RIPM provides access to historic music periodicals through three databases. Access to these databases is restricted to subscribers.

 

To access the Retrospective Index to Music Periodicals with Full Text and/or the Preservation Series, please visit ripm.org to request a trial. Trials and subscriptions available to institutions only.

 

To access RIPM Jazz Periodicals, please visit jazz.ripmfulltext.org for subscription information or ripmjazz.org for information about the collection.

 

The Jazz Review "Founded by Nat Hentoff, Martin Williams, and Hsio Wen Shih in New York in 1958, The Jazz Review was the premier journal of jazz in the United States. Short-lived as it was (1958-1961), it set an enduring standard for criticism.While all of the material is of high quality, several features are particularly distinctive: the regular reviews of musicians' work by other musicians; Hentoff's regular column "Jazz in Print," which deals with the politics of the music business as well as of the nation; and the incorporation of a wide range of musical styles and approaches to discussing jazz." Jazz Studies Online, The Center for Jazz Studies, Columbia University
(URL, accessed 25 April 2019)
The Grackle: Improvised Music in Transition "Ron Welburn began his prolific career in music (and literary) criticism in the late 1960s. He helped found the important journal The Grackle in 1976. Although oriented towards free jazz, coverage extended to Latin music, an interview with Ralph Ellison, a Welburn piece on Eddie Jefferson and Joe Lee Wilson. It maintained a strict policy of publishing work by people of African descent. Welburn recounted being asked by several white writers to be published in The Grackle; his consistent response was that the purpose of the magazine was to provide an outlet for black writers on jazz, whose work was not being accepted by established jazz magazines." W.S. Tkweme, Vindicating Karma: Jazz and the Black Arts Movement (2007)
The Record Changer "The Record Changer was a small and independent magazine owned and managed by Bill Grauer and Orrin Keepnews, former classmates at Columbia University who transformed the traditional jazz oriented publication into a progressive voice." Rob van der Bliek, editor, The Thelonious Monk Reader (2001)
Down Beat "Race relations, sexual equality, unionism, wars, recessions, birth, life, death, the triumph of the will, the battle of the soul: it spills across the pages of Down Beat. The writers serve as a Mount Rushmore of jazz journalism, but the opportunity to read about Ellington, Armstrong, Miles, Bird, Dizzy, Coltrane, Brubeck, Eldridge, Lester Young, Ella, Lady Day–all the greats–to hear them talk about their lives and their careers–in their voices–that's what paints a lasting picture, and delivers a glimpse inside the artist's world. That's the essence of Down Beat. It's a magazine for jazz musicians, written by jazz musicians and the best jazz journalists in the world. Everyone who gets involved, from the musicians to the writers to the photographers, does so with an amazing dedication to the art form of jazz and the craft of making a great jazz magazine. It's magic." Frank Alkyer and Ed Enright, 'Down Beat' The Great Jazz Interviews (2009)
Metronome "Founded in 1881, Metronome magazine became indispensable during the swing era, when it switched its focus to jazz. For decades, it was the best publication for reviews, features, and show listings of the era's foremost music genre." Jordan G. Teicher, "Rare Photographs of Jazz Icons From the Archives of Metronome Magazine" (2015) (URL, accessed 25 April 2019)
JazzTimes "One of the world’s leading jazz publications ... publishing leading critics like Leonard Feather, Stanley Dance, Martin Williams and Ira Gitler." "Ira Sabin, Founder of JazzTimes Magazine, Is Dead at 90" (2018)
(URL, accessed 30 September 2022)
Die Musik "Among the general German language music periodicals of the first half of the twentieth century, Die Musik is surely the most interesting from an historical point of view since one finds a well-defined general attitude for each of the three periods of contemporary German history of that time: 1. the eulogy of the great 19th-century masters during the pre-war period, 2. the thoughtful openness to new trends during the Weimar Republic, and 3. the enthusiastic propagation of a political ideology during the Third Reich" Marc-André Roberge, "Le périodique Die Musik (1901-1944) et sa transformation à travers trois périodes de l'histoire allemande," in Revue de Musicologie 78, No. 1 (1992): 109-144
Ars et labor "After sixty years of editorial life the glorious Gazzetta musicale di Milano, the publisher Ricordi entrusts the company's image to new magazines [...] such as Musica e musicisti (1902-05) [...] and then Ars et labor: monthly magazines graphically very refined, whose covers are signed by the greatest illustrators of the time and which take full advantage of the novelty represented by photographic reproduction. Precisely in these publications regularly appears a subject until then usually excluded from music periodicals: namely, sung music, of non-cultured origin and intended for the entertainment of a large and undifferentiated public, which then will be defined as 'light music.'" Marco Capra, “La stampa ritrovata: duecento anni di periodici musicali,” in: La divulgazione musicale in Italia oggi (Torino: EDT, 2005)
Musical America "Musical America accomplished even more [than the Musical Courier]. While covering musical events much in the same fashion as the Courier, it provided more detailed, substantial reports. Essays were more numerous and consequential." Charles Lindahl, "Music Periodicals in U. S. Research Libraries in 1931: A Retrospective Survey Part III: The United States." Notes: Quarterly Journal of the Music Library Association 38, no. 2 (December 1981): 322.
Musical Courier "The principal function of [The Musical Courier] was to supply musical information to a general [audience]: articles, when not communicating news, most often were neither ethical nor scholarly; pictorial material was plentiful. Correspondence, editorials, biographies, and advertisements usually appeared, forming, in their cumulations, volumes of prodigious size ... typical columns were 'Piano and Musical Instruments' and 'Music in Schools and Colleges'; educational articles of a mildly didactic nature also appeared. Most striking, however, was the sheer volume of information provided: from every corner of the country appeared reports and announcements--a veritable floodtide. Performance reviews, typical of this period, were uncritical--nearly always only words of praise. The journal offered a panoramic view of the vast spectrum of musical life in the United States." Charles Lindahl, "Music Periodicals in U. S. Research Libraries in 1931: A Retrospective Survey Part III: The United States." Notes: Quarterly Journal of the Music Library Association 38, no. 2 (December 1981): 322.
Signale für die musikalische Welt “For historical research, the Signale is of importance insofar as its publication radius extends beyond Germany and, through a wittily entertaining feuilleton with belletristic musical events, they provide important insights into and far-reaching information about the musical outlook and development of the 19th century, an epoch in which lasting structural changes in art and science, politics, and social thinking took place. Thus, the journal, whose central function is to inform and entertain a wider readership, takes on the significance of a valuable music-historical source.” Rudolf Vogler, Die Musikzeitschrift “Signale für die Musikalische Welt” 1843-1900 (Regensburg: Gustav Bosse Verlag, 1975): 2.
Il Mondo artistico At the time, Il Mondo Artistico was one of "two newspapers specifically devoted to music … under the direction of Dr. Filippo Filippi." A reviewer believed that it was an esteemed newspaper like "La Gazetta musicale, Il Trovatore, La Scena, Le Boccherini, and La Gazetta musicale." Almanach de la musique 1868, (Paris: Alfred Ikelmer et Cie, 1868), 88.
Zvuk "A significant feature of the Zvuk magazine was the parallel presence of essays written by Marxist musicians and those written by other music writers, who did not believe in the social function of art, even though these two groups of authors did not engage in polemics." Aleksander Vasić, "An unintended dialogue between 'materialists' and 'idealists'. The essays on west European art music in the "Zvuk" magazine (1932-1936)," Muzikologija (2013)
Revue et Gazette musicale de Paris "Throughout a large portion of the nineteenth century, Paris was regarded as the cultural and musical capital of Europe. Nowhere is this better reflected than in the pages of the Revue et Gazette musicale de Paris, one of the most important music journals published in the nineteenth century. From the outset the journal was hailed as a remarkable source of information on French musical culture—a theme echoed in the literature from Léon Escudier, to Pierre Larousse, to Arthur Pougin who referred to the journal’s 'brilliant existence of almost a century,” during which “its authority and fame [was] most firmly and honorably established, not only in France but abroad.'' " Doris Pyee-Cohen and Diane Cloutier, Introduction to Revue et Gazette musicale de Paris (Paris, 1835–1880)
The Musical World The preeminent nineteenth-century British music journal, The Musical World: a Weekly Record of Musical Science, Literature, and Intelligence, was published weekly in London. The topics of major articles published in The Musical World are unusually wide ranging and cover issues about musical performance, history and theory. While the journal focuses on issues affecting the progress of music in Britain it also treats music and music making on the continent and in North America. Regularly encountered are biographical sketches of leading British and foreign musicians, histories, and annual reports of institutions such as the Philharmonic Society, the Society of British Musicians, the New Philharmonic Society, the Sacred Harmonic Society, the provincial music festivals of Worcester, Gloucester, Hereford, Leeds and Birmingham, and many other institutions of lesser importance. The prospectuses of the major opera houses, forthcoming festivals, and concert series such as the Monday Popular Concerts and the Crystal Palace Concerts appear without fail. Reports from provincial cities are published regularly. Richard Kitson, Introduction to The Musical World (London, 1836-1891)
Neue Zeitschrift für Musik "The Neue Zeitschrift für Musik was founded by Robert Schumann in 1834 to express the ideals of 'a Society of Artists' which referred to itself as the 'Davidsbündler.' ... In the first year, four members of the “Society of Artists” shared the journal’s editorial responsibilities. In addition to Schumann, the staff included the well-known pianopedagogue Friedrich Wieck, and the pianists Julius Knorr and Ludwig Schunke. It soon became apparent, however, that Schumann had to shoulder the greatest part of the work, for Wieck was often away and Knorr was frequently ill. Music criticism had a special significance for Schumann and the Davidsbündler, and the journal was explicitly conceived of as an alternative to the perceived critical indifference of some earlier music journals, in particular, the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung, edited at the time by G. W. Fink." Annette Vosteen, Introduction to Neue Zeitschrift für Musik (Leipzig, 1834-1844)
Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung "The [Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung] was 'the first music journal of international esteem, mainly by means of the personality of its first editor, Friedrich Rochlitz, who edited the journal 1798-1818 and led it to its peak as the most important music journal of its time.' [Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart, 1st ed., s.v. "Zeitschriften."] A fifty-year run of a music journal was unprecedented. In German-speaking areas, the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung became the organ of the new middle class's public opinion, forming and voicing it simultaneously. In a letter to the publisher Härtel, Goethe (who had a subscription to the journal) wished the AMZ well: “Perhaps I will soon find an opportunity to say something publicly about an institution [the AMZ] that deserves the praise of every friend of art." Ole Hass, Introduction to Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung (Leipzig, 1798-1848) "Originally published weekly in Leipzig between 1798 and 1848, the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung [AMZ] was revived at the initiative of the publisher Breitkopf und Härtel in January 1863, and continued until December 1882. The publisher hoped to repeat the success of the journal's first series, which was considered one of the finest German-language music periodicals of its time." Karl Kügle, Introduction to Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung (Leipzig, 1863-1882)
Musikblätter des Anbruch "The Austrian journal Musikblätter des Anbruch [ANB], or from 1929 simply Anbruch, was published by the Universal-Edition in Vienna from November 1919 to December 1937. The journal contains the writings of many well-known European and foreign musical personalities, and was generally regarded by its readers as 'the musical forum for contemporary music' in the 1920s and 1930s. ... Paul Amadeus Pisk (1893-1990), a student of Arnold Schoenberg and Franz Schreker and a co-founder of the International Society for Contemporary Music [ISCM] was, after Stefan, the journal's most regular contributor. Paul Stefan (1879-1943) had been a music theory student of Schoenberg while studying law, philosophy and art history in Vienna. Also a co-founder of the ISCM, Stefan supported the society by reporting in ANB on the Society’s annual international music festivals and by discussing both the selection of the works performed and the quality of the performances. Stefan’s editorials for most issues of Anbruch deal with Vienna’s past and contemporary cultural life. ... Among the many important contributors are Erwin Stein, Alban Berg, Theodor Adorno, Béla Bartók, Ferruccio Busoni, Hindemith, Krenek, Milhaud, Karol Rathaus, Kurt Weill and Egon Wellesz. Also of interest is the fact that many of the journal’s contributors were either students of Schoenberg (Berg, Pisk, Stefan, Stein, Wellesz), Schreker (Krenek, Pisk, Rathaus), or Berg (Adorno). Other regular contributors include Paul Becker, Rudolph Hoffmann, Rudolf Réti, Willi Reich and Hans Stuckenschmidt." Ole Hass, Introduction to Musikblätter des Anbruch (Vienna, 1919-1937)
Gazzetta musicale di Milano "Published by Giovanni Ricordi’s Stabilimento musicale in Milan, this weekly journal, which emphasized the interests of its publisher, quickly established itself as Italy’s most important music periodical. Giovanni Ricordi (1785-1853), founder and patriarch of the firm bearing his name, was the owner of the journal. As primary publisher of the operas of Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti and Verdi, and almost every other Italian composer who achieved even a modest amount of fame, Ricordi’s career followed and helped to shape the institutions of Italian opera." "[T]he cultural and artistic revival that took place from 1863 to 1866 induced publisher Tito Ricordi (Milan, 1811-1888) to endorse, in the spring of 1866, an appeal of his young son Giulio (Milan, 1840-1912) to resume publication of the Gazzetta musicale [di Milano]. But Giulio wanted to introduce significant changes in the technical and scientific imprint given in the past to the periodical by his father Tito. These changes were destined to characterize the journal for almost four decades—until 1902, when it ceased publication—and can be summed up as follows: less emphasis on scientific discussion, more space given to inside information of artistic events; that is less theoretical, more practical." Marcello Conati, Introduction to Gazzetta musicale di Milano (Milan, 1866-1902)
Modern Music "The quarterly journal Modern Music was first published in New York under the title League of Composers Review from February 1924 through January 1925. In April 1925 the title was changed to Modern Music and publication continued uninterrupted under this name until the fall issue of 1946. The purpose of the journal was to inform American professional musicians and the American (and European) public about the new idioms and styles of twentieth-century music. According to the editor Minna Lederman, 'Modern Music had no fixed editorial position about any composer, any movement. Its pages recorded derogatory opinions about, as well as homage to, even the greatest figures of the age—Schoenberg and Stravinsky, who were under its most constant observation.'" Richard Kitson, Introduction to Modern Music (New York, 1924-1946)
Boletín Latino-Americano de Música "The Boletín Latino-Americano de Música, the first scholarly periodical to be devoted to music in Latin America, was published from 1936 to 1946 in various South American capitals: volumes I (1935), III (1937) and V (1941) in Montevideo; volume II (1936) in Lima, volume IV (1938) in Bogotá and volume VI (1946) in Rio de Janeiro. All were published in Spanish, except volume VI, published mainly in Portuguese, with several articles in Spanish. The visionary force behind this monumental publication was Francisco Curt Lange (1903-1997), a German musicologist, who settled in Uruguay in the 1920s, and eventually became a Uruguayan citizen. Lange promoted americanismo musical, a movement that aimed to promote North and South American music and musicians through the cooperation of institutions and scholars in North America, Central America, the Caribbean and South America. In this context Lange's most important initiatives were the creation of the Boletín Latino-Americano de Musica, and the promotion of ideas underlying the americanismo musical which found immediate support in several South American countries and the United States." Esperanza Berrocal, Introduction to Boletín Latino-Americano de Música (Montevideo, Lima, Bogotá, Rio de Janiero, 1935-1938, 1941, 1946)