When you know the discipline you want to search, a database devoted to it gives you more ways to target your search (with keywords for time period, music genre, etc.), plus results you won't see anywhere else. These are our top picks, but Harvard licenses many hundreds of databases, so please get in touch for a personalized recommendation!
Familiar and current, it also searches full-text, which makes it different from the other databases (including HOLLIS) on this guide.
Full-text searching can be an advantage when you've got a very narrow topic or are seeking a "nugget" that traditional database searching can't surface easily.
Google Scholar is perfectly acceptable for most general forays into scholarship; its algorithms are excellent and do return relevant results.
NOTE: One simple change can turn Google Scholar into what's effectively a Harvard database -- with links to the full-text of articles that the library can provide. Here's what to do: