The Music-related indexes and abstracts all have their pluses and minuses.  Pick and choose based on your search

• RILM Abstracts of Music Literature (1967-current)

Abstracts only, no full text, for items from 1967-present.   RILM indexes more scholarly publications and is interdisciplinary in coverage.   Indexes music periodicals, chapters of books, festchrifts and periodicals in related subjects.

Advanced search most useful.  Allows for browsing types of documents, instruments, etc. to add to your search query.

• Music Periodicals Database (Index: Full-Text)

Full text for many--not all--articles. Indexes music periodicals only.  Although there is overlap with RILM Abstracts, tends to cover the less scholarly, more popular titles.

• JSTOR (not an Index but Full Text)

JSTOR is not an index, but may be used to search texts of those 112 music journals that appear in JSTOR.  JSTOR seems like an index for the journals it covers since it can be searched by keyword, but it does not allow you to search by subject.

• RIPM: Retrospective Index to Music Periodicals (RIPM) / RIPM Online Archive of Music Periodicals (Repetoire international de la presse musicale: RIPM) 1800-1950 : INDEX (An Index and Full Text)

1800-1950. RIPM is an international, highly annotated Index database with detailed content analysis of writings on musical history and culture, all provided by internationally-recognized scholars and editors. RIPM currently indexes the contents of 120 music periodicals including articles, reviews, illustrations, music examples, advertisements, press reviews, and more. In addition, RIPM offers more than 5,000 English-language translations of articles from journals in other languages.

Find full-text of articles: 

If the database does not provide the full-text of the article you need:

• Check  Vassar Libraries' Online Catalog  to see if Vassar owns the print.  
• If Vassar does not own the periodical, try Interlibrary loan.