Using the Music Library
Welcome! This guide is a curated list of resources related to music for on-campus and remote users. Bookmark this page for easy reference, and access all of Harvard Library’s online collections using your HarvardKey.
Would you like personalized help? Contact a music librarian by emailing us, using the chat button on this guide, or scheduling a research consultation. We're happy to meet virtually, or to set up an appointment to meet in person with current Harvard students, faculty, and staff.
Curious about research consultations? Watch the short video What is a research consultation to find out what to expect.
Start Your Research
No matter what your research topic is, here are five good places to start:
- HOLLISHarvard's main library catalogue: find books, articles, scores, recordings, and more in one search. Sign in with your Harvard Key to get more results.
- Oxford Music OnlineContains Grove Music Online: includes encyclopedia articles on musical genres, topics, and people.
- Online Scores: Classical Scores LibraryFull, study, piano, and vocal scores of music from the Middle Ages to the 21st century, available for use online or printed/saved to PDF.
- Online Audio: Naxos Music LibraryClassical, world, jazz, and folk recordings, with biographical information, opera synopses and libretti, glossaries and pronunciation guides.
- Journal Articles: RILM Abstracts of Music LiteratureAn international bibliography of music articles, collections, and books covering 10,000+ journals from the 1800s to the present. Especially good for finding book chapters and conference proceedings in addition to journal articles.
Timesavers
- Harvard Library BookmarkNeed access to an online article? Use this bookmarklet to get quick access to subscriptions purchased by Harvard Library.
- Lean LibraryThis browser extension provides quick and simple access to digital content purchased by Harvard Library.
- Citation and Research Management ToolsOrganize your research, keep track of your references, and add citations and bibliographies to your papers. The Harvard Library supports Zotero, EndNote, and OverLeaf Pro+.
