Post, Jennifer C. Ethnomusicology: A Research and Information Guide. 2nd ed. Routledge Music Bibliographies. New York; London: Taylor & Francis, 2011.

Jennifer C. Post’s second edition of Ethnomusicology: A Research and Information Guide is designed, in the author’s own words, to help researchers “embrace the discipline in the twenty-first century,” and consequently provides a detailed guide to various sources profitable to ethnomusicological research. The book contains 1,933 items such as reference works, archival sources, audio and video recordings, online resources, research guides, and indexing and abstracting tools, all published predominantly between 1994 and 2010. Particularly useful to students is the introduction, which describes at length the field of ethnomusicology, its purposes, its methodologies, and a 52-item annotated bibliography of resources explaining the discipline. The bibliography itself has been divided into two sections: Reference and Information Sources and Sources for Research and Study. An annotation accompanies each citation as well as an ISBN, ISSN, or LC call number, when appropriate. The annotations for the “recent books” section are unusually descriptive, often including a list of contents. Up-to-date and crammed with information, Post’s work can benefit both fledgling student and advanced researcher.

Lindsay Weaver
Research Assistant 

Dictionnaire chronologique de l’opéra de 1597 à nos jours. Translated by Sophie Gherardi. Paris: Ramsay, 1979. Revised and augmented by Louis Jambou. Paris: Le Livre de Poche, 1994

 

The Dictionnaire Chronologique de l’opéra de 1597 à nos jours was translated from Italian into French by Sophie Gherardi.  Aimed at a general audience of opera enthusiasts, this dictionary  provides a guide to operas in the standard Western repertory dating from 1579 through 1994.  It begins with a short preface by the Swiss composer and music administrator, Rolf Liebermann.  Following that, users can find basic information on each of the included operas, such as the title, the date of the first performance, the author of the libretto, the genre, the number of acts, and the premier information.  Additionally, entries also describe the main characters and their vocal parts, and provide a brief plot of the performance, the composer’s life, musical aspects of the work.  The simplicity of the layout and information makes it a perfect resource on hand for anyone interested in operas.

Clara Compare
Research Assistant 

 

The Historical Dictionary of Choral Music by Melvin P. Unger embraces all things choral, including over 1,000 entries about composers, genres, conductors, institutions, styles, and other general choral music terminology. Coverage extends to choral music from Europe and the United States, focusing on composers with the most significant contributions to the world of choral music. A written explanation of the history of choral music and a chronology of key events that contributed to its development precede the dictionary proper. Intended for all who wish to learn more about choral music from the layperson to the professional.

Devan Weixler
Research Assistant 

Letellier, Robert Ignatius. Opéra-Comique: A Sourcebook. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars, 2010.

As might be gathered from the title, Robert Letellier’s Opéra-Comique: A Sourcebook is a handbook of the opéra-comique genre as it developed in Paris from 1762 to 1915.  The book itself chiefly consists of a chronology listing all known works premiered specifically at the Opéra-Comique and a separate index which lists these works by composer.  Though author focuses primarily upon the single theatrical entity known as the Opéra-Comique (which occupied various buildings throughout the nineteenth century), the index’s works lists also include operas premiered by other rivaling theatrical companies such as the Théâtre-Lyrique, because these operas substantially contributed to the development of opéra-comique as a genre and provide a fuller understanding of a composer’s participation its evolution.

This handbook provides ready access to basic facts about a given work: the form, number of acts, librettists, the date and theatre of the premiere, and frequently a descriptive analysis. Users thumbing through the concluding, cross-referenced indexes can also access this information by the names of the librettists or singers who performed the roles, among other ways.  Additionally, individuals new to the occasionally complicated history of nineteenth-century Parisian opera will benefit from Letellier’s relevant introduction on the subject, making this book appropriate for both music students and advanced researchers alike.

Lindsay Weaver
Research Assistant

 McBride, Jerry L. Douglas Moore: A Bio-Bibliography. Music Library Association Index and Bibliography Series, ed. Mark Palkovic, no. 36. Middleton, Wisconsin: MLA Association; A-R Editions, Inc., 2011.

Jerry L. McBride’s Douglas Moore: A Bio-Bibliography is an easily-navigated guide to the composer Douglas Moore, his works, and the literature written about him. The bibliography contains over 3,000 items ranging from reviews to dissertations, compiled from indexes, databases, bibliographies, discographies, and catalogs. Beyond the bibliography, this book includes an extensive biography, a list and bibliography of musical works (which also addresses performances, published scores, and recordings), a chronological list of musical works, and a classified list of musical works. Wherever possible, entries have been verified by the author and those which haven’t are indicated.  In short, the scope of this book is plainly explained and understood, easy to navigate, and includes an extensive index.

Lindsay Weaver
Research Assistant

Steinbach, Kadri and Urve Lippus, ed. Eesti helisalvestised 1939. Tallinn: Eesti Muusika- ja Teatriakadeemia, 2009.

“Estonian Sound Recordings 1939” was created as a representative anthology of recordings documenting important Estonian musicians in the 1930’s, specifically those created by the Estonian State Broadcasting Company in Tallinn during 1939 (drawn from archives in Århus and Hayes).  Beyond its presentation as a discography, this source also includes twelve CDs of music as well as essays on relevant topics such as the history of Estonian music during this period and the processes involved in restoring the recordings. Additionally, the text itself is entirely bilingual with all entries and essays printed in both Estonian and English.  Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this reference source is the unique, physical design of the binding. It effectively and efficiently protects the 12 CDs that accompany it, so they cannot easily escape their sleeves and become damaged or lost.

Lindsay Weaver
Research Assistant

We’ve recently added to our reference collection several new offerings from Routledge’s Music Bibliographies Series, which provides students and scholars with excellent starting points for research.

Flynn, Timothy S. Charles François Gounod: A Research and Information Guide. Routledge Music Bibliographies, ed. Jennifer C. Post. New York: Routledge, 2009.

This slim first edition nicely chronicles many of the important primary and secondary documents relating to the life of Charles Gounod as well as his historical context. Consequently, this tool will be useful to not only those interested in this particular composer, but also those hoping to research nineteenth-century French opera in general.

Huismann, Mary Christison. Frederick Delius: A Research and Information Guide. 2nd ed. Routledge Music Bibliographies, ed. Jennifer C. Post. New York: Routledge, 2009.

The author has not explicitly noted any significant differences between this edition and the last (published in 2005); however, a cursory examination reveals 707 additional bibliographic entries and 80 additional entries in the discography.

Luttman, Stephen. Paul Hindemith: A Research and Information Guide. 2nd ed. Routledge Music Bibliographies, ed. Jennifer C. Post. New York: Routledge, 2009.

Examining the two editions will reveal growth of 64 entries; however, the author mentions over 140 entries have been deleted while 204 are newly added. Inclusion criteria has been revised between the two editions, the most notable addition being items relating to the use of Hindemith’s works in elementary or secondary music curriculum. Such items have been included only when they bring with them musicological insight or obscure source material.

Willier, Stephen A. Vincenzo Bellini: A Research and Information Guide. 2nd ed. Routledge Music Bibliographies, ed. Jennifer C. Post. New York: Routledge, 2009.

The year 2001 saw two important conferences promoting and adding to Bellini scholarship, making a new edition (with 180 additional entries!) necessary. According to the author, the first edition of this work was intended to record Bellini scholarship and set straight myths and errors that had crept into the literature. This second edition ought to provide the same function as well as represent a study in reception history.

Simms, Bryan R. Alban Berg: A Research and Information Guide. 2nd ed. Routledge Music Bibliographies, ed. Jennifer C. Post. New York: Routledge, 2009.

Between this edition and the last, the author reports a 30% increase in the number of sources cited. Specifically, he notes adding video recordings and indicating availability of online resources. In terms of expansion, Chapters 1 and 2 (which concern Berg’s own music and writing) have been significantly revised, and the rest of the work now includes better coverage of articles written in Eastern European languages.

Saffle, Michael. Franz Liszt: A Research and Information Guide. 3rd ed. Routledge Music Bibliographies, ed. Jennifer C. Post. New York: Routledge, 2009.

Several changes have been made to this work with respect to its previous incarnations, most notably this: all possible references to Hungarian-language Liszt studies have been eliminated because they have been translated to English or a more familiar Western European language, and because those individuals actually able to comprehend such Hungarian studies will already be familiar with them.

Lindsay Weaver
Research Assistant