Subject Guides: Music: Home

Music Research - Getting Started

The USM Libraries have many helpful staff and resources to make sure you're on the right track with your research! A few tips for getting started on your project:

Talk with your professor if you have any questions about the assignment.
Give yourself as much time as possible to find and request resources, write your assignment, and revise it.
Use the resources in this Subject Guide to find books, scores, E-books, scholarly articles, and more!

Activate Your USM ID for Library Use
To checkout books, request materials from other libraries, and access databases remotely, your ID Card must have its barcode (218... or 25022... number) activated. Visit or call the Library for assistance 207-780-4270.
LibrarySearch (Almost Everything)
Search almost everything (books, peer-reviewed articles, videos, and more!) that is accessible through the University of Maine system, including USM. You can choose to limit your search to USM, or search all libraries and use interlibrary loan.
Research Appointment
One-on-one research consultations — yes, we can help you find or cite resources for your research.
Interlibrary Loan (ILLiad) Account
Create or sign into your free ILLiad account to electronically request journal articles that USM does not have, or to request print books, music scores, & videos not available through LibrarySearch and MaineCat.
Writing Tutor Assistance
Schedule an appointment and meet with a writing tutor in Portland or Gorham or via Zoom.

Find Books, eBooks, and Scores

LibrarySearch (Library Catalog)
LibrarySearch is the book catalog for the University of Maine System Libraries. Records for books, videos and other materials are indexed. Online access is provided within records to online sources, such as e-books and streaming videos. To locate and access articles use any of our article databases, instead.
MaineCat
Statewide book catalog that includes Colby, Bates, Bowdoin, UNE, and many other academic and public libraries in Maine. Items can be requested for delivery to USM using your USM library barcode.
WorldCat
Bibliographic records for more than 36 million items held at OCLC member libraries throughout the world. Many items are requestable via your ILLiad account. Includes all types of information resources. Updated daily.

Find Articles

Academic Search Complete
Academic Search Complete is a large scholarly, multidisciplinary, full-text database, with more than 7,400 full-text periodicals, including more than 6,300 peer-reviewed journals. In addition to full text, this database offers indexing and abstracts for more than 11,500 scholarly, popular, trade, and special interest serials, and a total of more than 12,000 publications including monographs, reports, conference proceedings, and more. Updated daily.
Grove Music Online (Oxford)
Grove Music Online is also referred to as Oxford Music Online. This premier music encyclopedia includes 60,000 articles, many sound files, videos, musical examples, and Web links. Regulary updated.
JSTOR
JSTOR is a full text digital archive of scholarly journals in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Coverage generally begins with the first issuse running to within 3 years of present. Current issues of journals are often available from other USM databases.
Music Index with Full Text
An essential database for music scholars, Music Index with Full Text covers every aspect of classical and popular music. In addition to full-text journals, it includes reviews of performances, sound recordings and videos
Project MUSE
Project Muse, a project initiated by John's Hopkins University Press, provides PDF full-text access to more than 600 peer-reviewed journals from 250 university presses and scholarly societies. Project MUSE covers the fields of literature and criticism, history, the visual and performing arts, cultural studies, education, political science, gender studies, economics, and others.

Find Scores

Browse Scores and CD's on the second floor of the USM Gorham Library.

Search for Scores and CD's in the library or through Interlibrary loan the same way you would search for a book:

In LibrarySearch

For example, search for a Score and in the Left column under Resources, select Scores

If no luck, then try MaineCAT
Go to WorldCat to broaden your search even further if you can't find the item through MaineCAT.

Click on Advanced Search.
Next to "Limit type to" select "Musical Scores" or "Sound Recordings."

Additional score resources:

Find Audio

Library of Congress Online Audio Collections

Maine Music Box
The Maine Music Box contains digitized cover art and scores, music manuscripts, and a small number of accompanying mp3 synthesized sound files from five major printed music collections in Maine.
Naxos Music Library
World's largest online classical music library offering streaming access to more than 39,000 CDs with more than 562,000 tracks. NML offers the catalogs of more than 50 classical, jazz and world music labels, including BIS, Chandos, CPO, Haenssler, Hungaroton, Marco Polo, Vanguard Classics, VOX, and Naxos. World music content is provided by ARC, Celestial Harmonies and others; and there is also jazz, film music, nostalgia, classic and contemporary rock content. Other resources offered by NML include synopses of over 700 operas, a pronunciation guide for composer and artist names and a glossary of musical terms. Search by composer, work and label; keyword search; or an advanced search engine with up to 10 combined search criteria. Music and recordings are streaming and may not be copied or downloaded. NML is updated monthly with approximately 500 new CDs. Users can create private playlists by clicking on the Playlist tab, then clicking on Sign-up to create a playlist account. Playlists can be accessed via a free iPhone app as well as the NML web site.

USM faculty may create and edit public playlists, which will be accessible to all USM users on the NML site under the “Playlist” tab. For information on how to login to create and edit playlists, USM faculty should contact William Sargent (william.sargent@maine.edu).