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Music - Subject Guides

An archive of past music subject guides found on the Music Library website.

Encyclopedias and Dictionaries

Anderson, James. Dictionary of Opera. 3rd ed. London: Bloomsbury, 1998.

ML102 .O6 A54 1998 MUSIC REFERENCE

 
A general single volume dictionary with brief entries for composers, performers, operas, characters, terms, etc.

American musical theatre: a chronicle. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992. New York: Macmillan, c1992.

ML1711 .B67 1992 MUSIC STACKS


A chronological account of American musical theater from its origin through the 1989/90 season.

Fath, Rolf. Reclams Opernlexicon. Stuttgart: Philipp Reclam, 1989.

ML102 .O6 F38x 1989 MUSIC REFERENCE


A dictionary, in German, of operas, composers, performers, conductors, directors, characters, and opera houses.

Green, Stanley. Broadway musicals, show by show. 4th ed. Milwaukee, WI: H. Leonard, 1994.
ML1711 .G735 1994 MUSIC REFERENCE

 

Includes basic information about major Broadway shows from 1866 through 1992.Arranged chronologically, with several indexes.

Hischak, Thomas S. The American musical theatre song encyclopedia. Westport, CN: Greenwood Press, 1995.

ML102 .M88 H59 1995 MUSIC REFERENCE


A listing of ca. 1800 songs which attempts to explain what kind of song it is, its history, its purpose in the show, and who originally sang it. Selected from shows dating from 1866 through the 1993/94 season.

Hischak, Thomas S. Stage it with music: an encyclopedic guide to the American musical theatre. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1993.

ML102 .M88 H6 1993 MUSIC REFERENCE


Brief coverage of ca. 300 musical shows, plus entries on composers, directors, producers, designers, lyricists, actors, etc.

International dictionary of opera. Detroit: St. James Press, 1993. 2 v.

ML102 .O6 I6 1993 MUSIC REFERENCE


A large 2-volume dictionary with substantial entries for individuals and operatic works. Includes bibliographies, where applicable, and indexes.

Lewine, Richard. Songs of the theater. New York: H.W. Wilson, 1984.

ML128 .S3 L55 1984 MUSIC REFERENCE


A listing of ca. 17,000 song titles from the beginnings of American musical theater until the end of 1983. Also includes a major section listing the shows, opening date, composer/lyricist, and all songs included in the show at opening.

Loewenberg, Alfred. Annals of opera, 1597-1940. 3rd ed. rev. Totowa, NJ: Roman and Littlefield, 1978.

ML102 .O6 L6 1978 MUSIC REFERENCE


A chronological listing with entries which include the name of the town and theater in which the first production took place. Sources of the plot, subsequent revivals in other cities, and translations into other languages also given.

Marco, Guy A. Opera: a research and information guide. New York: Garland, 1984.

ML128 .O4 M28 1984 MUSIC REFERENCE


The Metropolitan Opera encyclopedia: a comprehensive guide to the world of opera. London:Thames and Hudson, 1987.

ML102 .O6 M47 1987b MUSIC REFERENCE


A standard type of encyclopedia, but with details given about the Met-related aspects of the works. Highly illustrated.

The New Grove dictionary of opera. London: Macmillan Press, 1992. 4 v.

ML102 .O6 N5 1992b MUSIC REFERENCE


A comprehensive international dictionary covering all aspects of opera. Includes indexes of role names and incipits of areas, ensembles, etc. Also includes detailed plot summaries.

Parsons, Charles H. The Mellen opera reference index. Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen Press, 1986-

ML102 .O6 P25 1986 MUSIC REFERENCE


A series of indexes covering a range of opera topics, e.g. discographies, librettists, premieres, reviews, subjects, etc.

The Penguin opera guide. London: Viking, 1995.

ML102 .O6 V55 1995 MUSIC REFERENCE

 
An abridged edition of the Viking Opera Guide, containing revisions and updates.

Suskin, Steven. Opening night on Broadway: a critical quotebook of the golden era of the musical theatre, Oklahoma! (1943) to Fiddler on the roof (1964). New York: Schirmer Books, 1990.

ML1711.8 .N3 S9 1990 MUSIC REFERENCE


More opening nights on Broadway: a critical quotebook of the musical theatre, 1965 through 1981. New York: Schirmer Books, 1997.

ML1711.8 .N3 M8 1997 MUSIC REFERENCE


Selected excerpts of major critical reviews of Broadway shows.

The Viking opera guide. New York: Viking, 1993.

ML102 .O6 V45x 1993 MUSIC REFERENCE

 
A comprehensive guide to opera, operetta, singspiel and musical theater.

Warrack, John Hamilton. The Oxford dictionary of opera. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992.

ML102.O6 W37 1992 MUSIC REFERENCE


A dictionary of primarily brief entries for composers, singers, companies, characters, major arias, terms, etc. Also includes separate entries for cities and countries.

Who's who in opera: an international biographical directory of singers, conductors, directors, designers, and administrators, also including profiles of 101 opera companies. New York: Arno Press, 1976.

ML102 .O6 W5 MUSIC REFERENCE

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