Use subject encyclopedias, such as the ones listed below, to help you get the "big picture" on your topic.
Covers music and musicians of all types and time periods; includes bibliographies, composers' worklists, links to related sites, audio and music examples. Provides access to Grove Music Online (incorporating the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, the New Grove Dictionary of Opera, and New Grove Dictionary of Jazz), as well as The Oxford Dictionary of Music and The Oxford Companion to Music.
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The Norton Anthology of Drama by 
History of the Theatre by 
Living Theatre by 
The Oxford Illustrated History of Theatre by 
Lissauer's Encyclopedia of Popular Music in America by 