Music

At WebLinks > Music and sounds there are specially selected web sites on many kinds of music, on song lyrics and on music theory
For a vast amount of music information, log in to information and reference online resources with your library number and PIN and take a look at the following:

Oxford Music Online is a huge resource that gives you 50,000 expert articles on all kinds of music, along with many links to sound files so that you can hear examples. It includes the full texts of the following standard reference works:

New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (whose printed version is in 29-volumes)
New Grove Dictionary of Opera
New Grove Dictionary of Jazz
Oxford companion to music
Oxford dictionary of music

The articles in Oxford Music Online link to articles in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB), which you can also search separately. The ODNB gives detailed biographical information about musicians who are no longer living, from all periods of British history worldwide.

Oxford Reference Online includes music reference books in its Performing Arts section:

The Oxford Companion to the American Musical
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music
The Oxford Companion to Music
A Dictionary of Opera Characters
The Grove Book of Opera Singers
The Grove Book of Operas
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera

Credo Reference includes music information in general encyclopaedias and in music books such as:

The Faber companion to 20th century popular music
Metropolitan opera encyclopedia: a comprehensive guide to the world of opera
The new Penguin dictionary of music
and more

Encyclopaedia Britannica Online has articles on major music topics and musicians, with images and web links.

At Newspapers Online you can search national and local newspapers for news and reviews of concerts

Find local music groups at the Local Information Database
You can browse standard music reference works in main libraries. See Printed music reference books at Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire libraries
Are you trying to track down some half-remembered words that may be from a song or perhaps from a poem or other source? See the tips at the Quotations pages

Further information

Library catalogue
Contact us - for help to find information, from your local librarians
'Enquire' - a 24-hour chat enquiry service from the national People's Network. Local librarians take part in 'Enquire' on a rota basis but it is likely that you would be answered by a librarian from another library service

Library contact details and opening times

Guitar neck

Special topic

Enjoying singing - information to get you started

Oxford Music Online logo

Encyclopedia of popular music

Page last updated: 2nd November 2011