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The Britten Thematic Catalogue

The Britten Thematic Catalogue. NEMLA Fall Meeting 2011 Jonathan Manton Britten-Pears Foundation. Summary of the project.

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The Britten Thematic Catalogue

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  1. The Britten Thematic Catalogue NEMLA Fall Meeting 2011 Jonathan Manton Britten-Pears Foundation

  2. Summary of the project A publicly available, fully integrated online research resource presenting – for the first time – a complete chronological set of individual records spanning Benjamin Britten’s entire compositional output, both published and unpublished, including all juvenilia. Catalogue records will initially include: • Composition details (date, revision, dedicatee, text set, etc) • Brief composition history (for complex works) • Details of manuscript sources • Publishing information • Incipits (in both audio and notation form) • Recording, broadcast and performance histories

  3. Timeline 2005-2009 • 2005: Planning • Decision to create an online thematic catalogue of Britten’s manuscripts in time for the composer’s centenary in 2013 • Application to AHRC with University of East Anglia to fund the project • Award granted for three years • 2006: Project began • Project staff appointed – Dr Lucy Walker (Research Assistant), Jonathan Manton (Cataloger) • 2006-2007: Project scoping • Project aims established • Initial investigation of source materials • Creation of database schema and cataloging system • Decision to dedicate first three years to Britten’s Juvenilia due to the volume of material and lack of previous research • 2007-2009: Juvenilia • Research and cataloging of juvenile manuscript sources • Development of the resource’s technical infrastructure • Typesetting and recording of notation and audio incipits • Beta version released April 2008 – www.brittenproject.org

  4. Timeline 2010-2013 • 2010: Second phase • Britten-Pears Foundation takes over funding of the project following the end of the AHRC grant phase • Staffing change – Dr Lucy Walker (Director of Learning and Development), Jonathan Manton (Technical Support Officer – based in USA), Sarah Nicholls (Cataloger) • 2010-2013: Mature works and technical development • Mature works cataloged • Additional research data integrated • Further incipit preparation • Usability and overall design of the resource • Chronology finalized (all works will eventually bare a BTC number) • 2013: BTC launched

  5. The material Holographs: e.g. -Sketches -Composition drafts -Fair copies Libretto material: e.g. - Typescripts - Handwritten - Annotated text sources TO CATALOG: Non Holograph material: e.g. -Copyists’ manuscripts -Instrumental parts Interim material: e.g. -Dyelines -Proofs

  6. Cataloging structure

  7. Database and Data Entry Tool • Database online delivery process • Online Data Entry Tool to create and populate BTC records

  8. Incipit recording update • Recording projects with a variety of musicians in both the USA and UK • Diller-Quaile School of Music – students and resident string quartet • Birmingham Conservatoire Symphony Orchestra (UK) • BPF staff and visiting musicians to the library • Incipit crowdsourcing tool - http://www.brittenproject.org/incipit-recordings • Further reading: Jonathan Manton , “ ‘Some Quite Nice Little Tunes’: An Overview of the Preparation and Recording of 'Incipits' for the Britten Thematic Catalogue”, Notes 67, no. 2 (December 2010): 249-62

  9. 2010 User Survey • User survey conducted of potential users • Made available for a month via Beta Version • Mailing lists – IAML, MLA, AMS, RMA etc • Students and faculty at selected UK institutions including Kings College, London and Cambridge • 65 Respondents • Survey assessed three principal areas • Content • Usability • Design • Subsequent comparative survey of: • The Aaron Copland Collection (Library of Congress) • Beethoven-Haus Bonn : Digital Archives • Chopin Institute : Works Catalogue

  10. Survey Results - Content • Digitized Manuscript sources to be removed from the resource for now • Current images need to link to a higher resolution copy of each manuscript • Users would prefer to view complete manuscript sources not just the cover page • Analytical tool needed for closer inspection of materials • Survey suggestions not possible at the this stage. Images will therefore be dropped for now • Hopefully added at a later date following a designated digitization project • Traditional length incipits to be added • Survey suggested having both traditional length and extended incipits • Shorter incipits more easily referenced by the researcher

  11. Survey Results - Usability • Browsing • More prominently displayed browse parameters • Additional Genre browse option • More entries per results page • Navigation bar to enable browse results to be narrowed further • Category browse to be added to delineate different groups of works • Searching • Basic keyword search found to be highly effective • First version of advanced search engine now operational but not available to the public

  12. Survey Results - Design • Manuscript source information layout • Remove any archival terminology • Addition of color coding for levels within the cataloging structure • Link to documentation about the cataloging structure on each page • Tagged data • Current use of links to be maintained despite survey • Links should be a color other than blue so as not to be confused with hyperlinks directing the user to a different page

  13. Remaining tasks before 2013 • Finish cataloging manuscript sources including all published works, operas, and film and stage work scores • Finalize the BTC chronology, including all unfinished, unachieved and missing works as well as realizations and arrangements • Create notation incipits for all juvenilia • Record audio incipits for as many unpublished juvenile works as possible • Upload digitized scores and audio extracts for all published works • Add publication, performance and broadcast histories • Include links to upcoming performances and bibliographies for each work

  14. Remaining tasks (cont) • Technical • Finalize the advanced search engine, browse facilities and filtering • Finalize design and overall usability • Ensure alignment with current W3C accessibility guidelines and devise an accessibility statement • Documentation • Background to the project • How to use the BTC • Cataloging and musicological decisions / justification • Plans for the future expansion of the resource

  15. Possible future additions • MEI encoded incipit images to enable thematic searching • Ability to print out, in print-friendly form, 'booklets' of specific groups of works – i.e. a mini catalogue of operas • Ability to interrogate catalogue data to produce graphic illustrations of compositional trends • Integration of other current or future BPF projects detailing: • Correspondence (TEI encoded) • Diary entries (TEI encoded) • Digitized manuscript sources • Photographs • Production materials (costumes, set designs, programs) • Concert programs

  16. Beta Version and Feedback www.brittenproject.org j.manton@brittenpears.org @jonmanton @britten_project

  17. www.brittenpears.org

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