Music Research: A Handbook (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Music Research: A Handbook Gerry Szymanski Music Research: A Handbook. By Laurie J. Sampsel. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. [xxvii, 323 p. ISBN-13: 9780195171198. $39.95.] Illustrations, bibliographic references, discography, index. Laurie Sampsel's Music Research: A Hand book is unique in that, unlike so many excellent recent bio-bibliographies and "guides to research" that now grace the shelves of music libraries everywhere, her book is designed for practical, in-classroom use. As such, it splendidly fills a gap in the textbook literature for a graduate-level course that many conservatories, universities, and comprehensive music schools require from their students. The publishers at Oxford University Press have also anticipated the fast-paced world of publishing, creating a companion Web site to support the text (http:// www.oup.com/us/musresearch [accessed [End Page 298] 20 August 2008]). The site offers lists of links for "Core Music Journals," "Links in Music Research," "Major Professional Music Associations," and "Research Tools by Composer." As of this writing (20 May 2008), the sections "Supplemental Links" and "Updates to Bibliographies and Readings" were unfinished and marked "Coming Soon." Realizing the broad scope and often confusing array of resources confronting the student researcher, Sampsel has broken down the elements of the music reference section into distinct chapters in the text that correspond with an average sixteen-week college semester. Furthermore, she divides Music Research into two broad sections: "Research Process and Research Tools" and "Writing, Style Manuals and Citation." Part 1 consists of roughly three-quarters of the book, and while it outlines research methods and techniques (such as tips for searching the various major ILS vendor library catalogs), its main strength comes from a staggering 644 detailed entries of reference books, series and sets, databases, and online resources. In addition, over 160 "titles marked with asterisks (*) are major research tools that [faculty members] might emphasize in class" (p. xx). The entries cover virtually every facet of music reference from monumental editions to thematic catalogs to online streaming of digital audio. Detailed explanatory passages open each chapter with helpful descriptions of what subjects are covered and why the sources cited are important. (e.g., "Discographies are essential to the study of music because recorded performances are integral to research and performance," p. 165). Various formats are discussed, and Library of Con gress (LC) subject headings are given for each set of reference tools (e.g., "Music—Discography—Catalogs," p. 166). The location of sources on library shelves by LC call number is also given (e.g., "ML 156–158 is used for discographies," p. 167). Indexed entries are organized into separate sub-categories and smaller subsets depending on the topic. For example, Sampsel categorizes Nicholas Slonimsky and Laura Kuhn's Music Since 1900 (6th ed.) in "Music Histories, Source Readings and Chronologies—Music Chronologies—Special Topic Music Chronologies—Twentieth-Century Music Chronologies." Sometimes a smaller sub-category ("Canadian Music Bibliographies") will have only one entry, while the broader "Single-Composer Thematic Catalogs" grouping features seventeen sources organized by composer's last name. Each indexed entry features an accurate and full citation; of particular note are the exhaustive citations for multi-volume sets such as The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music and Musikgeschichte in Bildern. Lively and detailed annotations follow for each source cited, and form the real strength of Music Research. They demonstrate the "why," explaining the reasons behind each carefully chosen resource, be it an author's qualifications or the scope or detail covered. More important, a reference pointing to reviews in an academic journal is also noted. Some annotations are quite complimentary ("A model bibliography by an expert compiler" [p. 148]), others are less so ("Advanced search options are not as good as those of Google." [p. 220]). Sampsel doesn't fear pulling punches when sources are flawed ("[images] too small a size to be useful" [p. 190], "problems with the indexing" [p. 143], "uneven in quality" [p. 147]), but is quick to point out the reasons for their inclusion ("well respected" [p. 141], "excellent color photos" [p. 191], "includes art-works not reproduced elsewhere" [p. 190]). Extremely helpful are the summary "evaluation checklists," many of which are based on...