Indexes, abstracts, guides to music :
a selection of important resources

J.W.Pepper & Son.com
The most comprehensive single online catalog of “in-print” music.
http://www.jwpepper.com/catalog/welcome.jsp

Emusicquest
Created from the former Music-in-Print series, this is a completely searchable online database of published music in print. Includes “Choral Music In Print,” “Classical Guitar Music in Print,” “Classical Vocal Music in Print,” “Orchestral Music in Print,” “Sacred Choral music in Print,” “Secular Choral Music in Print;” “String Music in Print.” and “Woodwind Music in Print.” The listings are dependent on reporting by publishers and it is estimated that the database actually includes about 45% of what is available in U.S. music stores and that about 20% of what is listed is actually “out-of-print.” Use with caution.
http://eresources.library.nd.edu/databases/emusicquest

Library of Congress Music Catalog 1960-present
Contains catalog records from the Library of Congress for musical scores, audiovisual materials about music, sound recordings (LPs, CDs, tapes, 78's, etc.). and non-music recordings.
http://biblioline.nisc.com/scripts/login.dll

Popular titles and subtitles of musical compositions / by Freda Pastor Berkowitz.--2d ed.--Metuchen, N.J. : Scarecrow Press, 1975. 
MUSRF ML 113.B39 P663 1975
An important guide to translating the title of a piece of music as you remember it into the “real” title.

Music titles in translation : a checklist of musical compositions / compiled by Julian Hodgson.--London : C. Bingley ; Hamden, Conn. : Linnet Books, 1976.
REF GEN ML 111.H7
An important guide to translating the title of a piece of music as you remember it into the “real” title.

International directory of contemporary music : Instrumentation.--New York : CMIIS, c1991-
MUSRF ML 118 .I45 1996/97
Includes complete lists of works by composers who have joined the Contemporary Music International Information Service arranged by medium of performance.

PRIMMUS
A reference source indexing, at item-level, the full contents of the following Primary Source Microfilm music manuscript collections: Music manuscripts from the great English collections ; Italian music manuscripts from the British Library, London ; Twentieth century composers : Tippett, Bliss and Finzi.
http://metaframe.library.nd.edu/primmus.ica

Composers’ Collected Editions from Europe
An alphabetical listing of composers’ Gesantausgaben, Complete works, and Collected
editions sets that are currently available.
http://www.harrassowitz.de/mus_cat_composerscollectededitions.html

Monuments of music from Europe
An alphabetical listing of Denkmäler, Monuments of music, etc. sets that are currently available.
http://www.harrassowitz.de/mus_cat_monumentsofmusic.html

Handbuch der internationalen Konzertliteratur : Instrumental- und Vokalmusik = Manual of international concert literature : instrumental and vocal music / Wilhem Buschkötter, Hansjürgen Schaefer.--2., überarbarbeitete und erw. Aufl.--Berlin ; New York : W. de Gruyter, 1996.
MUSRF ML 113 .B96 1996

RISM: International inventory of musical sources
An international venture that aims to comprehensively document the world's musical sources of manuscripts of printed music, works on music theory and libretti stored in libraries, archives, monasteries, schools and private collections. The online index, which includes music rather than literature about music
(http://biblioline.nisc.com.lib-proxy.nd.edu/scripts/login.dll) does not duplicate information in the printed volumes (MUSICRF ML 113. I6)
Printed volumes that deal with music are:
A.          Einzeldrucke vor 1800 /Redaktion Karl Heinz Schlager.--Kassel : Bärenreiter, 1971- 15v
B, 1       Recueils imprimés; XVIe-XVIIe siècles / François Lesure.--München : G. Henle, 1960.
B, 2       Recueils imprimés: XVIIIe siècle / François Lesure.--.München : G. Henle, c1964.
B, 4, 1 . Manuscripts of polyphonic music / Gilbert Reaney--.München, Duisburg : Henle,1966.
B, 4, 2   Handschriften mit mehrstimmiger Musik des 14., 15. und 16. Jahrhunderts / Beschrieben und Invertarisiert von Kurt von Fischer und hrsg. in Zusammenarbeit mit Max Lütolf.-- München : G. Henle, 1972.--2 v.
B, 4, 3   Manuscrits de musique polyphonique : XVe et XVIe siècles, Italie : catalogue / par Nanie Bridgman.--München : G. Henle, c1991.
B, 4, 4   Les manuscrits du processionnal / par Michel Huglo.--München : Henle, 1999.
B, 5       Tropen- und Sequenzenhandschriften / Heinrich Husmann.--München :G. Henle, 1964.
B, 7       Handschriftlich überlieferte Lauten- und Gitarrentabulaturen des 15. bis 18. Jahrhunderts : beschreibender Katalog / von Wolfgang Boetticher.--München : Henle,1978.
B, 8       Das Deutsche Kirchenlied, DKL : krit. Gesamtausg. d. Melodien / hrsg. von Konrad Ameln, Markus Jenny u. Walther Lipphardt.--Kassel : Bärenreiter, 1975.--2v.
B, 9       Hebrew notated manuscript sources up to circa 1840 : a descriptive and thematic catalogue with a checklist of printed sources / by Israel Adler ; with the assitance of Lea Shalem.--München : G. Henle Verlag,1989.--2v
C, 1       Directory of music research libraries, including contributors to the international inventory of musical sources (RISM) / compiled by Rita Benton.--Iowa City : University of Iowa, 1967-79.--4v.
C, 2       RISM-Bibliothekssigel :Gesamtverzeichnis / bearbeitet von der Zentralredaktion in den
Ländergruppen des RISM.München :G. Henle Verlag ; Kassel, New York : Bärenreiter Verlag,c1999.

ACE Catalog
Catalog of all works (mostly American popular songs) controlled ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers.
http://www.ascap.com/ace/

BMI Repertoire
Catalog of all works (mostly radio, television, and popular music) controlled by BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.)
http://repertoire.bmi.com/startpage.asp

SESAC Repertory
Catalog of all works (mainly 20th century composers of concert and popular music) controlled by SESAC (South East Society for Authors and Composers)
http://www.sesac.com/repertory/repertory_main.asp

Tams-Witmark Music Library
The catalog of all works (mostly musical comedies and associated works) controlled by Tams-Witmark.
http://www.tams-witmark.com/history.html

Thematic catalogues in music : an annotated bibliography / by Barry S. Brook and Richard Viano.--2nd ed.--Stuyvesant, N.Y. : Pendragon Press, c1997.
MUSRF ML 113 .B86 1997
Thematic catalogs have been accepted by the international music community as the standard by which works of certain composers are identified. In addition to their use on programs and in writings about music, these are use in library cataloging to identify specific works.