Dictionaries and encyclopedias can provide background information that can get you started with your research about a subject. Additionally, encyclopedia articles often include bibliographies that can point you toward useful resources.
This encyclopedia's 30,000 entries cover all genres and periods of popular music from 1900 to the present day, including jazz, country, folk, rap, reggae, techno, musicals, and world music.
A guide to the thousands of figures who have contributed to the history of music, including composers, performers, music theorists, and instrument makers.
Includes entries on all the styles and forms in Western music; comprehensive articles on the music of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Near East; descriptions and historical background of musical instruments; and articles that address popular music, jazz, and rock.
This comprehensive site encompasses The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, The Oxford Dictionary of Music, and the Oxford Companion to Music in a single online resource.