About Music Online Reference

Westminster Libraries subscribe to four invaluable music resources from Alexander Street Press.

These can be used both within any Westminster Library and from outside by anyone with a Westminster library membership card. Not a member? Join now. 

You can search across all four databases via the Music Online advanced search page, or visit each resource separately. Each resource is described below, with direct links:

African American Music

African American Music Reference includes over 4,000 essays and images from over 120 sources, over 34,000 pages, covering blues, jazz, spirituals, civil rights songs, slave songs, minstrelsy, rhythm and blues, gospel, and other forms of black American musical expression. This will eventually rise to 50,000 pages.

Go straight to African American Music

Classical Music Reference Library

Bringing together more than 20,000 pages of essential reference materials, including Baker's Dictionary of Music, Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, and Baker's Student Encyclopedia of Music, the database covers music from Medieval to the 21st century, with definitions of musical terms and biographical information on the major classical composers and artists. Tip: you can also access a free classical music download every week!

Go straight to the Classical Music Reference Library

The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music

This is a comprehensive online resource devoted to music research of all the world's peoples. More than 9,000 pages of material, this is the most complete body of work focused on world music. Now for the first time, the entire set of 10 print volumes is available as a single, integrated online database.

Go straight to the Garland Encyclopedia of World Music

Classical Scores Library

Contains over 335,000 pages of the most important classical music scores, manuscripts, and previously unpublished material, allowing for the study and analysis of more than 16,000 musical scores. Users can access multiple types of scores across various composers, genres, and time periods. Explore Beethoven's entire compositional output, or compare different musical settings of the Magnificat from the 15th century to the 21st century.

Go straight to the Classical Scores Library

• Go to the 24/7 Library Exclusive Resources page
• Go to the Music page of the Gateway to websites