Finding Dissertations and Theses in Music
Dissertations represent some of the most current research and thought in music research, and generally include valuable and comprehensive bibliographies. Copies of dissertations can be difficult to find, mainly because they are often owned only by the library at the originating institution. However, the following guides can help you find information about disserations and to locate them.
Sources for Finding Information about Dissertations
Online Indexes of American Dissertations
ProQuest Digital Dissertations
A listing of doctoral dissertations in all subject areas completed at U. S. accredited institutions, with some masters theses and foreign dissertations. Listings are from 1861 to the present, with abstracts for dissertations since 1980. Full text (PDF files) of UW-Madison dissertations from 1997 forward are available to UW-Madison students, faculty, and staff free of charge. Orders for complete dissertations may be placed online, but check MadCat first to see if they are owned on campus. Free interlibrary loan may also be a possibility.
Doctoral Dissertations in Musicology - Online
A continuation of Cecil Adkins's index Doctoral Dissertations in Musicology (ML128 J6), this listing includes both completed and in-progress dissertations. It is international in scope.
This index includes announcements of completed and in-progress dissertations that have appeared in Music Theory Online. Provided for each dissertation is the author name, dissertation title, author's educational institution, beginning and completion dates of the dissertation, an abstract, keywords, and a table of contents. The full text is not included.
Online Indexes of Foreign Dissertations
Austrian Dissertation Database
Contains approved dissertations from Austrian universities from 1990-2004. Clicking on author's name retrieves a full citation with English abstract.
This website grants access to 46,000 full text electronic Canadian theses and dissertations written between 1998-2002, and contains a database of over 220,000 Canadian theses held by the Library and Archives Canada.
Système Universitaire de Documentation
Contains French dissertations since 1972. Select "SU - Catalogue," then select "Expert" from the top of the screen. In the first box select "note de thèse" and put "music" in the search box. Other options such as "year," "type of document," "language," and "country of publication" are also available.
An index of theses and dissertations from 1970 to the present. Includes abstracts.
Other sources for dissertations and theses
UW-Library web pages
Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)
Dissertation Database Options
MadCat searches of Mills Music Library
Printed indexes to dissertations in music
Printed indexes to theses in music
(There is some duplication between these two searches.)
Other sources
Duckles, Vincent H. and Ida Reed. Music reference and research materials: An annotated bibliography. ML113 D83 1997.
Die Musikforschung. ML5 M9437
The second issue of each year contains a compilation of dissertations from the preceding year. The second issue in 2004, for example, contains information on dissertations from 2003. Found under the heading "Im Jahre ____ angenommene musikwissenschaftlicher Dissertationen."
Locating a Copy of the Dissertation
Finding dissertations on music at the UW Library
Dissertations in Mills Music Library can be found using MadCat. To find a dissertation, use a keyword search for the term "thesis" and whatever keywords are specific to your search ("piano" or "ars nova"). To find only dissertations written at the UW-Madison, add the keyword "wisconsin." Of course, dissertations can also be searched under the author's name or by title in MadCat.
Finding dissertations on music at other libraries
If you have searched MadCat for a specific dissertation and the UW does not have a copy of it, you may be able to acquire it via Interlibrary Loan. Search for the item in WorldCat to see what other libraries have a copy and then submit an ILL request.