Biographical Resources
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Biography and Genealogy Master Index (1976-)
Citations to more than 4 million current and historical persons are included in the Biography & Genealogy Master Index. Sources include more than 1000 English-language "who's who" type publications, including biographical dictionaries, handbooks, and directories. Name, birth and death dates, and source information are included for persons in all fields.
See QuickGuide.
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Current Biography (1940-)
Current Biography contains the full text of the biographies and obituaries on the more than 15,000 people that have appeared in Current Biography Yearbook since 1940. Numerous undated biographies and articles that have not appeared in print editions are also available. Current Biography includes artists, politicians, business people, journalists, actors, writers, sports figures, scientists, and other people prominent in the news. In addition, the articles are supplemented with recent citations from Biography Index. The profiles and obituaries are searchable by name, profession, place of origin, gender, race/ethnicity, date of birth or death, and keyword.
See QuickGuide.
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Music Necrology Index (Washington University)
The Gaylord Music Library Necrology collects information about deaths, taken from current music periodicals received by the library. The database includes informatino about performers, composers, conductors, teachers, and others involved with music. When available, information is taken from multiple sources, each of which is given a separate citation. The Necrology is searchable, as well as browsable by name or year of death.
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NewMusicJukebox (American Music Center)
NewMusicJukebox is an online library and listening room that provides immediate access to scores, streaming audio, and vital information about music by American composers. The above link connects directly to the composer's directory within the NewMusicJukebox site. This directory includes a thorough list of modern and contemporary American composers including short biographies and musical examples.
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Wisconsin Local History & Biography Articles (WLHBA)
WLHBA consists of image files of historical and biographical articles preserved in scrapbooks at the Wisconsin Historical Society, mainly between 1860 - 1940. It is searchable by headline, subject, newspaper, location, date, and name. It is not possible to search the full text of articles, only to display them.
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xreferplus (includes The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music)
xreferplus is an online library of 162 reference books, 100 of which are accessible from UW-Madison. xreferplus includes encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri and books of quotations, in addition to a range of subject-specific titles covering everything from art to accountancy and literature to law. Of special interest to musicians and music researchers are The Faber Companion to 20th Century Popular Music, The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music, and The Harvard Dictionary of Music.