Volume 1, No. 2 - February 1995
Editor: Steve Sundell. With lots of help from Geri Laudati, Ann Marie Rigler, Rebecca Dodson, Tim Noonan, Steve Kurr
Published twice yearly in September and February
Mills Music Library 728 State Street Madison, Wisconsin 53706-1494 (608) 263-1884
The Director's Corner
by Geri Laudati
Director, Mills Music Library
Welcome back. The new semester and indeed the new year promise to
be busy and exciting for Mills. Digital technology and its
opportunities for access to and preservation of information in all
mediums continues to assume a major role in our planning.
With A-R Editions, we are exploring the imaging of musical scores
and manuscripts. The process involves the electronic scanning and
storage of prints and some manuscripts from the Tams-Witmark
Collection into musical character recognition format. The
implications for preservation, study, and performance of old and
fragile materials is impressive. A-R's Tom Hall wrote a program
to read and convert Jerome Kern's handwriting, as present in one of
our manuscripts, into machine readable data. With this data, we
can retrieve a perfect image of the Kern manuscript online, permit
scholars at remote locations to do the same, and, most importantly,
produce a performing edition, parts, or any combination, at a
printer. We will schedule a demonstration of the process at some
point in March or early April.
Along these same lines, the purchase of a Maranz 610 CD-Recorder
has enabled us to begin a program of digitizing and converting
to compact disk the hundreds of vulnerable analog tape recordings in
our special collections. The recordings, many of which preserve
the musical record of the School of Music's history, are in various
states of decay. Our objective is to capture to our best ability
what remains of the sonic content of the tapes. In many instances,
the process is a simple one; in other cases, such as with several
years of WHA's tapes that we archive, the process will include
baking the original tape to stabilize the medium before attempting the
transfer. We will be contacting School of Music faculty during the
year for help in identifying and prioritizing for treatment
ensemble, faculty, and student concerts from the past.
We hope to provide access to the World Wide Web (WWW) at some
public workstations in the near future. Through the Web, Internet
users can access graphic, sound, and image files worldwide. Data
on the WWW is presented in hypertext format; by clicking on
highlighted texts or images, a user is easily guided from one
information source to another. We hope to have a music library
"home-page" (or starting point) up and running late in the
semester.
In the arena of collection management, we will be studying journal
and serial holdings in order to assess where our collection monies
might best be utilized. Data will be gathered by recording each
use of unbound issues as represented by journals that are picked up
from reading tables and shelving areas each day. Consequently,
we ask that you please DO NOT reshelve current issues of journals you
may consult. Additional information regarding this project and its
ramifications will be forthcoming through the Music Library
Committee.
Despite these and other special projects, our first priority
continues to be providing exemplary service to you and all library
clientele. We welcome your suggestions, comments, questions,
complaints, and input. We take compliments too.
On behalf of myself and the staff, I extend to you our best wishes
for a healthy, happy, and productive 1995. We hope to see you
often.
Music Index Revisited
In the previous issue of the Jongleur, it was noted that Music
Index would soon be accessible online through the Journal and
Information Databases pick on the campus Electronic Library menu.
This has indeed happened. Now there are additional changes
regarding Music Index of which you should be aware.
First of all, Music Index online has a new look and feel. The
software has been revised and the coverage expanded to include
1981-1991. Those of you who have attended workshops on Music Index
may want to consider attending a refresher this semester in order
to get a guided tour of the latest version. Times and place are
announced on s page 4.
Secondly, the library subscription to the monthly paper update of
Music Index has been canceled effective with the receipt of issues
indexing calender year 1994. These issues typically run about nine
months behind the publication being indexed. The Music Library
will, however, continue to purchase the yearly cumulations. The
most recent cumulation covers 1992.
For access to current music journal articles, search UnCover. It,
too, is a pick on the Journal and Information Databases. For an
overview of music coverage in UnCover, see the September 1994 issue
of the Jongleur or ask a library staff member for assistance.
Locating Articles about Music in non-music databases
Searching for journal articles about music usually means an initial
stop at Music Index. However, Music Index needn't be the only
resource for locating information about music and musicians. While
UnCover helps to minimize Music Index's shortcomings for current
coverage, a number of other indexing sources embrace a surprisingly
large amount of information on music, often with articles dating
back to the early 1980s.
Below are listed a number of such databases. All of these are
readily accessible through the Journal and Information Databases
pick on the Electronic Library Main Menu. A brief description of
each database is provided as well as the results of some sample
searches.
Art Index 1984 - to date (updated monthly)
The Art Index indexes 223 key English and foreign-language
periodicals, yearbooks, and museum bulletins. Its subject matter
covers archaeology, architecture, art history, city planning,
crafts, films, graphic arts, industrial and interior design,
landscape architecture, museology, and photography. Feature
articles are indexed, as are bibliographies, interviews, motion
picture reviews, book reviews, and more. There are no abstracts.
Searches like MadCat.
sample searches:
term hits
music 1075
opera 531
design and music 45
Glass, Philip 14
Arts & Humanities Citation Index 1980 - date (updated quarterly)
Arts & Humanities Citation Index is a multidisciplinary index to
over 1100 journals spanning twenty-five disciplines. Every item of
significance is listed: articles, reviews, letters, notes,
corrections, and editorials. In addition to access by author,
title, and institution, it is also possible to search by first
cited author and to find articles sharing one or more cited
references.
sample searches: (from January to August 1994 only)
term hits
music 1096
opera 432
music and education 19
Solomon,-M (cited author) 12
Biography Index 1984 - to date (updated monthly)
Biography Index lists sources of biographical profiles of current
and historical people from every field. Sources include over 3000
periodicals, 2000 books, and other printed materials. Entries
include names, birth and death dates, nationality, profession, and
bibliographic citations for each source. There are no abstracts.
Searches like MadCat.
sample searches:
term hits
Elvis 145
Mozart 91
Bartoli, Cecilia 15
blues and music 12
Education Index 1983 - to date (updated montly)
Education Index indexes 349 English-language periodicals,
yearbooks, and selected monographic series. It covers all levels
of education. Feature articles are indexed, as are important
editorials and letters to the editor, interviews, reviews of
educational films, and software and book reviews. There are no
abstracts. Searches like MadCat.
sample searches:
term hits
music 5676
music and bands 209
choral 79
music and instruction 78
Humanities Index 1984 - to date (updated monthly)
The Humanities Index indexes 345 English- language periodicals.
Its subject matter covers archaeology and classical studies, art,
film, folklore, history, journalism, linguistics, literature,
music, performing arts, philosophy, religion, and theology.
Feature articles are indexed, as are interviews, obituaries,
bibliographies, and reviews of plays, operas, ballets, dance,
musicals, movies, television and radio. There are no abstracts.
Searches like MadCat.
sample searches:
term hits
music 6277
music and philosophy 309
music and Africa 26
music and gender 24
Readers' Guide Abstracts 1983 - to date (updated monthly)
Readers' Guide Abstracts indexes and abstracts 202 general interest
periodicals. Its subject matter covers news and current events in
politics, business, science, education, religion, the arts, foreign
affairs, sports and hobbies, and more. Feature articles are
indexed and abstracted, as are speeches, obituaries, and reviews.
Searches like MadCat.
sample searches:
term hits
music 22484
jazz 5434
pianists 167
music and drugs 147
Historical Abstracts 1982 - date (updated triannually)
Historical Abstracts indexes and abstracts information in world
history and the related social sciences and humanities, excluding
the U.S. and Canada. It includes articles from approximately 2100
periodicals published in ninety countries and forty languages.
Collections of essays, conference papers, dissertations, and books
are also included.
sample searches:
term hits
music 2252
opera 599
song 357
music and renaissance 56
.
Library Workshops
of interest to musicians
Arts & Humanities and Social Science Citation Indexes
Thursday, Jan. 26, 3:30 - 5:00
Wednesday, March 1, 6:00 - 7:30
Room 362 Memorial Library
Internet Music Resources
Wednesday, February 15, 3:30 - 5:00
Monday, February 27, 3:30 - 5:00
Room 362 Memorial Library
Music Databases: Music Index, Muse (includes RILM), and Musical
Sound Recordings
Tuesday, February 21, 10:00 - 11:30
Thursday, March 9, 3:00 - 4:30
Music Library Seminar Room
MadCat
Introductory Workshops
Wednesday, January 25, 3:00 - 4:00
MadCat for Windows
College Library or Steenbock Library
Thursday, January 26, noon - 1:00
Memorial Library
Wednesday, February 1, 3:00 - 4:00
MadCat for Windows
College Library
Thursday, February 2, 4:00 - 5:00
Steenbock Library
Monday, February 6
1:00 - 2:00 Steenbock Library
3:30 - 4:30 Memorial Library
Wednesday, February 8, 3:00 - 4:00
College Library
MadCat
Advanced Workshops
Friday, January 27, 8:45 - 9:45
Wendt Library
Wednesday, March 29, 3:30 - 4:30
Memorial Library
Mills Miscellany
Summer Study
The January/February issue of Strings has an extensive listing of
upcoming summer music study opportunities. Featured in the
article's introduction is an enthusiastic description of Madison's
own "National String Workshop."
The Instrumentalist magazine annually provides its "Summer Camp
Directory" in the March issue.
Also, tucked away next to the Music Library's New Book shelves
are two black boxes containing flyers about upcoming
conferences, festivals, competitions, and summer camps of interest
to musicians. The mail brings more of these than the bulletin
board can accommodate, but we've tried to gather them in one
location for your convenience.
Open Return
Beginning this semester, library users may return UW-Madison books
to a campus library other than the one from which they were
borrowed. Twenty-five libraries are participating in the new "open
return" program. Although the books may be returned to any
participating library, borrowers remain responsible for returning
them on time
Some types of materials must still be returned to the library from
which they were borrowed, including Reserve materials, sound
recordings, videotapes, journals, and materials with loan periods
of seven days or less.
For additional information on the program, contact Ed Van Gemert,
166C Memorial Library; phone 262-0950, or email:
vangem@macc.wisc.edu.
Farewell, Lynn
With a mingling of sadness and felicitations we note the
resignation of Lynn Gullickson from her position as Head of Music
Technical Services. We are happy, of course, that she is
progressing in her career as she becomes the Head of the Art and
Music Library at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls.
On the other hand, we are saddened to lose a cherished colleague
and dedicated librarian. We wish her happiness and bon apptit in
this transition from cheese to corn.
Music Library Hours
Stacks
January 3 - May 7
Regular Hours:
Mon-Thur 8:00 am - 10:00 pm
Fri 8:00 am - 6:00 pm
Sat 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Sun 1:00 pm - 10:00 pm
March 11 - March 18 (Spring Break)
Interim Hours:
Mon - Fri 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Sat - Sun CLOSED
March 19 1:00 pm - 10:00 pm
April 14 8:00 am - 11:45 am
April 15 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
April 16 CLOSED
May 8 - May 18
Extended Hours:
Mon - Sun 8:00 am - 10:00 pm
May 19 - June 18
Interim Hours:
Mon - Fri 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Sat - Sun CLOSED
Audio Facility/Reserves
January 23 - May 7
Regular Hours:
Mon - Thurs 8:30 am - 9:45 pm
Fri 8:30 am - 5:45 pm
Sat 10:00 am - 5:45 pm
Sun 1:00 pm - 9:45 pm
March 11 - March 18 (Spring Break)
Interim Hours: subject to change
Mon - Fri 12:00 pm - 4:45 pm
Sat - Sun CLOSED
March 19 1:00 pm - 9:45 pm
April 14 8:30 am - 11:30 am April 15
10:00 am - 5:45 pm
April 16 CLOSED
May 8 - May 18
Extended Hours:
Mon - Sun 8:00 am - 9:45 pm
May 19 - June 18
Interim Hours:
Mon - Fri 12:00 pm - 4:45 pm Sat -
Sun CLOSED
by Rebecca Dodson
The Curtiss Blake Collection of horn recordings, representing
approximately 9,000 musical works featuring the horn in a solo or
chamber ensemble medium, is currently housed in Mills Music
Library at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 1988, the
library was awarded a grant with which to purchase
approximately 4,000 items mostly LPs, with some compact discs, 78s, and cassettes. At
this time, the library has catalogued 2,000 items, thus making them available for
study.
This article will provide something of the history of the
collection, Mr. Blake's vision for the material, a brief
description of how the items have been organized in Mills Music
Library, and instructions for the use of the Blake Collection by
students, scholars, and other friends of the horn worldwide.
Curtiss Blake began purchasing horn recordings in 1958 when he
enrolled at Augsburg College. Hampered by a student's budget, he
accumulated material rather sporadically until he began his
studies at the University of Minnesota (1962-1970). Inspired by
the university library's holdings of composers' complete works
and other resources, Mr. Blake began to seek out recordings of
the many new works to which he was being introduced. In 1971,
after finishing a composition degree at the university, Mr.
Blake moved to Alaska where he began to build his collection in
earnest. Presently he deals with between thirty and forty
auction, or set-price, dealers, each of which sends him
catalogues from which he selects out-of-print or unusual items
appropriate to the focus of the collection. In addition, he also
deals with a similar number of current-issue recording dealers.
As a member of the Association of Recorded Sound Collectors
(ARSC), Mr. Blake is in constant contact with many others who
share his interest in recording collections.
Mills Music Library has continued to purchase material from Mr.
Blake, and as the collection grows, so does its value as a tool
for research and study. The complete collection now numbers over
6,000 recordings. Approximately 15,000 titles appear in Blake's
discography, and over ninety percent of the items from this
collector's discographic wish list has been acquired. From the
outset, Mr. Blake intended for the collection to be a part of a
library's holdings. Since the spark for collecting began in such
a setting it seems only fitting that it should ultimately enhance
a similar one. Mr. Blake feels that by placing the material in a
forum for public use, he is part of a continuum which extends
into the past and into the future from the great libraries of
ancient civilizations to the unfolding lives and careers of
today's students of the horn. Mr. Blake hopes to devote more time
to collecting since he has recently retired from twenty-two years
of public school teaching in the Anchorage School District. Mr.
Blake's musical interests and abilities extend to other areas
beyond that of hom performance. He is also an established
composer and arranger in both instrumental and vocal media. He
describes himself as "a great fan of all people who are
interested in expanding their knowledge" and "especially a fan of
hom players."
With an understanding of Mr. Blake's vision, one can better
appreciate the value of his collection. It contains many rare and
unusual recordings, such as the Karen Khachaturian Trio for Hom,
Violin, and Piano featuring Boris Afanasiev (Melodiya C10 19903)
and selections performed by the London Wind Quintet featuring
Alfred (A. E.) Brain produced by Edison Bell in 1921-1922 (EB
3476), as well as numerous more common recordings of standard
works from the horn repertoire. While the value of the former is
immediately apparent, that of the latter, while perhaps not as
obvious, is equally great. For example, there are currently
thirty-nine recordings of the Brandenburg Concertos which have
been fully catalogued. It is possible to listen to a wide range
of interpretations, spanning over fifty years and at least nine
countries. These include the 1935 performance by the Busch
Chamber Players under the direction of Adolf Busch and featuring
homists Aubrey Brain and Francis Bradley (Columbia LX 436) as
well as an electronically realized version entitled Switched on
Brandenburgs (1980). This variety of material, featuring
performances from the mid-thirties to the present, provides a
valuable tool for performance practice study. In addition, one is
able to hear musicians from many different parts of the world
playing the same piece, allowing for a direct comparison of
style, interpretation, and sound preference.
It is important to note that the value of the collection extends
beyond the world of the hom and its students.
Although the collection was originally conceived to feature the
horn as a solo instrument (concerto, sonata, etc.), it has been
expanded to include the hom in chamber music, jazz, and
occasionally popular idioms. Orchestral works which feature the
horn are also included (for example Mendelssohn's Midsummer
Night's Dream). A survey of the use of the collection in Mills
shows that faculty and students from many areas are finding the
collection useful. Accessibility to all who are interested has
been a goal toward which both Mr. Blake and Mills Music Library
have been striving.
The Blake Collection is being catalogued in machine-readable
format according to the standards described in the second edition
of Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules (AACR2). Those items which do
not have a record in OCLC (Online Computer Library Center, Inc.),
an intemational bibliographic utility, are given one. Those items
which have only minimal bibliographic records, or which contain
errors (such as those recordings which were discovered to feature
Herbert Baumann and Ifor Jones!) are corrected and enhanced. As a
result, anyone who searches for these recordings using OCLC will
find the accurate and complete cataloguing which such a
collection deserves. Once this material is downloaded into the
University of Wisconsin's electronic library catalog, it is
available for searching not only by persons in the library
itself, but by anyone with access to the Internet. Library
connections via TELNET exist worldwide, and allow access to a
seemingly endless store of information. To access the University
of Wisconsin library catalog, type the following command from a
TELNET prompt:
TELNET NLS.ADP.WISC.EDU
When prompted for terminal type, press [RETURN]. From this
point, follow the on-screen instructions to enter the Madison
catalog. Once this has been accomplished, one can call up a
screen of instructions to aid in searching. It is possible to
view a list of all materials in the collection which have been
fully catalogued to date by entering the command:
se Blake collection [RETURN]
then:
d 1-2000 list [RETURN]
It is also possible to limit your search to include only those
items which feature a particular artist, composer, or both:
se Blake collection and au Mozart and au Brain
The result of this search will be all of those items in the
collection written by Mozart and performed by Brain (or vice
versa).
The materials in the Blake Collection do not circulate, and
therefore must be used in Mills Music Library. However, the
bibliographic information which is now online can also be a
valuable resource. The acquisition and cataloguing of the Blake
Collection complements a long tradition of horn studies at the
University of Wisconsin. It also brings the vision of Curtiss
Blake to its fullest realization. Any questions or comments about
this collection or how it may be of use to you are welcome.
Please feel free to contact the University of Wisconsin's Mills
Music Library at B162 Memorial Library,728 State Street, Madison,
Wisconsin 53706, (608) 263-1884, or contact me directly by email:
rmdodson@macc.wisc.edu if I can be of any assistance.