In Primo or Worldcat, search for the person's name in the subject field and the word "biography."
![Subject contains Vivaldi, Antonio 1678-1741 biography](//libapps.s3.amazonaws.com/accounts/107728/images/vivaldi.jpg)
For big-picture histories of a topic, simply combine the keyword with "history"
![subject contains piano history](//libapps.s3.amazonaws.com/accounts/107728/images/piano.jpg)
But some texts cover a distinct period rather than the overall history, and the subject heading will reflect that focus.
![subect contains jazz 1931-1940](//libapps.s3.amazonaws.com/accounts/107728/images/jazz.jpg)