Article Databases
Use the following databases to find articles & other resources on musical topics.
- RILM Abstracts of Music LiteratureThe most scholarly & comprehensive index of music literature. Indexes articles, books, dissertations, essays within books, etc. Coverage is 1967- . Especially strong in musicology & music theory, but covers all areas of music, including interdisciplinary materials.
- Music Periodicals DatabaseIndexes both scholarly and popular periodicals. Strengths include popular genres, music business, and performance, but all areas of music are covered. Coverage varies by title; many are indexed from 1996, but some go back much further. Much full-text included.
- JSTORProvides full-text access to the archives of core scholarly journals in the humanities, sciences, and social sciences. Currently, 83 music journals are included. Coverage typically begins with the first issue of each journal title.
- Music IndexContains both scholarly and popular materials related to all areas of music. Journal articles and dissertations are indexed. Coverage is 1973-
- RIPM Retrospective Index to Music PeriodicalsIndexes the content of 150 nineteenth- and early twentieth-century music periodicals. Titles in 13 languages are included -- English, French, German, and Italian are the most heavily represented.
Navigating Database Records
Below is a sample record from RILM for a journal article. Under "Indexing (details)," you can see that "The organist in Ives" is the title of the article, while the publication is the Journal of the American Musicological Society. The volume, issue, and pagination are also provided. The "Subjects" are much like the Library of Congress subject headings found in a library catalog. It can be helpful to look at these, as they may give you ideas of other terms to use in your search.
Getting the Article
To access an article, look for a PDF icon or MGet It button in the record; the location of the icon varies from one database to the next. Below is an example from RILM, where the icon appears on the right side of the record. Click on the MGet It button. If there is electronic access to an article, you will be taken directly to it. It will also tell you if there is no online access to an item— in that case you should do a title search in the Library Catalog on the "source" title to see if the journal is held in print.
