RISM, short for "Répertoire International des Sources Musicales", is a reference work chronicling the world's musical sources. It was first published between 1960 and 1996, documenting all known surviving music manuscripts and printed music from the Middle Ages to the early 19th century. Synonyms for RISM could include global musical resource index, international music source register, or worldwide music archives. These synonyms embody the same concept of RISM but describe it differently. Some other potential synonyms might be worldwide music reference compendium, global music literature guide or universal source compendium. Together these synonyms capture the comprehensive nature of RISM's work to provide a valuable resource for musicologists and music history enthusiasts alike.