Sources for Contemporary Music Research
Dictionaries, encyclopedias, indexes, bibliographies, and other reference sources of information about twentieth century or contemporary music.
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
Fink, Robert , and Robert Ricci. The language of twentieth century music: a dictionary of terms. New York: Schirmer, 1975. Music Ref ML100 .F55
- Includes definitions of technical terms, instruments, analysis, and performance practice in all genres and styles.
- Griffiths, Paul. Thames and Hudson encyclopædia of 20th-century music. London: Thames & Hudson, 1986. Music Ref ML100 .G85 1986
Concise entries on composers, performers, institutions, instruments,
performance and theory terms, individual works.
- Morton, Brian, and Pamela Collins, eds. Contemporary composers. Chicago: St. James Press, 1992. Music Ref ML390 .C66 1992
500 composers from around the world with emphasis on U.S. and Europe. Entries include biographical information, lists of works and selective bibliography.
- Pickering, David. Brewer’s twentieth-century music. London: Cassell, 1994. Music Ref ML100 .P54 1994
General dictionary covering classical, popular and jazz music of the 20th century. Includes entries on composers, performers, genres, medical ailments, trends. - Slonimsky, Nicolas. Baker's biographical dictionary of twentieth-century classical musicians. New York: Schirmer Books, 1997. Music Ref ML105 .S612 1997
Chronologies
- Slonimsky, Nicolas. Music since 1900. New York: Schirmer Books, 1994. Music Ref ML197 .S694 1994
First performances, births, deaths, founding years of orchestras, political
developments related to music, debuts, publications, etc. Includes descriptions and summaries of works. “Letters and documents” section provides selected extracts and quotations.
- Hall, Charles J. A twentieth century musical chronicle: events 1900-1988. New York: Greenwood, 1989. ML197 .H15 1989
Provides summaries of world events and cultural highlights; lists births, deaths, debuts, new positions, prizes and honors, biographical highlights, institutional openings, publications and compositions for each year.
- International directory of contemporary music. Pt. 1 Composers; Pt. 2 Instrumentation. New York : CMIIS, c1991-2001. Music Ref ML118 .I452.
Ceased 2001. Earlier issues in Music Stacks.
Bibliographies & Indexes - Basart, Anne P. Perspectives of new music: an index, 1962- 1982. Berkeley: Fallen Leaf Press, 1984. Music Ref ML1 .P1093 B4 1984
Author/Subject index to 20 years of Perspectives of New Music, a leading academic journal of commentary and analysis of contemporary music.
- Bull, Storm. Index to biographies of contemporary composers. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1964-1987. 3 vols. Music Ref ML105 .B9
A cumulative index to 275 books relating to contemporary music. Each volume consist of a list of sources followed by the names of composers. Codes under the composer’s name refer to one of the source books. - Diamond, Harold J. Music analyses: an annotated guide to the literature. New York: Schirmer, 1991. Music Ref ML128 .A7 D5 1991
References to analytical literature in English on Western art music, including works by contemporary composers. Includes citations from books, journals, and dissertations. - Gleason, Harold, and Warren Becker. 20th-century American composers. 2nd ed. Bloomington, Ind.: Frangipani Press, 1980. (Music Literature Outlines ; series iv). ML161 .G522 1980 v. 4
Information on Barber, Carpenter, Copland, Cowell, Hanson, Harris, Ives, Moore, Piston, Riegger, Rogers, Ruggles, William Schuman, Sessions, Randall Thompson, Virgil Thomson. Each article contains chronology, list of works, summary of style with references to works, and through bibliography through 1979. - Nishimura, Mari. The twentieth-century composer speaks: an index of interviews. Berkeley: Fallen Leaf, 1993. Music Ref ML118 .N57 1993
Citations to interviews conducted between 1949 and 1987 published in books, journals, and on sound recordings. - Wenk, Arthur B. Analyses of nineteenth- and twentieth-century music, 1940-1985. Boston : Music Library Association, 1987. (MLA index and bibliography series ; no. 25). ML113 .W45 1987
Periodicals
Leonardo Music Journal. ML197 .L37 or Online via JSTOR
Contemporary Music Review. ML197 .C7514 or Online via publisher
Perspectives Of New Music. ML1 .P4 or Online via JSTOR
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