Musicians & Composers

Resources in this category:

African Music Encyclopedia
http://africanmusic.org/

A searchable encyclopedia dedicated to African music performed by musicians in Africa and in countries around the world. There are country and artist indexes, along with a glossary of musical styles and terms. A list of links to related sites and information on buying African music are also included.

All About Jazz
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/

This comprehensive site includes jazz news, reviews, festivals, interviews, audio downloads, photos, and biographies of over 3600 jazz musicians.

allmusic - AMG
http://www.allmusic.com/

Search this incredibly "comprehensive music reference" database by artist, album, song, label, style, and more. Read essays, reviews, and blog posts from AMG editorial staff and expert contributors. Learn about and listen to any music style's seminal artists and albums. Offers videos too.

The Authorized Paul Bowles Website
http://www.paulbowles.org/

Website dedicated to the legacy of writer-composer Paul Bowles, established by the heirs of the estate of Paul and Jane Bowles.

The Charles Ives Society
http://www.charlesives.org/

Online resource on the American composer with pictures, a catalog, biographical details, and more.

Composer Biographies
http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/users/mn200/music/composers.html

A site of brief biographical sketches of some of the more well-known classical composers.

Composers of African Descent
http://chevalierdesaintgeorges.homestead.com/Others.html

This site contains information about classical music composers of african heritage from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. It gives biographies on these composers.

Dr. Estrella's Incredibly Abridged Dictionary of Composers
http://www.stevenestrella.com/composers/index.html

"A chronological listing of famous composers of Western Music. Each listing contains accurate birth and death dates and the country of origin. Several of the entries also are linked to biographical essays and other sites on the web." Organized by musical period and by composer name.

A Great Day in Harlem
http://www.harlem.org/

"Explore jazz history through one photograph" of 57 jazz musicians taken in Harlem in August 1958. Site includes a timeline on jazz history and biographies of jazz musicians browsable by artist, musical style, or instrument.

Jazz: A Film by Ken Burns
http://www.pbs.org/jazz/

The online counterpart to Ken Burns' documentary Jazz includes extensive biographical profiles and discographies of major jazz musicians, a chronology of the development of jazz, essays about jazz and its place in American culture, and audio clips of jazz compositions.

Johannes Brahms
http://www.johannesbrahms.org/

Biography and catalog of Johannes Brahms

The Living Composers Project
http://www.composers21.com/

"The Living Composers Project is a non-profit database begun in 2000, which aims to provide composers, listeners, performers, and researchers with a source of information about the music of our time."

The Mozart Project
http://www.mozartproject.org/

Contains a biography of Mozart (with chronology and family tree), a listing of his compositions (by date and category), selected essays about him and his music, plus reviews of books on Mozart. Also includes links to more Mozart resources online.

MusicFinland.com
http://www.musicfinland.com/

Resources for Finnish popular, classical, jazz, and contemporary folk music. Artist profiles are included as well as recording reviews and audio samples.

NewMusicBox: the Web magazine from the American Music Center
http://www.newmusicbox.com/

An online journal from the American Music Center that concentrates on work by contemporary American composers.

Operas and Composers: A Pronunciation Guide
http://patriciagray.net/Operahtmls/works.html

An alphabetical list of major operas and their composers, with brief descriptions and sound recordings that provide their correct pronunciation. Audio files are in AIFF format.

"Perfessor" Bill Edwards Ragtime / Old-time Piano Gallery
http://www.perfessorbill.com/

A site dedicated to all types of ragtime and old time resources. Here you can find biographies, recordings, lyrics, and more.

Piazzolla.Org: The Internet Home of Astor Piazzolla and his Tango Nuevo
http://www.piazzolla.org/

Available in both Spanish and English. Dedicated to the music of Argentinean, Astor Piazolla. Features include an extensive biography and an audio library.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees
http://www.rockhall.com/hof/currinductees.asp

Biographical information on the members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Tasmanian Composers Collective
http://www.tasmanianmusic.com/

Promotes and builds awareness for Tasmanian classical music and its composers. Lists "Established Composers" and "Young and Emerging Composers" and has information for students, researchers, and the general public on modern Tasmanian classical music composition.

The J.S. Bach Homepage
http://www.jsbach.org/

A large informational site about the life and music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Contains biographies, bibliographies, links, and a database of works indexed by instrument, title, performer/conductor, BWV number, key, year and record label.

The Robert Johnson Notebooks
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MUSIC/rjhome.html

A biography of the singer/songwriter/guitarist Robert Johnson. Other features include sound clips of performances by the artist, a lesson plan for teachers to "illustrate the poesy of Robert Johnson's blues lyrics", and a glossary of verse terms.

The Virtual Gramophone: Canadian Historical Sound Recordings
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/gramophone/index.html

"A multimedia Web site devoted to the first half-century of recorded sound in Canada." The site provides information on famous Canadian musicians and composers, Canadian recording companies and images of 78rpm records. It also includes videos, audios of classic records and podcasts. Available in both English and French.

Who2?
http://www.who2.com/

Who2? is a website about famous people. It provides information such as birth and death dates, famous works, notorious trivia, and the four best websites for additional details. The people covered range from authors, stars, mythical gods, and cartoon dogs to kings, queens, and famous frauds.