THE MUSIC GENRE/FORM PROJECT: ISSUES AND SOME SOLUTIONS

1. THE MUSIC GENRE/FORM PROJECT: ISSUES AND SOME SOLUTIONS For the Authority Control Interest Group, LITA/ALCTS, June 27, 2010 by Geraldine Ostrove Library of Congress Policy and Standards Division gost@loc.gov

2. Main topics • Background • Facets • Carrier terms • Medium of performance • Interrelationships between the thesaurus and some other aspects of cataloging • Some additional vocabulary issues

3. Background • All music vocabulary is already in LCSH • Some aspects of project unique to music • Some aspects can be generalized • Principles of vocabulary formulation • Inter-relationships between the thesaurus, LCSH, and other controlled vocabularies • Treatment of carrier terms • Headings with language qualifiers

4. Future broad issues • Place as related to resources • Time period

5. Major aspects of the music project • Taking up first: terms assigned to musical works • Collaboration between • LC Music Genre/Form Project Group • Music Library Association Bibliographic Control Committee Genre/Form Task Force

6. Agreed by LC and MLA so far • List of 1,000+ terms for the thesaurus • LCSH headings that should not go in the thesaurus, most of which to be cancelled • Headings containing only medium of performance terms Hurdy-gurdy and viol music Quartets (Piano, flute, oboe, bassoon) Guitars (2) with jazz ensemble

7. Agreed by LC and MLA so far • LCSH headings that should not go in the thesaurus …(continued) • Headings with a genre/form term in them: deconstruct 150 $a Double bass music (Bluegrass) double bass → medium facet bluegrass →155 $a Bluegrass music 150 $a Harp music (Ragtime) harp → medium facet ragtime →155 $a Ragtime music

8. Agreed by LC and MLA so far • LCSH headings for musical settings for individual Psalms, e.g., 150 $a Psalms (Music) $v 23rd Psalm • Cancel • Use Psalms (Music) and add access point for text of the Psalm, e.g., 155 $a Psalms (Music) 730 $a Bible. $p O.T. $p Psalms XXIII

9. Agreed by LC and MLA so far • Musical format subdivisions can no longer occupy a secondary position, but will have to be headings, e.g., $v Scores and parts $v Vocal scores with organ • A new place in bibliographic records will have to be found for medium of performance.

10. Agreed by LC and MLA so far • Genre/form headings qualified by language • RDA libraries won’t need these: language elsewhere in the bibliographic record • RDA libraries can use heading alone LC is doing some LCSH clean-up as we go along.

11. Facets • Whose definition are we using? • What does each of us mean by that term? • What should we be applying faceting to? • Don’t we need to agree about the answers to these questions if we will use the terms “facets” and “facetting”?

12. “Facet” as used here • Applies only to very broad categories • The genre/form thesaurus (vocabulary for what library materials are) • LCSH (vocabulary for what library materials are about) • Names of creators of resources • Time period a resource covers or comes from • Etc.

13. “Hierarchies” in the Thesaurus • The various main categories of terms • Reflect the pragmatic deployment of terms into useful broad categories that reflect the primary relationships of the terms to each other • A term can belong to more than one hierarchy

14. Carrier terms • AACR2: content vs. carrier • Often refers to physical format of a resource • RDA: terms for “extent” (“carrier” is used differently) • FRBR: applies to manifestations and items

15. Do carrier terms belong in the thesaurus? • PSD: limit the thesaurus to FRBR “work” and “expression” terms • Gather relevant vocabulary from various sources • LCSH • RDA (“extent” terms) • Other controlled vocabularies • Terms commonly used • Review how carrier terms are used

16. Carrier terms • Component of some complex terms coming into LCSH as 155 headings, e.g., Televised operas “televised” = television is the carrier “operas” = the genre of the work

17. Carrier for musical works • In LCSH, has never been part of the main heading • Appears elsewhere • General Material Designation (GMD) • Physical description • Form subdivision for musical format • Music headings can be assigned to all kinds of resources, whatever the carrier

18. Vocabulary related to carriers • Model: Televised operas • Leads for music to compound terms • Notated salsas • Recorded sonatas • Model: Operas • Assigned to sound recordings: Operas • Assigned to moving images: Operas • Assigned to written music: Operas--Scores

19. Medium of performance • Vocabulary that doesn’t belong in the thesaurus • More important than genre, form, type or style • Some music resources won’t have a genre/form term assigned • Some searchers mainly interested in medium and don’t care about genre, etc.

20. Medium of performance • LCSH headings with medium can be deconstructed • Medium → medium facet • Genre (if applicable) → thesaurus • Rethink what we want in medium statements • No longer linear • No more restrictions on vocabulary

21. New possibilities for medium statements • Example 1 382 $a string quartet 382 $a 2 violins, viola, cello • Example 2 382 $a voices, orchestra 382 $a SATB (soloists), SATB (chorus), 2 oboes, 2 trumpets, timpani, strings, continuo • Example 3 382 $a gamelan degung 382 $a gong, jengglong, bonang, cempres, peking, kendang, suling, degung

22. Medium terms as controlled vocabulary • Will probably reside in LCSH • Already in LCSH • Names of instruments • Families of instruments • Types of performance ensembles • Terms for vocal mediums • Non-musical objects used in musical works • Need entry vocabulary, syndetic structure

23. Medium, genre and topic Piano music LCSH • Genre/form: Music for solo piano • Topic: Piano music—History and criticism • Topic: Piano music—Bibliography Thesaurus environment • Medium of performance facet: “piano” • Topic: Piano music (LCSH) • Topic: Piano music (LCSH) + Genre: Bibliography

24. Medium, genre and topic String quintets (Violins (2), violas (2), violoncello) LCSH • Genre: music for these 5 instruments • Topic: String quintets (Violins (2), violas (2), violoncello)—Analysis, appreciation Thesaurus environment • Medium of performance facet: 2 violins, 2 violas, cello • Topic (LCSH): String quintets—Analysis, appreciation

25. Other vocabulary issues • Alignment of vocabulary in the thesaurus with RDA • Aboutness in musical works • Reconciling different syntaxes for similar concepts • Topical look-alikes

26. Alignment of vocabulary in the thesaurus with RDA • Comes up in 2 areas: • Carrier terms/extent terms • Type of musical notation • Chord diagrams • Graphic notation • Letter notation • Number notation • Organ tablature • Staff notation

27. Aboutness in music • Musical works can be about something • Stage works with libretto or story • Religious and ritual music set to certain texts • Texts of songs • There may be a suitable form/genre term • Drinking songs • Funeral music • If not, use a form subdivision for music

28. Form subdivisions that show a resource is music $v Drama → 155 $a Operas 155 $a Musicals $v Hymns → 155 $a Hymns $v Instrumental settings → ? $v Methods → 155 $a Methods (Music) $v Music → ? $v Musical settings → ? $v Songs and music → ? $v Studies and 155 $a Studies and exercises → exercises (Music)

29. Same concept, different syntax • LCSH Literature heading 150 $a Ballads, American Music heading 150 $a Ballads, English $z United States • Thesaurus: 155 $a Ballads

30. Same concept, different syntax • LCSH Literature heading 150 $a Ballads, American Music heading 150 $a Ballads, English $z United States $v Texts • Thesaurus: Literature heading 155 $a Ballads Music headings 155 $a Ballads 155 $a Folk song texts

31. Terms used topically for which there are music resources • Ear training • Harmonics (Music) • Multiphonics • Rehearsals (Music) • Triads (Music)

32. Retain as topical term only • Absolute music • Avant-garde (Music) • Consonance (Music) • Cyclic form (Music) • Expressionism (Music) • Musical accentuation • Neoromanticism (Music)

33. The Music Genre/Form Project Thank you.