World Music Resources

Quick reference sources and starting points for research

  • The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Oxford Online contains substantive articles and bibliographies on the art music and traditional music of all countries. The bibliographies cite books, articles, and other literature on the music of each country. (available online and Ref. ML100 N48 2001)
  • The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments (Ref. ML102 N48), Musical Instruments of the World (Ref. ML102 I5 D5), and Musical Instruments: A Comprehensive Dictionary (Ref. ML102 I5 M3) are good sources of information on -- and photographs or illustrations of -- non-western musical instruments, as well as bibliographies of source materials on specific instruments.
  • The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music (Ref. ML100 G16) presents in-depth essays on various musical cultures, grouped in volumes organized by geographic region (Africa, Southeast Asia, Europe, etc.). Each volume contains a detailed index, which is the recommended form of access for this set. (Unlike most encyclopedias, the articles are not in alphabetical order by topic.) Accompanying CDs available.

Finding articles and other literature

These indexes will tell you which publications contain information on your topic, but you will have to search the OSU Library Catalog to determine if OSU owns the publication. For articles in periodicals, search the periodical title (not the article title) using a TITLE search in the OSU Library Catalog to find the location and call number of the periodical. Books and dissertations listed in RILM may be searched by title or author in the OSU Library Catalog.

Finding books and printed music

  • Search the OSU Library Catalog. Start with a SUBJECT search on heading patterns such as: Music -- [continent, region, country, culture, or language]

Example: Music--Pakistan

  •   Folk music--[continent, region, country, culture, or language]

Example: Folk Music--Hungary

  •   Songs--[continent, region, country, culture, or language]

Example: Songs--Hebrew

  •   Children's songs--[continent, region, country, culture, or language]

Example: Children's songs--Japan

  •   Folk songs--[continent, region, country, culture, or language]

Example: Folk songs--Japanese

  •   Popular music--[continent, region, country, culture, or language]

Example: Popular music--Africa

  •   Musicians--[continent, region, country, culture, or language]

Example: Musicians--Afghanistan

  • A KEYWORD search in the OSU Library Catalog can also be used for the most comprehensive retrieval. For broadest coverage, type an asterisk (*) after each keyword root to pick up all forms of the word. For example:

A KEYWORD search on Music* and Nigeria* will retrieve all items that contain words music, musicians, musical, musicology, etc. and the words Nigeria, Nigerian, Nigerians, etc. in the title, subject heading(s) or notes.

Finding sound recordings

  • A search of the OSU Library Catalog may retrieve additional pertinent recordings, including recently acquired CDs. Use the same types of subject heading searches as listed under Finding books and printed music. Once you have entered a subject search and retrieved a list of items, you can limit the display to sound recordings by choosing LIMIT, MATERIAL TYPE, and MUSIC RECORD. LP0-, LP1-, and LPR- call numbers designate long-playing vinyl records; LP3, LP4 and LP5 designate CDs.
  • Citations for additional recordings can also be found in specialized discographies. To find out whether we have a discography for your country or region, enter a SUBJECT search in the OSU Library Catalog for "Discography--Music" and choose from the listed headings. For example, the heading Discography--Music--Africa retrieves the following source:

Merriam, Alan P. African Music on LP: an Annotated Discography. Evanston, Ill.: Northwestern Univ. Press, 1970.

"World Music" video recordings

  • The JVC Video Anthology of World Music and Dance is a set of video recordings and accompanying booklets. You can view them in the Music/Dance Library Media Center.

Finding "World Music" through bibliographies of vocal literature

  • Search in bibliographies with subject indexes to vocal literature. To find these indexes, search the OSU Library Catalog by subject -- such as:
    • Songs--Indexes
    • Children's songs--Indexes
    • Songs--[country or culture]--History and Criticism

Example: Children's songs--Japan--History and Criticism

  • Two of the best subject indexes are found in the following sources:

De Charms, Desiree and Paul F. Breed. Songs in Collections: An Index. Detroit: Information Service, 1966. See especially pp. 151-272, "Anonymous Songs and Folk Songs" (arranged geographically). Ref. ML128 S3 D4.

Peterson, Carolyn Sue and Ann D. Fenton. Index to Children's Songs: A Title, First Line, and Subject Index. New York: H. W. Wilson, 1979. "Subject Index": pp. 169-318 (contains geographic and topical headings). Ref. ML128 S3 P48

For example, under "Nigeria" in Peterson's index, an entry indicates that the song "Everybody Loves Saturday Night" can be found in its original form in two song collections (nos. 64 and 148, listed in the front of the book) and in a third in a varied form ("see also 89: [p.] 279"). The Music/Dance Library owns collection no. 64:

Fowke, Edith and Joe Glazer. Songs of Work and Protest. New York: Dover, 1973.

"Everybody Loves Saturday Night" is found on p. 200.

  • Arrangements of songs can also be found in catalogs of choral music (e.g., the Choral Music in Print series). A song can also be searched in the title index to general graded music collections (call nos. beginning with M1994-).

Items in other libraries

  • Books, scores, and recordings not owned by OSU can be searched in the OhioLINK central catalog, a "union" catalog of about ninety Ohio libraries, mainly college and university libraries. You can request items on line, and usually receive them in 3 to 5 business days at a campus library, office, or dorm room of your choosing.

Consult a librarian for reference assistance of any kind. You can also request reference help by phone at 614-688-0163 or by email at Ask-a-Librarian.