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Online audio and discographies

Use this guide to access streaming resources for sound recordings

Welcome! Use this guide to find online sources for audio recordings and discographies.

Search the Library's Sofia Discovery tool

 

Note: Not all resources can be found through this search tool (catalogue).

Consult the resources on this and other guides to access additional sources.

Online audio

Audio@McGill

Online Audio

  • Naxos Music Library (NML3)

    • Streaming audio library (classical music)
    • Access to more than 2 million tracks of standard and rare repertoire from a wide range of labels
    • Liner notes for selected recordings
    • Includes additional resources such as opera synopses and libretti, glossaries of musical terms, aural training exercises, and work details and analyses
    • Naxos Music Library App: Available for Apple or Android mobile devices. You must create a personal account prior to using the app using the Student / Faculty of a subscribing university or educational institution instructions. 

      Creating Naxos Music Library playlistsVideo tutorial. Instructors can use the McGill Playlist creation guide for creating course-specific Naxos playlists. Please contact the Music Library staff for login credentials. Further information can be found on the Naxos website.

      Troubleshooting: Note that clearing your browser cache often resolves issues related to playing selections on Naxos

  • Naxos Music Library Jazz (NML3 - Jazz)

    • Streaming audio library (jazz music)
    • Access to more than 240,000 recordings of jazz music
    • Includes notes on the works and biographical information on composers and artists
    • Note: This database has a limited number of simultaneous users. If you have trouble accessing or receive an error message, please try again later.
    • Naxos Music Library Jazz App: Available for Apple or Android mobile devices. You must create a personal account prior to using the app.

      Creating Naxos Music Library Jazz playlists: Video tutorial. Instructors can use the McGill Playlist creation guide for creating course-specific Naxos playlists. Please contact the Music Library staff for login credentials. Further information can be found on the Naxos website.

      Troubleshooting: Note that clearing your browser cache often resolves issues related to playing selections on Naxos.

  • Naxos Music Library World

    • Streaming audio library (world music)
    • Access to over 185,000 recordings from world cultures
    • Includes the Smithsonian Folkways catalogue
    • Note: This database has a limited number of simultaneous users. If you have trouble accessing or receive an error message, please try again later.
    • Naxos Music Library World App: Available for Apple or Android mobile devices. You must create a personal account prior to using the app.

      Creating Naxos Music Library World Playlists: Video tutorial. Instructors can use the McGill Playlist creation guide for creating course-specific Naxos playlists. Please contact the Music Library staff for login credentials. Further information can be found on the Naxos website

      Troubleshooting: Note that clearing your browser cache often resolves issues related to playing selections on Naxos.

  • Music Online: Classical Music Library (Alexander Street Press)

    • Stream classical music sound recordings
    • Coverage includes music written from the medieval period to the present day. Repertoire ranges from vocal and choral music, to chamber, orchestral, solo instrumental, and opera
    • Video tutorial: Creating personal playlists (applies to audio and video recordings available through Music Online)
  • electrothèque 

    • Stream electroacoustic works from the empreintes DIGITALes catalogue and its composers
    • Register for a personal account to manage playlists and create your own collections
    • Note: This database has a limited number of simultaneous users. If you have trouble accessing or receive an error message, please try again later.
  • DRAM: Database of Recorded American Music

    • Stream sound recordings from independent labels and sound archives (e.g. New World Records, Composers Recordings (CRI), Albany Records)
    • Primarily American music
    • Encompasses avant-garde, contemporary, electronic, folk, opera, indigenous, jazz, musical theatre, and more
    • Access original liner notes and essays
  • The Virtual Gramophone

    • Database containing information and images for more than 15,000 78-rpm and cylinder recordings released in Canada, as well as foreign recordings featuring Canadian artists and/or compositions.
    • Selected recordings in the Library and Archives Canada collection of 78s, chosen for their Canadian content, were digitally reproduced for this site.
  • OverDrive

    • Provides access to eBooks, audiobooks, and streaming video

Discographies

  • Mainspring Press Free Online Reference Library

    • Downloadable discographies and other resources for collectors of historic sound recordings
    • Includes discographies by John Bolig, Dick Spottswood, Allan Sutton, William R. Bryant, George Blacker, Brian Rust, The Record Research Associates, & others
    • The discographies are for personal, non-commercial use only
    • Includes the complete 6th edition of Brian Rust’s Jazz and Ragtime Records (1897 – 1942)
  • The Jazz Discography Online (TJD Online)

    • Source of information about jazz records and jazz recording sessions
    • Encompasses all genres of jazz and contains information about 400,000+ recordings released between 1896 and today
    • Sessions are listed by bandleader name and presented in chronological order: details include tune titles as well as the names of all supporting musicians and the instrument(s) they played
    • The date, matrix and record company release numbers of each recording are also included

Location and contacts

Profile Photo
Music Library Staff
Contact:
Marvin Duchow Music Library
Elizabeth Wirth Music Building
3rd floor - 527 Sherbrooke Street West
Montreal, Quebec H3A 1E3
514-398-4695
Website
Subjects: Music

Librarian

Profile Photo
Cathy Martin
Contact:
527 Sherbrooke St. W, A-317, Montreal, QC, H3A 1E3
514-398-5874
Website

Resource key

  • McGill users only
  • Open access resource
  • Free resource
  • In-library use
  • Catalogue record

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