- St. Olaf Libraries
- Research Guides
- Musical Geography Project
- Reference Materials
Musical Geography Project
LibKey Nomad
Research and Instruction Librarian for Music & Fine Arts
Karen Olson
she/her/hers
Music Reference Resources
Reference resources provide basic background information on a topic, but should not be the only resource you use! These resources include both biographical and topical entries.
If you're starting from scratch, begin with Oxford Music Online.
- African American Music Reference This link opens in a new windowFull-text reference resource on African American music, covering blues, jazz, spirituals, civil rights songs, slave songs, minstrelsy, rhythm and blues, gospel, and other genres. Includes biographies, chronologies, lyrics, sheet music, liner notes, images, and discographies.
- Oxford Music Online This link opens in a new windowFull-text collection of reference works on music across genres and eras, including jazz.
Encyclopedia of African American Music by Call Number: St. Olaf Music Library Reference (ML101.U6 E53 2011)ISBN: 9780313341991Publication Date: 2010-12-17Showcases all facets of African American music including folk, religious, concert and popular styles; not available online.
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by ISBN: 0195313739Publication Date: 2006-11-20Covers popular music from 1900 to the present, including folk, blues, world music, rock, heavy metal, techno, reggae, and hip hop. Online version more up-to-date than print version.
