The Library has a wide range of popular and classical music on compact disc. Categories include operas, general orchestral, concertos, symphonies, chamber music, solo instrumental, soundtracks, rock, blues, country, contemporary Christian, jazz, new age, pop world music, folk, and many others. You can search the Library catalog by title, author (the performer, musical group, or composer), or subject. All of our musical recordings are organized (assigned call numbers) using the ANSCR classification system.
Web resource 
Available with Skokie Public Library card 
Available in Library only
Staff Recommendations
Annual Staff Music Picks
Skokie Public Library staff listened to a lot of music last year and have compiled this list of their favorites. And, in case you missed them, it's not too late to see our Annual Staff Picks for books, films, and music from 2002 to the present!
Music Lists
Skokie Public Library staff have compiled several thematic music lists. From lists such as "Brazilian Music" or "Tasty Music" you're sure to find some new musicial selections.
Award-Winning Music
Academy of Country
Music Awards
Founded in the mid-60s "to support, promote and enhance the advancement of country music worldwide," the Academy of Country Music Awards presents annual awards to noteworthy country musicians. The site includes a list of award nominees, past winners, as well as country music news. A scrapbook of past award shows includes photos of some of the winners.
Dove Awards
The Dove Awards are presented annually by the Gospel Music Association. A database of past winners can be browsed by category or year, or searched by the name of an artist. Current nominees are also listed. The site includes a list of links to record companies that publish gospel music.
Grammy Awards
According to the Recording Academy, "The GRAMMYs are the only peer-presented award to honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position." The Grammy site is very comprehensive and includes photos and videos of past winners, industry news bits, and a database of past winners that is searchable by artist name, genre, category, and year.
Gramophone Awards
The Gramophone Awards are "often called the Oscars of the classical music world" and "are the most significant honours bestowed on the classical record industry." They are awarded each fall in categories such as Record of the Year, Artist of the Year, and Debut Recording.
Classical Music
Classical Music Navigator
Classical Music Navigator provides information on 444 classical composers, arranged in ways that help the user identify musical works with characteristics allied to his or her already-existing likes. Other features include a "Basic Library of Notable Works," a "Geographical Roster," and an "Index of Forms & Styles of Music."
Classical.Net
Classical.Net offers a variety of resources for classical music enthusiasts including a basic repertoire list, a classical CD buying guide, and a list of recommended classical CDs. The composer index offers information about a composer's works and the Review area of the site provides a number of reviews of classical music recordings, DVDs, videos and books.
Classics Today
Classics Today is "your online guide to classical music." The site offers a constantly updated list of reviews of classical recordings and performances, as well as news from the world of classical music. Reviews are searchable by title, genre, composer and label and short biographies of the reviewers are provided.
Gramophone
The online version of the classical music magazine, this site contains over 25,000 reviews of classical music recordings. The site also includes interviews with classical musicians.
Lyric Opera of Chicago
The Lyric Opera of Chicago 's website lists upcoming performances, dates for radio broadcasts of performances, and a history of the opera company and the Opera House. Tickets to performances may be purchased online. Skokie Public Library owns all of Lyric's available commentaries and recordings. Search for these items in the library catalog by title or by keyword search for Lyric and Opera. Look for a display of Lyric Opera materials in the Library from September through April.
The Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD
The Metropolitan Opera produces a series of live, high-definition broadcasts of operas which are shown in movie theaters across the United States, including theaters in Evanston, Niles, and Chicago. Tickets to these performances may be purchased online. Audiovisual materials for operas performed during the current Metropolitan Opera season are available to borrow from the Library.
Music Online from Alexander Street Press
Music Online contains hundreds of thousands of musical pieces for listening online. Genres from classical to jazz, from American roots to international music are represented. Liner notes and information on composers are included for most items in the collection. Users who choose to register can save playlists for repeated listening.
Naxos Music Library
Naxos Music Library has a collection of over 30,000 CDs that can be listened to on your computer. The music is mostly in the classical genre with a small amount of jazz and world music. Background and educational material is also included.
General Sites
All Music
This is a comprehensive guide to all types of music. It is searchable by artist, album, song, and classical work. New releases are featured, as well as spotlights on "hot artists" and editors' picks. Registration is required for advanced searching, music samples, and expanded artist and album information. Registration is free.
Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music provides access to videos, downloads, information about artists, music blogs, and more.
Jazz Music
ChicagoJazz.com
ChicagoJazz.com is the site to visit if you want to find listings of upcoming jazz performances in the Chicago area. Articles, interviews and links to other jazz websites provide some background information on artists and on jazz music in general.
JazzReview.com
Reviews at this site are updated daily. Over two thousand reviews are available and searchable by artist, title, record label, and reviewer name. The site also includes book reviews, interviews, news, photos, biographies, a jazz event calendar, and audio clips of jazz music.
Music Online from Alexander Street Press
Music Online contains hundreds of thousands of musical pieces for listening online. Genres from classical to jazz, from American roots to international music are represented. Liner notes and information on composers are included for most items in the collection. Users who choose to register can save playlists for repeated listening.
Naxos Music Library Jazz
Naxos Music Library Jazz offers over 22,000 tracks of jazz from over 2,300 albums. Over five hundred jazz artists are represented. The catalogs of Naxos Jazz and the 22 labels of Fantasy Jazz are included. Jazz, international jazz, blues, and R & B are included in this varied collection. Stream albums from Albert King to Zoot Sims to your computer with Naxos Jazz.
NPR
Jazz
National Public Radio has compiled an annotated list of good jazz websites that includes links to general sites, jazz organizations, and jazz photographers. Listings of NPR stations that play jazz are provided along with reviews of jazz CDs and books about jazz.
Sheet Music
8Notes.com
8Notes.com contains over 2,000 free pieces of classical, jazz, and traditional sheet music for voice, piano, and other instruments.
Historic American Sheet Music: 1850-1920
Supported by the Library of Congress, this site contains various protest songs, sentimental songs, patriotic and political songs, plantation songs, spirituals, dance music, "tin pan alley" songs, and songs from World War I. To view the sheet music, click on a type of music (such as Civil War songs and music), or choose the link titled "Historic American Sheet Music Timeline: 1850-1920" located halfway down the page.
MusicViva
This site has over 4,000 classical and traditional pieces of sheet music for musical works no longer in copyright. It also links to over seven hundred other web sites that offer sheet music.
Song Lyrics
Leo's Lyrics
A song lyrics database with over 70,000 titles searchable by artist, title, or words within a song.
Lyrics
World
Lyrics World includes lyrics for many top 40 hits from the 1930s to the 1990s. Lyrics can be browsed by artist name or by year or decade of release.
