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This article is from the Classical music FAQ, by Gabe M. Wiener gabe@panix.com with numerous contributions by others.

8. What are the best reference works on music in general?

The supreme musical references is probably the New Grove Dictionary of
Music and Musicians. This is a multi-volume set, about as large as
your average encyclopedia, so you'll probably have to trek to your
local library to find a copy.

Two more obtainable books are a) the New Harvard Dictionary of Music
(and the paperback version, the Concise Harvard Dictionary of Music),
and b) The Concise Grove Dictionary of Music. Both of these are
invaluable for all musicians and music enthusiasts.

David Mason Greene: Greene's Biographical Encyclopedia of Composers
(David Mason Greene) is a good choice for interested amateurs and
general listeners (those needing less than Grove's, in other words),
Greene is a great source because it's compact and includes a huge
number of composers (2400). His information could be refined in a
number of places, but there are few other source that fill the same
need.

There are composer biographies, almost all of them excellent,
published by Norton/Grove. These are the dictionary articles, with
worklist, bibliography, and index, and slightly updated. Some volumes
cover several composers, e.g., Bach Family, Northern European Baroque
Masters.

Grove also has multi-volume special dictionaries for opera, American
music, and musical instruments.

When picking recorded performances with which you are unfamiliar, you
might wish to consult the Penguin Guide. This book provides a good
starting point, and while it doesn't get everything right, it does
have some excellent reviews, and can do a lot to help you identify the
differences between the myriad versions of any particular piece. Be
warned, though. The Penguin folks have been known to have what some
consider an unfair bias against some early-instrument recordings. So
read some of the reviews with a grain of salt. There are also the
"Opus" catalogs put out by Schwann, the musical version of "Books in
Print." Many people also swear by magazines like Fanfare, Gramophone,
etc. for reviews.

If you don't have time to read all those magazines, you might want to
check out Stevenson's Guide to classical recordings. This publication
synthesizes the reviews of about 30 different magazines. Thus you
aren't getting only one opinion, but an overview of what all the
various critics thought about a given disc. The Guide also contains a
CD Guide Honor Roll, which lists the performances that have received a
three-plus (+++) rating from at least four critics, with no negative
reviews given from any other critic. In other words, if you buy based
on this honor roll list, you're pretty much assured of getting a
decent recording. This very useful publication is available at some
record stores, or else you can order it from Stevenson Classical Disk
Guide, P.O. Box 53286, Indianapolis, IN 46253. Subscription price is
$31 per year, four editions per year.

When trying to identify that theme you have running around in your
head, consult Barlow & Morgenstern's dictionaries. "A Dictionary of
Musical Themes" and "A Dictionary of Opera and Song Themes" are
essential references.

A good all-around historical reference book is "A History of Western
Music" by Donald Jay Grout and Claude V. Palisca. More than one grad
student has curled up by the fireplace with this tome in preparation
for qualifiers.

The Music Research Division of the New York Public Library has a
telephone reference service. The number is +1 212 870 1650.

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