Take Note! Index to Printed Music: Collections and Series database
A new Libraries electronic resource should be music to the ears, and a great boon to the work, of scholars, students, and performers in music studies at Rutgers.
The Index to Printed Music: Collections and Series combines the Index Database, the Bibliography Database and the Names Database into the only electronic database that allows users to find individual pieces of music printed in standard scholarly editions. Because it indexes each individual piece in a collection, it provides superior access for scholars, performers, teachers, and other researchers. Music for specific performing forces is easily retrievable, thus offering detailed repertory for performers, conductors, and directors of ensembles.
The music included is published in sets and series organized by composer (Complete works: Gesamtausgaben), by geographical area (Monuments: Denkmäler), by time or style period, by original source (usually manuscript), and in anthologies.
The Index Database currently contains ca. 135,000 records, with over 20 fields of information: names (composers, poets, librettists, editors); titles and alternate titles; language of text and text incipit; performing forces (medium); identifying numbers (item numbers, opus/thematic catalogue numbers, key); formats (full score, piano vocal score, parts, etc.); language; presence of non-standard clefs; figured bass and how treated; duration of piece (if given in item); genres; musical incipit (if needed for identification); citations for performing editions based on the main work; and RISM source numbers.The Index Database is linked to the Bibliography Database which is searchable by composer, title, and series name and number. Linking the Bibliography and Index records is a standard edition number. From the Bibliography record, this number allows users to view all index entries for a particular title. From an Index record, this number enables users to link to the Bibliography title for quick searching in library catalogues.
The Names Database currently contains around 20,000 names with three times as many cross- references (alternate forms of the names). The names, whether for composer, librettist, poet, or editor, have been established by researching the scholarly literature to determine the most complete form based on the latest published research.
Currently, the Index to Printed Music includes approximately 135,000 index entries. It is expected that the number of index entries will more than double over the next three years.
Users can access the Index to Printed Music: Collections and Series from the frontpage of the Libraries webpage, either through Library Catalog or by following the path: Find > Indexes and Databases > Arts and Humanities > Music.
Posted May 16, 2005