Guides: Music: Getting Started

Grove Dictionary of Music

The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (29 vols.) by Stanley Sadie (Editor); John Tyrrell (Editor)
Call Number: Ref. ML100 .N48 2001 - Also available online in Oxford Music Online
ISBN: 9781561592395
Publication Date: 2003-02-11
Since its initial publication in 1980, the Dictionary has been widely acclaimed as an indispensable resource and a classic reference. The word "updated" doesn't begin to describe the thousands of new articles, topics, cross-references, and areas of scholarship incorporated into The New Grove II. Every one of the first edition's 22,500 articles has been reviewed and revised, with thousands of articles expanded. Previously neglected or under-represented areas have been examined, explored, and explained. Movements and topics once deemed too controversial or too far from the mainstream have been added. And throughout, 6,500 new articles cover more than 5,000 years of music history, instruments, composers, institutions, performers, genres, and more.

Sources for Music Research

Sourcebook for Research in Music (3rd ed.) by Allen Scott; Phillip D. Crabtree (Original Author); Donald H. Foster (Original Author)
ISBN: 9780253014481
Publication Date: 2015-06-01
Since it was first published in 1993, the Sourcebook for Research in Music has become an invaluable resource in musical scholarship. The introductory chapter includes a comprehensive list of bibliographical terms with definitions; bibliographic terms in German, French, and Italian. Integrating helpful commentary to instruct the reader on the scope and usefulness of specific items, this updated and expanded edition accounts for the rapid growth in new editions of standard works, in fields such as ethnomusicology, performance practice, women in music, popular music, education, business, and music technology.

Reference Books

The Oxford Companion to Music by Alison Latham
Call Number: Ref. ML100 .S37 2002
ISBN: 9780198662129
Publication Date: 2002
Drawing on the original Percy Scholes edition (1938) and the two volume edition by Denis Arnold (1983), this edition is fully revised and reworked for the 21st century: 8000 entries, from brief definitions to in-depth essays, including over 1000 new entries
The Oxford Dictionary of Music by Tim Rutherford-Johnson; Michael Kennedy; Joyce Kennedy
ISBN: 9780199578108
Publication Date: 2012
For the sixth edition of this classic dictionary, the text has been thoroughly revised and updated. With over 10,000 entries, it offers broad coverage of a wide range of musical categories spanning many eras,including composers, librettists, singers, orchestras, important ballets and operas, and musical instruments and their history.
The Musician's Way by Gerald Klickstein
ISBN: 9780195343120
Publication Date: 2009-09-03
In The Musician's Way, veteran performer and educator Gerald Klickstein combines the latest research with his 30 years of professional experience to provide aspiring musicians with a roadmap to artistic excellence.
Arts and Numbers by Elaine Grogan Luttrull
ISBN: 9781572847170
Publication Date: 2013-04-22
Unlike stuffy textbooks and patronizing business books, Arts & Numbers is a lively and artfully done ally in helping creative professionals plan their present financial situations and secure their futures.

Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.) This link opens in a new window
Entries cover all genres and periods of popular music from 1900 to the present day.

The New Grove Dictionary of Opera by Stanley Sadie (Editor)
Call Number: ML102.O6 N5 1992 (4 vols.)
ISBN: 9780333734322
Publication Date: 1992-01-02
An opera reference with 11,000 cross-referenced articles that deal with all of the varied aspects of the operatic experience, from the composer, librettist and their cultural background, through singers, conductors and directors, to cities, opera houses, costume, choreography and set design.

Oxford History of Western Music Online This link opens in a new window
Reference work on evolution of Western classical music by Richard Taruskin.

Arts and Humanities Through the Eras
Profiling milestones and movements in the arts, literature, music and religion from a specific period, each volume in this set helps students and researchers understand the various disciplines of the humanities in relation to each other, as well as to history and culture. An overview of the period and a chronology of major world events begin each volume.
Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Popular Musicians Since 1990
An A-Z biographical reference that focuses on individual artists and groups in all popular styles active from 1990 to the present, including those in rock, rhythm and blues, rap, country, electronica, jazz, vocal and classical.

Musical America World wide

Musical America Worldwide
Business source for music. Includes music industry news, a database featuring artists and artist managers, links to venues and presenters, and a complete directory of arts organizations, and more.

Music Periodicals in the Library

Acoustic Guitar
American Music Teacher
The Clarinet
Classical Singer
Available on-campus only
The Diapason
EMAg: The magazine of Early Music America
Jazz Times
Opera America
Opera News
Rolling Stone
Teaching Music

Music Career Resources

Berklee College of Music's extensive Careers in Music website
The Career Center of Pepperdine University's Seaver College
The Music Production Schools online guide to the careers in the music industry

Professional Associations

Medici.tv & Digital Theatre Plus

medici.tv This link opens in a new window
Includes Master Classes, legendary sopranos, great tenors, playlists of the week, and more. The site broadcasts more than 100 live events each year, from venues and festivals such as Carnegie Hall, Bolshoi Theater, Opéra national de Paris, NCPA, Glyndebourne Festival, Lucerne Festival, Verbier Festival, Salzburg Festival, International Tchaikovsky Competition, International Chopin Piano Competition, Plácido Domingo's Operalia Competition, and more.

Digital Theatre Plus
Digital Theatre Plus brings live performance into the classroom, accompanied by a range of educational resources for illustration, explanation, and critical reflection. Includes several theatre resources, including over 200 productions, 18 master classes, 27 documentaries, 260 interviews and 62 practical guides.

Music in Los Angeles

Morning Becomes Eclectic playlist: January 24, 2025This link opens in a new windowJan 24, 2025

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Music in the News

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How Jimmy Carter's love of music helped launch his presidential campaignThis link opens in a new windowJan 11, 2025
Former President Jimmy Carter's close friends included the likes of Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson and the Allman brothers.
(Image credit: Tom Hill)
Why don't Americans know Robbie Williams, the UK pop sensation?This link opens in a new windowJan 11, 2025
UK pop sensation Robbie Williams is the subject of a new biopic, but a lot of Americans have absolutely no idea who he is.
Sam Moore, who sang 'Soul Man' in Sam & Dave duo, dies at 89This link opens in a new windowJan 11, 2025
Moore, the surviving half and higher voice of the 1960s duo Sam & Dave, died Friday morning in Coral Gables, Florida, due to complications while recovering from surgery, his publicist said.
(Image credit: Duffy-Marie Arnoult)

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Sam Moore, half of '60s R&B duo Sam & Dave, dies at 89This link opens in a new windowJan 11, 2025
The singer known for hits like 'Soul Man' and 'Hold On, I'm Coming' died Friday in Coral Gables, Fla.
Bob Clearmountain, L.A. studio icon, lost his home in the Palisades fire: 'This could be the end of our world.'This link opens in a new windowJan 10, 2025
The revered rock producer and mixer lost his house and his custom-built home recording studio in the Palisades fire.
This country karaoke night in L.A. is a rootin', tootin' hootenanny with a queer twistThis link opens in a new windowJan 9, 2025
A honky tonk atmosphere meets the queer community when the KFM Country Karaoke Revue gets going at Permanent Records Roadhouse in Glassell Park.

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Guide to the Stacks

Books and printed music are arranged according to the Library of Congress' Classification System:

M = Printed music/scores (organized by instrument/genre)
ML = Books about music and musicians
MT = Books on music theory, pedagogy, and technique

Call numbers of non-circulating reference books begin with "REF", while call numbers for oversized books begin with "Oversize" and are located in a special section in the stacks.

The best search tool for all books, articles, and media (sound recordings and DVDs) is the Pepperdine Library Catalog. Enter a keyword, title, author, performer, or composer and then narrow your search results (to article, musical score, DVD, etc.) using the "Narrow by Format" box to the left on the search results page. Keep in mind that some books are in remote storage and must be requested.

Most journal articles and periodicals are now online, although a few are among the bound periodicals and microfilm in Payson Library, with back years stored in the Calabasas facility. You can search the catalog by subject, ex., SU:music periodicals or su:Music Instruction and study Periodicals