This page contains information about the major databases for music literature, as well as other interdisciplinary and subject-specific databases that may be useful for your research. For more database options, please see the instructions provided in this guide for using the libraries' A-Z Databases tool.
RILM (Repertoire International de Litterature Musicale) Abstracts provides citations and abstracts of articles in music periodicals, conference proceedings, books, bibliographies, catalogs, dissertations, Festschriften, and iconographies. Thousands of journals in hundreds of languages are indexed.
Published since 1949, The Music Index: A Subject-Author Guide to Music Periodical Literature indexes international periodicals about music. A broad range of subjects is covered including: composers and performers, the history of music, forms and types of music, and music instruments. Book reviews, music reviews, and reviews of performances are indexed, and first performances and obituaries are noted. This online version provides coverage from 1979.
This database provides indexing and abstracts for international music periodicals from multiple countries, plus some full text. The majority of the included records are from the most recent ten years of publication. Covers the full spectrum of subjects and all aspects of music, including music education, performance, ethnomusicology, musical theatre, theory, popular music forms and composition.
The libraries' A-Z Database list is an excellent resource for identifying appropriate databases for your research. This tool gives you the option to view the libraries' databases by subject, database type, and publisher. If you have a specific database or keyword in mind, you can enter this information in the search bar. To find databases on a specific subject, click the arrows next to "All Subjects" to view the options.