Booklist, Editors' Choice Award: Best Reference 2009

"Music Online is the LexisNexis of music, and it may make the use of many traditional library resources unnecessary."—Booklist, November 2009

“Alexander Street Press is liberating music from the music library and integrating it with its other products and the rest of the library—expect more developments in this area.”—Library Journal, February 2005

“Classical Music Library’s collection strategy reflects [an] educational focus . . . by targeting multiple recordings of one work (for analyzing interpretations), as well as attempting to collect complete repertoires (for studying the breadth of a composer’s works). All genres are represented . . . from chamber, orchestral, and vocal music to stage and screen. . . . The depth of indexing (work / track title, opus number, genre, key, instrument, conductor, and more) helps alleviate [search frustrations], so that users with only a few details about a recording can construct a useful search. . . . Several other aspects of CML help to distinguish it as thoughtfully designed for education. Anthology Companion playlists link instructors and students directly to recordings featured in major textbooks on music history or appreciation, eliminating the need for library reserves while allowing access anytime, anywhere. Pre-selected playlists organized by ‘themes’ (e.g., Music for Lovers, Opera, Female Composers) are convenient for topical studies. Users can also create custom, password-protected playlists. Playlists, folders, and recordings have static / permanent URLs for ease of posting via email, course management software, or for bookmarking. . . . Academic libraries that support even small music programmes should strongly consider subscribing. . . . It is an absolute bargain at current prices. A few alternatives to CML are available, but as of this writing, they do not appear to be as education-oriented or user-friendly.”—Reference Reviews, 2006

“Its greatest strengths are its range of classical music genres and its ever-growing database.”—Library Journal, June 2005

“Represents a new trend in the delivery of sound recordings in music libraries today: digital distribution of sound recordings over the Internet. By subscribing to this resource, libraries can instantly provide access to thousands of tracks at a fraction of the cost of the physical recording media . . . . (Patrons) can listen . . . remotely or in the library, professors can assemble virtual ‘reserve’ lists for their courses, and students can listen from anywhere. . . . Recommended for libraries with major music programs; all levels.”—CHOICE, 2005

“Online music is having an impact on reference also. According to Alisa Rata, music, theater, and dance librarian at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, reference questions involving sound recordings have declined since implementing Classical Music Library. ‘Clearly the students are finding it easier to use than our own online library catalog,’ says Rata.”—Library Journal, June 2005

Library Journal, Best Reference Database of 2004

“Classical Music Library is a breakthrough resource that lets you glimpse what can happen when imaginative thinking and technology come together. An extensive collection of some 17,000 musical tracks that can be selected and streamed on demand, supplemented by a solid body of music-related reference material, CML is a uniquely self-contained resource for teachers, students, librarians, and anyone interested in exploring classical music.”—Golderman and Connolly, Library Journal’s Net Connect, 2004

“This excellent listening tool should complement libraries' music collections. . . . By allowing users to access tracks remotely it should serve as an excellent resource for libraries that support music programs. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Undergraduates and higher.”—CHOICE, 2004

“4 ¼ STARS: Although classical music is easy to find on the internet, quality performances, organized for access and listening enjoyment are less easy to find. Just a few minutes at the Classical Music Library site illustrates its uniqueness and value for classical music listening and study. . . . The track offerings are extensive. Familiar and exotic labels blend in an impressive and remarkable list. . . . Eminently searchable and browseable—this is the key to a good music service. . . . Only a teenager could get it more cheaply—and this is virus-free! . . . . I may be in love. While writing this review I have the Classical Player open in the left hand upper corner, partially covering some boring library Web site. I’m listening as I write. We, the music and me, are one with the internet. Classical music streams, is streaming throughout my office den. And everything is smooth, tuneful, and resplendent.”—Charleston Advisor, September 2003

Charleston Advisor 2003 Reader Choice Award for Best New Effort

“A huge library of first-rate classical music!”—McGill Reporter

Highest ever rating for product design from the California State University’s electronic resources committee.

“4 stars” for project scope, Library Journal Popular Culture E-Reference Ratings, 2008

A+ rating, Library Journal, 2006

“The value of the recordings included in this product is already well-known: Moses Asch’s Folkways label, and its successor Smithsonian Folkways, released field recordings of music from around the world, spoken performances, and all manner of natural and man-made sounds. In addition to the almost 29,000 tracks from Folkways, Smithsonian Global Sound includes 6,000-plus recordings from smaller labels. . . . Sound quality is as good as the originals. . . . Highly recommended. Libraries supporting area studies and ethnomusicology; all levels.”—CHOICE, January 2006

“Smithsonian Global Sound … [presents] a number of ways to browse across and drill down into the collection. Geographic area, instrument type, culture group, ensemble type, and language are all entry points. This type of granular search is impossible with the traditional OPAC.”—Library Journal, June 2005

“If Magellan had access to Smithsonian Global Sound® for Libraries, he might have stayed home . . . a unique and impressive collection of music, not to mention a rich archive of everyday sound.”—Library Journal

“Recorded between 1918 and 2006, songs date from the colonial period through 1960 and cover all aspects of US cultural history. . . . Includes music from labels both obscure and familiar. . . . Twenty-three American music genres are represented, including country, folk, American Indian, blues, gospel, and the spoken word, as recorded by Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, Nanci Griffith, and many others. . . The interface is user-friendly. . . . This useful site will support music, history, and literature programs. . . . Summing Up: Highly recommended. All users, all levels.”—CHOICE, October 2008

“A rich treasury of blues, early jazz, and sacred music, as well as folk songs, vaudeville songs, and other recordings by African American performers both famous (Fisk Jubilee Singers, Memphis Minnie, Leadbelly) and obscure. . . . Users may create playlists and course folders, and all tracks have persistent URLs. Also available are the complete liner notes from the original CDs, important for placing recordings in context. Sound quality is very good given the vintage of the recordings. . . . Highly recommended. Libraries serving African American studies and popular culture programs; lover-division undergraduates and above.”—CHOICE, June 2006

“A unique and affordable online music-listening service by a highly regarded vendor. Its incredible content . . . makes it simply amazing.”—Library Journal

“Buy it for the liner notes alone!”—Library Journal

“Offers more than 50,000 full-length tracks that represent a blend of contemporary and traditional world music recordings from many labels worldwide. In so doing, it facilitates comparisons of traditional styles and modern interpretations. . . . Buffering is quick, and sound clarity is excellent. The database is well organized and easy to use. . . . Highly recommended. All users.”—CHOICE, October 2008

“Textual content is anchored by the International Dictionary of Black Composers, edited by S. Floyd, and includes reference books and discographies, collections of critical essays, and anthologies of lyrics and printed music. Original publication dates of the included works range from 1848 to 2004. . . . Score and lyric sources are presented in PDF format; other texts display within the browser, though original pagination information is included, making citing items easy. . . . This collection should be a convenient source for beginning research on a wide range of topics in African American music. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Libraries serving African American studies and popular culture programs; lower-/upper-level undergraduates and general audience.”—CHOICE, October 2007

“4 stars” for project scope and writing, Library Journal Popular Culture E-Reference Ratings, 2008

Winner of the Dartmouth Medal, 2003

A Library Journal Top 50 Reference Resource of the Millennium

"A number of smaller pay-per-view and free collections are available from other providers . . . but the Alexander Street site is by far the largest and most comprehensive product on the market to date. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All users."—CHOICE, March 2010

"For the professional musician, the Classical Scores Library is amazing. The images load quickly, and thumbnail images permit scrolling through multiple pages. There are also options for printing less than the entire score—a movement or a range of pages. For an idea of the magnitude of this database, there are more than 2,500 scores for works of Johann Sebastian Bach."—Booklist, November 2009

“[Said student Emily Saras], ‘I am getting myself ready over the next year to apply to grad school for opera . . . and I could not be more excited about Opera in Video’. . . . Any Wellesley student who regrets never having seen Pavarotti strike his signature high C in the role of Rodolfo in La Bohème, or Kiri Te Kanawa morph into one of her Richard Strauss heroines such as Capriccio’s countess, will now be able to experience these and other important opera performances through staged productions, interviews, and documentaries—all available through a mouse click. Further, the database lets users bookmark specific acts, scenes, arias—even a single recitative passage—and then include the links in papers and course reserve. [Instructor] Andrea Matthews will put the resource to work immediately in her classroom. ‘Six of the operas we’ll be focusing on are available already and can be bookmarked on ‘playlists’ for easy organization and access,’ she says. . . . [Student] Emily Saras [says] ‘One of my biggest goals at the moment is to learn how to use my body effectively as I sing. . . . The best opera stars are singing actors, and I want to watch their faces and how they move about the stage. . . . Although many people think that opera is all about the voice, I think the most successful operas have a fantastic visual element.”—Friends of the Library Newsletter, Wellesley College, Fall 2008