- St. Olaf Libraries
- Research Guides
- Music 345: Music in Paris in the 1920s
- Primary Sources: The Internet
Music 345: Music in Paris in the 1920s
Research and Instruction Librarian for Music & Fine Arts
Karen Olson
she/her/hers
Primary Sources on the Internet
There is a wealth of primary source material available on the internet. As with any online source, you'll need to do some extra work to verify that the information is reliable and the content is legally posted.
Museums and national libraries often support wonderful online archives. If you cannot find what you need here, try these tips.
- Looking for a particular person or institution? Search for their name plus "society," "museum," or "archive" -- often these will link to online collections.
- Looking for a particular country or city? Search for its name plus "library" or "archive" to see if there is a regional library or museum with online collections. Remember that museums and libraries outside the U.S. may not have English versions of their websites available, and many of their actual items will not be in English. This may impact your ability to search and use their collections. Contact Karen Olson for help if you need it (but remember, I studied Latin and German, not French!)
Online Archives for Music Research
French Newspapers and Digital Libraries
- GallicaThe digital archive for the Bibliothèque nationale de France (the French national library). Great for early editions of scores and French-language materials. Make sure the "EN" option in the upper right is turned on, so you can see the site in English (mostly).
To find topical periodicals in Gallica, pick Types de documents>Presses et revues>Presse par thématiques. Presse de musique are the music journals, but, depending on your topic, you may also wish to look at the other subjects.
- RetroNewsFrench newspaper archives from the Bibliothèque national de France. Website in French. Many of its newspapers are also in Gallica, but some people find the RetroNews search interface easier to use. Some search functions are subscription-only.
- Presse MusicaleA project to catalog articles from French musical magazines from 1890-1950. Most of the site is in French. Topics include jazz dance, Stravinsky, and others. See Karen if you are having trouble following the links.
French Musical and Cultural Museums
- Opéra national de ParisOnline exhibits from l'Opéra national de Paris, documenting the history of opera and ballet at various venues across the city. Exhibit commentary available in English.
- Musée de la musiqueDigital collections from the Musée de la musique in Paris. Website, including search functions, in French.
Other Usual Digital Archives
- EuropeanaDigital materials (videos, images, etc.) highlighting all aspects of European culture. Funded by the European Union.
- HathiTrustDigital collections from many academic libraries. Includes digitized journals.
- Internet ArchiveMany libraries use IA to host their digital collections. Search for sheet music and pre-1926 books here. Includes non-English materials. In addition to public domain materials, IA offers electronic lending of many copyrighted texts -- sign up for a free account to borrow materials.
Historical French News Online
- Le FigaroMajor Paris newspaper archived on Gallica.
- Le Monde ilustréParisian illustrated newspaper available on Gallica. Incomplete run from 1920s.
- Le MénestralFrench music magazine archived on Gallica.
- Paris qui chanteFrench music magazine archived on Gallica; includes concert, dance, and film reviews.
- Revue musicaleParisian music journal. Available at HathiTrust. The link above pulls all journals with "revue musicale" in the title published 1920-1929; you will need to look carefully at titles to make sure you're accessing Revue Musicale. Revue Musical is not digitally available on Gallica.