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Musician Biographies

Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians. Laura Kuhn, advisory ed. Centenniel (i.e., 9th) ed. New York ; Schirmer, 2001. 6 v. (Ref. ML105 .B16 2001)
Baker's is the most authoritative and extensive biographical dictionary in English on musicians and musical figures in "classical" music. Expanded to 6 volumes over the one-volume 8th ed. Format and readibility is greatly improved. Includes works lists, bibliographies and discographies.is the most authoritative and extensive biographical dictionary in English. Its primary emphasis is on musicians and musical figures in the world of art music, but entries from jazz, rock, country, blues, and other popular music genres are also included. Bibliographies and works lists are included with many entries.
Southern, Eileen. Biographical Dictionary of Afro-American and African Musicians. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1982. 478 p. (Ref. ML105 .S67 1982)
More than 1500 biographies cover music figures in classical, pop, and folk genres, with an international focus. Includes bibliographies and index. Appendices classify entries by historical period, birthplace, and occupation.
Biography Resource Center is a large compilation of current and retrospective biographical dictionaries with sketches of individuals from all geographic locations and time periods. Includes entries from Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, Contemporary Composers, International Directory of Opera, and over 130 other authoritative sources.
Greene, Frank. Composers on Record: An Index to Biographical Information on 14,000 Composers Whose Music has been Recorded. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1985. 604 p. (Ref. ML105 .G78 1985)
This work is an index of composers' names, compiled from 66 selected discographies and the collection of the Music Library of the University of Toronto, which includes references to any of the 114 sources in which that composer appears. Many of the names are not included in New Grove or other standard sources.
Cowden, Robert. Concert and Opera Singers: A Bibliography of Biographical Materials. Music Reference Collection, 5. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1985. 278 p. (Ref. ML128.B3 C7 1985)
An annotated bibliography which covers both individual and collective works. Includes an index to singers who appear in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.
Morton, Brian and Pamela Collins. Contemporary Composers.  Chicago: St. James, 1992. (Ref. ML 390 .M677 1992)
Biographical dictionary of 494 working composers, providing information on composer's nationality, birth date, education, awards, posts held, and mailing address. Work lists, organized by type of composition, include information on instrumentation, date of composition, publisher, discography, critical assessment and analysis, and completion and/or premiere date and place. International coverage.
Directory of Music Faculties in Colleges and Universities, U.S. and Canada. [n.p.] College Music Society. (Ref. ML13.D57)
A biennial publication which lists departments and schools of music in college and universities by state and the faculty members at each. Entries include mailing address and telephone number for each department. Part II classifies faculty members by area of specialization.
Grove Music Online contains an outstanding selection of biographies for musicians, composers, librettists, and others, compiling the listings from The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, and The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. Many composer entries include comprehensive or selective works lists.
International Encyclopedia of Women Composers. Aaron I. Cohen, ed. 2nd ed. 2 vols. New York: Books & Music USA, 1987. (Ref. ML105 .C7 1987)
Provides brief biographical coverage, with lists of works, for almost 6,196 women composers. Extensive bibliography of works about women composers and a sizable discography. An appendix lists composers by country and century.
International Who's Who in Music and Musicians' Directory. Cambridge, Eng.: International who's who in music. 2 vols. (Ref ML 106 .G7 W442)
Vol. 1 includes classical and light classical musicians; vol. 2, popular musicians.  Brief biographical entries include date of birth, career synopsis, and current address.
Adams, John L. Musicians' Autobiographies: An Annotated Bibliography of Writings Available in English, 1800-1980. Jefferson, NC: MacFarland, 1982. 126 p. (Ref. ML128.B3 A3 1982)
A dictionary of over 700 musicians, arranged alphabetically. Excludes letters, oral histories, diaries, and articles in reference works. Includes chronological, title and subject indexes.
The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Stanley Sadie, ed. 2nd edition. London: Macmillan Reference ; New York: Grove's Dictionaries, 2001-
Online version of the 2nd edition of the standard and largest comprehensive music encyclopedia in English, with coverage of music history, theory and practice, musical terminology, the music of various locations, and an outstanding selection of biographies. The longer biographical entries for composers include well-organized lists of works with thematic catalog numbers where appropriate. Musical examples and illustrations are included. This edition includes more extensive coverage of non-Western and folk music, with an index of ethnomusicological terms. Searchable by keyword and subject, with links to internal cross-references and external links to musical sites around the world. Includes a timetable of reviews and updates to the text.
New Grove Dictionary of Women Composers. Julie Anne Sadie & Rhian Samuel, eds. London: Macmillan, 1994. (Ref. ML105 .N38 1995)
Presents information on 875 women composers of Western classical music, with international coverage. Entries include biographies and analysis of works, but no musical examples. Most entries include works lists and a bibliography. Includes a chronology of women's musical achievements.


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