Looking for digital music files online? Music enthusiasts now have access to two databases of digital music, DRAM and Naxos Music Library through the library.
DRAM (Database of Recorded American Music) provides a unique collection of works by a broad range of American composers and artists, many not available from any other source. In particular, the New World catalog in DRAM provides access to a scholarly survey of American music ranging from folk to opera, Native American to jazz, 19th century classical to early rock and musical theater. Users may find music with a simple keyword search or browse by composer, artist, ensemble, instrument or record label. Recordings are accompanied by complete and original liner notes.
DRAM is a scholastic resource focused on hard-to-find yet culturally and academically important music. DRAM’s mission is to disseminate music of cultural and academic value that is difficult to acquire through the commercial marketplace.
The music from DRAM is streamed using QuickTime and downloading music files is not yet available. Users will need to have QuickTime loaded in order to play DRAM files. User should note that when accessing DRAM through the library proxy server, you will need to click through a couple of security messages before getting into the database.
NAXOS Music Libraryclaims to be “the most comprehensive collection of classical music available online. It includes the complete Naxos and Marco Polo catalogues of over 165,000 tracks, including classical music, jazz, world, folk and Chinese music. While listening, you can read notes on the works as well as biographical information on composers and artists.” Naxos offers weekly educational podcasts on everything from John Cage Piano Music to Mozart Horn Concertos and Classic American Love Songs.
Unlike DRAM, Naxos allows users to browse by genre. Static URLs to individual tracks allow linking from Moodle. Playlists allow professors to create listening homework lists. The Naxos Music Library Education Pages offer overviews of musical periods with suggestions for listening. The library subscription allows five users to access the database simultaneously.
