AccuNet/AP Photo Archive

Electronic archive containing current Associated Press photographs. Good source for photographs of musical events and contemporary and 20th- century composers.

African-American Newspapers: The 19th Century

Database of news items from four different African-American newspapers published in the 1800s: Freedom's Journal, The Coloured American, The North Star, and The National Era. Database Description.

Alternative Press Index

Leading database for alternative publications (journals, newspapers, magazines) which cover a wide range of topics centered around political, economic and social change.

America: History and Life

Good searching options: keyword, subject, type of publication, language, date limitations, etc. Contains over 3300 records relating to American music. Provides short/long viewing options with abstracts.

American Bibliography of Slavic and East European Studies (ABSEES)

More than 300 articles pertaining to music of Slavic and Eastern European countries. Multiple field searching. All articles in English.

American Film Institute Catalog

Good resource for film music searches. Searches by film title, genre, subject and particular song titles.

American Periodical Series

A fascinating database of articles from 19th-century American magazines, i.e. Knickerbocker, etc. Full images of actual pages available, as well as e-mail access and more. Good source for research on regional music practices.

Art Abstracts and Art Index Retropective (through HW Wilson)

Contains many abstracts of articles pertaining to music and art, aesthetics and related issues.

Article First (via CDL)

Contains over 13,500 records for articles pertaining to music in a wide variety of interdisciplinary journals. Limited usage (4 at a time). Good searching options.

Arts & Humanities Citation Index (Web of Science)

Contains records for articles in 1,100 arts and humanities journals. No abstracts. Boolean searches ok. Up-to-date information as approximately 2200 records are added every week.

Associations Unlimited

Can search for information on national, international, regional and local associations. Contains records for over 2000 associations related to music. Includes addresses and contact references.

Bibliography of Asian Studies

Over 2800 entries for books and articles related to music of Asian countries,especially China, Japan and India. Information about both vernacular and cultivated traditions.

California Periodical Titles (via CDL)

Contains records for serials owned not only by the UC system, but other California libraries as well (i.e. Stanford).

Chicano Database (via RLG's Eureka)

Over 800 entries related to music of different Latino cultures.

The Civil War: A Newspaper Perspective

Includes articles from three different periodicals published between 1860 and 1865. Good source for research of regiment bands and military music of the Civil War.

Digital Dissertations

Selected records have previews of the actual text of the document which can be printed. This is a good source not only for research purposes, but to access what work has been done in a particular field.

Essay and General Literature Index

This Index contains 45,000 English language essays in 3500 collections and anthologies from 1985 to the present. Limited space capacity (5 at a time).

Ethnic News Watch

Can search for articles under music subject headings (i.e. Music Awards, Bands, Chamber, Classical, Composers, Conducting, etc...). May be particularly helpful in assisting ethnomusicological research.

FRANCIS (via RLG's Eureka)

Multidisciplinary topic matter in journals dating back to 1984. Updated monthly, covers topics in social sciences, humanities and economics. Source material from the Getty Research Institute and Institut de l'Information Scientifique et Technique du Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. Over 4000 music specific results from several different journals in different languages. Good source for topics in ethnomusicology. Author and article cross-referenced with links.

GenderWatch

Articles beginning from the 1970s pertaining to issues of gender. Useful for research regarding women and music.

Godey's Lady's Book

A 19th-century serial publication geared toward women. Contains limited but useful music materials, i.e. actual images of printed music for Jenny Lind.

Hand Press Book (via Eureka/RLG)

Items dating from 1455-1830. Contains records for music manuscripts and holdings records for European printing of the hand press period from the Consortium of European Research Libraries.

HarpWeek

Harper's Weekly online. Can view actual issues from 1857-1865. Good source for interdisciplinary topics related to 19th-century America.

Hispanic American Periodicals Index (HAPI)

Almost 300 articles related to music of Central and South America, Mexico, the Carribean and Hispanic culture in the United States. Can limit searches by language (English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German and Italian). Journal list includes many international titles from 1970- present.

Historical Abstracts

Has abstracts of dissertations and articles. There are also citations for books, but these do not include abstracts. Covers from 1450 to present. Good for interdisciplinary research topics.

Historical Newspapers Online

Indexes the London Times and the New York Times during the 19th and 20th centuries. Full text articles.

History of Science and Technology (@RLG)

This CDL hosted database is useful for finding articles and books relating to technological advances in music, i.e. the history of the phonograph, etc... Also contains articles related to experimental music and electronic music. Selected abstracts.

Ingenta (formerly CARLUnCover)

A very useful resource for information with a separate music index. Includes listings for music databases, associations and conferences. Also includes access to three online music journals: Computer Music Journal, Leonardo Music Journal and Music Analysis. Indispensable for anyone interested in resources for music research.

Ingenta Select Journal Search (formerly CatchWord Journal Search)

Searching options include basic, advanced and full-text. Contains articles pertaining to music from a wide variety of interdisciplinary perspectives (i.e. articles about music in psychology journals). Abstracts are instantly accessible, downloading options for full-text.

Inside Information Plus (via EUREKA/RLG)

Sponsored by the British Library. Describes articles appearing in the most requested titles of the British Library's Document Supply Centre's collection of serials. Updated weekly. Limited number of users at a time.

International Index to Music Periodicals (IIMP)

Abstracts for several hundred music periodicals from 1996 to present, and article citations for selected music periodicals going back as far as the nineteenth century. Articles pertaining to music from the New York Times and the Washington Post. Also full text articles available from many different music journals. See the users' guide to searching the database.

ITER: Gateway to the Renaissance

Covers 1843 to the present. A bibliography of approximately 135,000 records from journals pertaining to the Middle Ages and Renaissance. There are separate bibliographies for journals and books. Printing and download capabilities.

JSTOR

Limited uses, but has the ability to search a group of periodicals within their database, i.e. "All African-American Studies Journals. Music periodicals are to be added to JSTOR in the near future. Stay tuned!

The Left Index (through NISC Biblioline)

Follow "subscribers" link. Limited number of music-related articles. However, good for interdisciplinary research focusing on music and race, musical aesthetics, etc. Authors are cross-referenced.

MLA Directory of Periodicals (via OVID)

Lists over 3,700 periodicals in the areas of literature, language, linguistics, and folklore. Reasonably good source for discovering lesser known interdisciplinary journals.

OCLC Union Lists of Periodicals

Search for periodicals held by OCLC member libraries.

Online Archive of California

Includes: Cal State Dominguez Hills Humanities and Fine Arts Collection (mostly University-specific documents); Stanford University Finding Aids; UC Berkeley Music Library Finding Aids, UC Irvine Dept. of Special Collections; UCLA Finding Aids (Music Library Special Collections, MS Division Special Collections); UC Santa Barbara Finding Aids (Peter R. Fricker Papers; Sound Recording Catalog Collection) and UC Santa Cruz Collection.Most of the collections are well catalogued and indexed with accurate holdings lists. Keyword searching, but may be more advantageous to browse lists. For more specific information on holdings related to music, refer to the Digitized Primary Sources-- Electronic publications page for more information on the Online Archive of California.

PapersFirst (via CDL to FirstSearch)

Includes papers in every congress, conference, exposition, workshop, symposium, and meeting received by the British Library. As with all FirstSearch databases, there is a user limitation that restricts the number of users at one time.

Patrologia Latina Database

Covers 200A.D. to 1216. "An electronic version of the first edition of Jacques-Paul Migne's Patrologia Latina, published between 1844-1855, and the four volumes published between 1862 and 1865...comprises works of the Church Fathers from Tertullian in 200A.D. to the death of Pope Innocent III in 1216." Full-text can be downloaded.

Periodical Contents Index

There are cross-references to citations for periodicals and Table of Contents lists for specific issues.

POOLE'S PLUS: The Digital Index to the 19th-century (Now "19th Century Master File")

Citations of serial publications with linked cross-references. Contains sources regarding 19th-century music.

ProceedingsFirst (via CDL to FirstSearch)

See PapersFirst.

Project Muse Journals

Almost 2000 article records pertaining to interdisciplinary discussions about music. Allows keyword searching. Two different search engines. Options for simple search vs. "fuzzy" search. Can search a specific journal from the list (no music journals--all interdisciplinary) or all of them. Several options for different fields to be searched. Through Johns Hopkins University.

PsycINFO

Over 10,000 entries citing articles from periodicals as well as chapter in books and more. Excellent resource for topics in music and psychology (i.e. cognition and perception, music therapy, etc.). Abstracts included.

Religion Database(ATLA)

Over 10,000 entries citing articles relating to religious music.

RILM Abstracts of Music Literature (accessible through CDL)

"Provides international coverage for all types of materials in the area of music. Topics covered include historical musicology, ethnomusicology, instruments, voice, dance, music therapy, and other fields as they relate to music, including, literature, dramatic arts, visual arts, anthropology, sociology, philosophy and physics."

RIPM: International Index to Nineteenth-Century Music Periodicals (through NISC Biblioline)

Follow "subscribers" link.

Sexual Diversity Studies: Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Abstracts (through NISC Biblioline)

Follow "subscribers" link. Limited number of music-related articles. However, good for interdisciplinary research focusing on music and race, cultural aesthetics, and sociology. Authors are cross-referenced.

Women's Resources International (through NISC Biblioline)

Follow "subscribers" link. Articles related to women composers, performers and feminist musicology.