Last revised: August 2010
Early Music: Medieval & Renaissance Music History
Scope: This guide is intended to provide a selective list of reference tools for research into the history of medieval and renaissance music. It should be used in conjunction with the UM Libraries Basic Music Reference Guide. [http://www.lib.umd.edu/guides/music-basic.html]
Email librarian Steve Henry (shenry@umd.edu) or call 301-405-9256 for more information.
Table of Contents
Bibliographies of Music Literature
- Charles, Sidney Robertson. Josquin des Prez: a guide to research. New York: Garland, 1983. (Garland composer resource manuals)
LOCATION: PA LIB REF
CALL NUMBER: ML134.J773C5 1983 - Cramer, Eugene. Tomás Luis de Victoria: a guide to research. New York: Garland, 1998. (Garland composer resource manuals)
LOCATION: PA LIB REF
CALL NUMBER: ML134.V6 C73 1998 - Earp, Lawrence. Guillaume de Machaut: a guide to research. New York: Garland, 1995. (Garland composer resource manuals)
LOCATION: PA LIB REF
CALL NUMBER: ML134.G956E3 1995
- Hughes, Andrew. Medieval music: the sixth liberal art, Rev. ed. Toronto: Univ. of Toronto Press, 1980.
LOCATION: PA LIB REF
CALL NUMBER: ML114.H8 1980
A comprehensive classified, annotated bibliography of medieval musical studies. - Mathiesen, Thomas J. A bibliography of sources for the study of ancient greek Music. Hackensack: Joseph Boonin, 1974.
LOCATION: PA LIB REF
CALL NUMBER: ML114.M34
- Picker, Martin. Henricus Isaac: a guide to research. New York: Garland, 1991. (Garland composer resource manuals)
LOCATION: PA LIB REF
CALL NUMBER: ML134.I8P5 1991
- Picker, Martin. Johannes Ockeghem and Jacob Obrecht: a guide to research. New York: Garland, 1988. (Garland composer resource manuals)
LOCATION: PA LIB REF
CALL NUMBER: ML134.O3P5 1988
- Reese, Gustave. Fourscore classics of music literature. New York: Liberal Arts Press, 1957.
LOCATION: PA LIB REF
CALL NUMBER: ML160.R33
An annotated bibliography of original sources of music theory from antiquity to the 20th century. Especially rich in medieval and renaissance materials.
Indexes and Abstracts
- Bryden, John R. and David G. Hughes. An index of Gregorian chant, 2 vols. Cambridge: Harvard Univ. Press, 1969.
LOCATION: PA LIB REF
CALL NUMBER: ML102.C45B8
A finding aid to chants in modern chant books. - Crane, Frederick. Extant medieval musical instruments: a provisional catalogue by Types. Iowa City: Univ. of Iowa Press, 1972.
LOCATION: PA LIB REF
CALL NUMBER: ML465.C72
- Census-catalogue of manuscript sources of polyphonic music 1400-1550, 4 vols. Stuttgart: Hanssler, 1979.
LOCATION: PA LIB REF
CALL NUMBER: ML135.C4 1979
A descriptive bibliography of "all known manuscript sources of polyphonic music in mensural notation" of works composed (not copied) during the 15th and early 16th centuries. Printed editions and tablatures are not included. - Hilton, Ruth B. An index to early music in selected anthologies. Clifton, N.J.: European American Music Corporation, c1978.
LOCATION: PA LIB REF
CALL NUMBER: ML113.H71
Older title still useful; PA Library has annotated it for anthologies owned. - Library of Congress. Catalogue of early books on music before 1800. Washington, D.C.: Govt. Printing Office, 1913; Suppl., 1944.
LOCATION: PA LIB REF
CALL NUMBER: ML136.U5C4 1913
Even though old, it is still useful, especially for those with easy access to the Library of Congress.
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
- Carter, Henry Holland. A dictionary of middle English musical terms. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1961. (Indiana University humanities series, 45)
LOCATION: PA LIB REF
CALL NUMBER: AS36.I385 no. 45
- Roche, Jerome and, Elizabeth Roche. A dictionary of early music: from the troubadours to Monteverdi. New York: Oxford, 1981.
LOCATION: PA LIB REF
CALL NUMBER: ML100.R695
A brief guide to terms, genres, and composers. - Strahle, Graham. An early music dictionary: musical terms from British sources, 1500-1740. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995.
LOCATION: PA LIB REF
CALL NUMBER: ML108.S88 1995
Terms and definitions derived from historical dictionaries and musical treatises. Includes citations of the original source.
Discographies and Sources Related to Recorded Sound
- Coover, James, and Richard Colvig. Medieval and Renaissance music on long-playing records,[Detroit, Information Service] 1964.
LOCATION: PA LIB REF
CALL NUMBER: ML156.2.C67
An early early music discography documenting mid-20th-century public enthusiasm for this music but also listing individual pieces on recordings. - Croucher, Trevor. Early Music Discography, 2 vols. Phoenix: Oryx, 1981.
LOCATION: PA LIB REF
CALL NUMBER: ML156.2.C76, v. 1, v. 2
Lists recorded performances of medieval, renaissance, and baroque music available in the UK at time of publication. Includes index by performer.
Bibliographies of Music and Catalogs of Music Collections
- CANTUS [http://publish.uwo.ca/~cantus/]
A database for Latin ecclesiastical chant - C.M.M.E. [http://www.cmme.org/]
Corpus mensurabilis musicae electronicum (early music scores online)
See the Links page for a list of other early music databases in progress. - Brown, Howard. Instrumental music printed before 1600: a bibliography. Cambridge: Harvard Univ. Press, 1965.
LOCATION: PA LIB REF
CALL NUMBER: ML128.I65B77
A bibliography of early printed (not manuscript) music.Collver, Michael and Bruce Dickey. A catalog of music for the cornett. Bloomington [Ind.]:Indiana University Press, c1996.
LOCATION: PA LIB REF
CALL NUMBER: ML128.C86.C6 1996 - Hagopian, Viola. Italian ars nova music: a bibliographic guide to modern editions and related literature, 2nd ed. Berkeley: Univ. of California Press, 1973.
LOCATION: PA LIB REF
CALL NUMBER: ML120.I8H3 1973
- Krummel, D.W. Bibliographical inventory to the early music in the Newberry Library. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1977.
LOCATION: PA LIB REF
CALL NUMBER: ML136.C5N43
One of the finest private libraries in the world, the Newberry has been a leader in the collection of early music. - Sartori, Claudio. Bibliografia della musica strumentale italiana, 2 vols. Florence: Olschki, 1962-68.
LOCATION: PA LIB REF
CALL NUMBER: ML120.I8S3
A bibliography of Italian instrumental music printed before 1700. - Vogel, Emil. Bibliothek der gedruckten weltlichen Vocal-musik Italiens. Hildesheim: Georg Olms, 1962. 2 vols.
LOCATION: PA LIB REF
CALL NUMBER: ML120.I8V8 1962
The basic source for early Italian printed vocal music. - Wood, David A. Music in Harvard libraries: a catalogue of early printed music and books on music.... Cambridge: Harvard Univ. Press, 1980.
LOCATION: PA LIB REF
CALL NUMBER: ML136.C23H33
Miscellaneous Tools
- The Laborde Chansonnier (ca. 1470) online.
[http://www.rarebookroom.org/Control/unkthe/index.html] - Gangwere, Blanche M. Music history during the renaissance period, 1425-1520: a documented chronology. New York: Greenwood, 1991. (Music reference collection)
LOCATION: PA LIB REF
CALL NUMBER: ML172.G26 1991
- Gleason, Harold, and Warren Becker. Music in the middle ages and renaissance, 3rd ed. Bloomington: Frangipani, 1981.
LOCATION: PA LIB REF
CALL NUMBER: ML171.G58 1981
An outline of music history from the middle ages through the renaissance. Companions in the series include outlines of baroque music, chamber music, and American music (2 vols.). - Singing early music: the pronunciation of European languages in the Late Middle Ages and Renaissance, edited by Timothy J. McGee with A.G. Rigg and David N. Klausner. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, c1996.
LOCATION: PA LIB REF
CALL NUMBER: MT883.S56 1996
