A History of Western Music
Definitive college text from W.W. Norton, written by Donald Jay Grout, first published in 1960. Links style and form to chronology, from ancient Greek modes to 20th century serialism and jazz.
A Short History of Opera
Post-2000 edition by Hermine Weigel Williams of the authoritative text written in 1947 by Donald Jay Grout (d. 1987). Publishers page from Columbia University Press offers capsule reviews and detailed table of contents.
Music Reference and Research Materials
This bibliography by Vincent Duckles is the standard reference for source literature in music, more than 3,500 annotated listings in sections such as encyclopedias, chronologies, discographies, and other bibliographies.
Oxford University Press: Music
More than 200 titles from the publisher of college textbooks and reference works, sorted by subject such as music history, theory, ethnomusicology, and church music.
Oxford University Press: Popular Music
Links to publisher pages for books on subjects such as blues, gospel, jazz, country, the music industry, pop music in Britain, and the origins of popular style.
Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll
Offering more than 1,800 entries from the editors and writers of Rolling Stone magazine, this volume was named the official reference source for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio. Extensively revised and expanded since the first edition appeared in 1983.
Schirmer Books: Music Theory
Links to college texts on subjects such as form, analysis, style and structure, from publisher now a division of Thomson/Wadsworth.
The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music
Companion to the Harvard Dictionary of Music contains more than 5,000 entries on people in music, from Bach and Beethoven to Benny Goodman and Irving Berlin.
The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians
"The Grove" is the acknowledged ultimate authority in musical scholarship, 25,000 pages in 29 volumes, from the Oxford University Press. Capsule reviews, ordering information, link to online version.
The New Harvard Dictionary of Music
Contains more than 6,000 entries written by more than 700 musicologists, considered the foremost single-volume musical reference work in print.
W. W. Norton & Company: Music Theory
Publisher pages for college textbooks on subjects such as orchestration, sight singing, and harmonic analysis.