Re: Cataloguing Jewish music

[Joel Bresler <jbresler...>]

Hi, Paul.

I too would be interested in this developing thread.

If the ultimate goal of this work is a web-based catalog, why not include 
30 second samples of each cut so users can get a true sense of the content? 
Of course, it will take longer to do this, and it doesn't substitute for 
the record itself. But it would be a tremendous service.

Thanks,

Joel

At 09:33 AM 3/6/01 +0000, you wrote:
>Dear library colleagues
>
>I am assisting in the setting up of the new library at the Jewish Music
>Institute in London. In my professional capacity I have had a lot of
>experience in cataloguing 'classical' music to AACR standards, but haven't
>really tackled many of the interesting problems associated with cataloguing
>Jewish music.
>
>I would be very interested to hear from any other librarians on the list
>with this sort of experience, to discuss how you have approached some of
>the inherent problems. Unless you feel that this discussion would be of
>general interest, it would perhaps be better to contact me off-list.
>
>Occupying my attention in particular at the moment is the formulation of
>uniform titles for conventional forms in printed music transcriptions. For
>example, a volume containing several works titled 'Freylekh' (or variants
>therof). If a distinctive title has at some stage been applied to a
>particular freylekh, then this could be used as a distinguishing soubriquet
>- but if there is none? I wouldn't feel comfortable in quoting the key as
>written (except in the descriptive part of the entry), since a) there is no
>guarantee that this is the original key and b) this is almost certainly a
>transcription of a piece of music with an aural, rather than a
>composed/notated history. Typically there is a numbered sequence of the
>form in many collections (eg the Russian shers in the Stacy Phillips
>Klezmer Collection) but this is merely a handy means of differentiation by
>the publisher. Is there any other approach save to surrender and use the UT
>'Freylekh', with as much about the provenance as possible in the
>descriptive part of the entry?
>
>I would be really interested - and grateful-  to hear how any of you have
>tackled these problems. Also, is your catalogue - or any other
>professionally produced catalogue of Jewish music - accessible on the
>Internet?
>
>Paul Holden
>Formerly Senior Librarian
>Guildhall School of Music & Drama, London
>
>



Joel Bresler
250 E. Emerson Rd.
Lexington, MA 02420 USA

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