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ECC Music Students & the Library

Music Research

Ways That Applied Music Students Can Use the Library

To research composers, musical time periods, techniques, styles, forms, etc.

To understand how to conduct research using library databases and non-library sources

Citation and research assistance

Finding scores and sheet music

Contact a librarian for help!

Background Research

Why do background research

Simply put, context matters. Every choice that musicians make in order to perform something should reflect the context the piece was written in. Basic background research to understand the musical history behind the piece gives you that context. When a piece was written, the styles and trends of that time, what was happening in the composer’s life, why they wrote the piece, etc. are all factors that relate to a performance. Understanding these elements helps inform your own musical ability and gives your audience the context they need to fully immerse themselves in your performance. In your literature critiques and concert reviews, you need to do the background research and provide the context of the work before you can appropriately convey if a performance was successful.

How to do Background Research

Library Databases

By going to the El Camino Library homepage (click here), you can access databases that will helpful you find the information you need. The full list of Library databases can be found by clicking here, but there are three main databases to which El Camino subscribes that will be the most helpful as you search for information on composers and pieces. Watch the videos below to see how to narrow search features to apply to music subjects specifically.

JSTOR Arts and Sciences

An archival collection of journal articles that includes over 140 titles in the humanities, social sciences and sciences. It does not provide access to the most current issues of the journals. JSTOR's agreements with publishers include a gap between the most recently published issue and the date of the most recent issues available in JSTOR ranging, in most cases, from 2 to 5 years.

[need to embed video] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loX0H_RnmeM

JSTOR Tips from video

When using JSTOR, make sure you always start by going to Advanced Search. Scroll all the way down to where it says “Journal Filter” and specify that you want “Music” and “Performing Arts” before moving back up to type in the search bar. This will limit your search to journals that are specific to the field of music and performance, giving you more pointed results and fewer items to sift through.

CREDO Reference

Credo Reference is an ebook database, providing access to the full text of more than 900 quality reference titles, with over three million entries, on every major subject from more than 80 of the best publishers. Credo’s collection contains dictionaries, bilinguals, thesauri, encyclopedias, quotations and atlases, plus a wide range of subject-specific titles.

[need to embed video] https://youtu.be/2uNrEmB9FhI

Current Biography Illustrated

Current Biography Illustrated presents searchable accurate, up-to-date biographical articles/obituaries and images of famous people that have been published in the monthly magazine, Current Biography.

This database can be accessed the same way that is shown at the beginning of the JSTOR and CREDO videos. Please note that this database is only for recent/modern composers and musicians, and that historical content is generally not included.

General Search Tips

    • Use quotation marks around your search times to search for an exact phrase.
    • Google things first! Not sure how to spell Tchaikovsky? Does your piece of music have a nickname or unofficial title? Google can give you leads on keywords and spellings to try in your searches.

Boolean operators of AND, OR, and NOT can simplify searching to make it more specific.
Examples: Violoncello OR cello, John Adams NOT president

 

    • Try using a special character in your searching:
      - Using the asterisk * symbol to cut off the end of a word will give you multiple different options and versions of that word. Example: hyperm* will give results for hypermeter, hypermeters, hypermetric, hypermetre, etc.
      - Using a question mark ? In place of a letter will give you multiple spelling options. Example: “analys?s” will give you analysis or analyses.
    • Once you have completed your first search, many databases will offer similar subject headings or even related items. Use these to your full advantage!

 

Non-Library Resources

The databases you have access to through the library may not have what you’re looking for. Here are some other places to try! (Click on each item to be connected to the website). You can also look at record labels’ websites, liner notes, performance program notes, and artists’ websites.

Allmusic.com

The Living Composers Project

Album Liner Notes

Naxos Records

BBC

Classic FM Composers

Yale's List of Resources – not vetted

For Jazz

All About Jazz

For Musical Theater

Musicals 101

Internet Broadway Database

Why Can’t I just Use Wikipedia?

In an academic setting, Wikipedia should not be used for the bulk of any research because
1) There is little to no way to know when things have been updated or guarantee things are current;
2) There is little to no authority for the entries because the authors of each page cannot easily be verified or determined to be credible;
 and 3) Continuing with credibility, we do not know what biased or skewed information may be included.

Wikipedia can help you gather a general understanding of your topic and act as a starting point before you explore other, more official or scholarly resources. It can be very helpful for helping you come up with search terms, but you should remember to verify things you find on Wikipedia in at least one other place before using that information.

Do use the footnotes and sources found at the bottom of each article. They can lead you to more credible, verifiable information.

Click here for Wikipedia's own recommendations on using the site