EarlyMusicNews.Org

“Ut Orpheus Edizioni is a specialized publishing house, founded in Bologna in 1994 with the purpose both to discover and promote the rich Italian and European musical heritage of the past centuries and to propose itself as a vehicle for the diffusion of the contemporary musical culture.

In the past few years Ut Orpheus has rapidly achieved a relevant place among the leading international publishing houses, gaining the praise of some of the most outstanding representatives of musical culture, and establishing non episodic relations with prestigious performers, musicologists and institutions, among whom Riccardo Muti, the Salzburg Festival, the Ravenna Festival, Christopher Hogwood, Kenneth Gilbert, Hopkinson Smith.

Ut Orpheus publishes the Opera Omnia of Luigi Boccherini, Muzio Clementi, Francesco Geminiani, and the complete editions of Alessandro Scarlatti's keyboard works, Claudio Monteverdi's madrigals and sacred music, Johann Sebastian Bach's lute works. It has recently started an important and innovative project aimed at the critical edition in diplomatic transcription of the Ars Nova codices. Starting from 2007, the journal 'Ad Parnassum', now in its seventh year, was included in the 'Musicology initial list' of the European Reference Index for the Humanities (ERIH). The catalogue gives particular relevance to the music for harp, guitar, recorder and keyboard instruments, as well as to the 20th century repertoire and the new authors, significantly including jazz and ethnic music.

Ut Orpheus Edizioni's catalogue presently houses over 1600 entries and it is distributed worlwide.”

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Added on: Jul 09, 2011 | Hits: 193

“This site was designed... as a primary resource for the serious musician, institution and music lover. Our goal is to provide easy access to performing and study music editions as well as historical, biographical and theoretical monographs (books).

This site lists new book and music titles published world-wide since 1994, and we have also added information on recently published musicological and collected works editions.

We are the oldest established sheet music
and music book dealer
in the Western United States
- - -
For both new and antiquarian material!

Is there a title you can't find? If there is a title you cannot find, please send us an email and we will locate it and advise you on current availability and price.

A book about our founder, Theodore Front: For The Love of Music“

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Added on: Jul 02, 2011 | Hits: 247

“Welcome to J & J Lubrano Music Antiquarians LLC, dealers for over 30 years in rare materials relating to Music and Dance dating from the 15th to the 21st centuries including autograph musical manuscripts and letters of composers; first and early editions of printed music; rare books on music and dance; and original prints, drawings and ephemera relating to music and dance. Our firm has a clientele including private collectors, scholars, and major libraries and museums worldwide.“

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Added on: Jun 01, 2011 | Hits: 414

“Bach in Bombay is about original Indian and Bengale Music mainly for Piano/Harpsichord and Pipe Organ from the 18th century up to present times. Transcription of forgotten music from archives, Performances, Workshops to make it known to the Music lover.“

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Tags: Daniel Laumans

Added on: May 27, 2011 | Hits: 283

Tobi’s archive of Bach, Mozart manuscripts.

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Added on: May 25, 2011 | Hits: 299

“The FTCO provides free public access to a thematic catalogue and database of all the known works of Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583-1643), including works of uncertain or mistaken attribution, along with all their early sources (up to approximately 1800), principal modern editions, and associated literature.

It is a work-in-progress, and may remain so for some time to come. We hope that with ongoing contributions and comments from the international musical and scholarly community, we will continue to improve the comprehensiveness, accuracy, and usefulness of the database.  …”

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Added on: May 24, 2011 | Hits: 259

Did Bach really mean that?  by Colin Booth

“Did Bach Really Mean That? Deceptive Notation in Baroque Keyboard Music is an introduction to some of the most important conventions underlying the notation used by Baroque composers. Without an understanding of these conventions, a modern performer can fall into a literal reading of the score, which can sometimes result in either a partial, or a mistaken interpretation. Such a performance may not only be different from what the composer intended: it may also be simplistic and unexciting.

Colin’s long-standing concern for possible meanings lying beneath the surface of notation, was particularly encouraged by twenty years of teaching by Colin Tilney (at Dartington and at other summer schools) and by discussions with Dr. John Byrt, a passionate advocate of idiomatic rhythmic performance of apparently equal notes.

The book originated in a series of lectures given at Dartington International Summer School. Colin was repeatedly asked by participants, whether the content of the lectures was to be available as a book, and the present volume is the result of a further decade of work to that end. It eventually took the form of a systematic exploration of notational conventions, from the most basic (note-length and touch) through to rhythmic complexities, notational formulae, and certain aspects of ornamentation.

Far from imposing any rules, however, the book can liberate players from a literal dependence upon the score, reveal hidden possibilities within it, and enable performers to get that bit closer to the mindset of Baroque composers themselves. J.S.Bach was and is the most important of these, and Colin’s recording of the Goldberg Variations is not just a personal “take” on this magnificent work, but an audible demonstration of his understanding of certain features of it, as explored in the book. “

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Added on: May 20, 2011 | Hits: 200

“Duquesne University Press, founded in 1927, has a long and rich tradition of scholarly publishing in a variety of subject areas. Over the years, Duquesne’s editorial program has included award-winning titles in literary studies, philosophy, psychology, and religious studies; its early entry into fields such as existentialism and phenomenology long ago cemented its reputation for books that shape and influence serious thought.

In the early 1970s, The American Scholar commented on “the series of high level books on philosophy which Duquesne University Press has issued,” and America magazine wrote: “Duquesne has concentrated on making a contribution in restricted areas. . . . The overall achievement of this relatively small operation has been extraordinary. . . .”

More recently, the Sixteenth Century Journal declared, “For several decades now, Duquesne University Press has been one of our best sources of solid, substantial work in English Renaissance studies. . . .” And the editors of the Ben Jonson Journal have singled out our publications for their overarching high quality, commenting on titles that are “handsome in the ways we have come to expect of books produced by Duquesne University Press,” but noting their “real value [which]lies in impressive content and intelligent design.”

As we continue through our ninth decade in academic publishing, Duquesne University Press titles continue this tradition, representing a continuing commitment to scholarship, innovation, and the sharing of valuable ideas.”

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Added on: May 20, 2011 | Hits: 573

“The Internet Archive is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that was founded to build an Internet library. Its purposes include offering permanent access for researchers, historians, scholars, people with disabilities, and the general public to historical collections that exist in digital format. Founded in 1996 and located in San Francisco, the Archive has been receiving data donations from Alexa Internet and others. In late 1999, the organization started to grow to include more well-rounded collections. Now the Internet Archive includes texts, audio, moving images, and software as well as archived web pages in our collections, and provides specialized services for adaptive reading and information access for the blind and other persons with disabilities.“

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Added on: May 16, 2011 | Hits: 171

“English Lute Manuscripts and Scribes 1530-1630
Book version of a doctoral dissertation by Julia Craig-McFeely, awarded by Oxford in 1993

An examination of the place of the lute in 16th- and 17th-century English Society through a study of the English Lute Manuscripts of the so-called 'Golden Age', including a detailed catalogue of the sources.

Web publication by
Julia Craig-McFeely
Oxford, 2000“

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Added on: Jun 29, 2010 | Hits: 364

“

The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library contains the principal rare books and literary manuscripts of Yale University and serves as a center for research by students, faculty, and other scholars, whether affiliated with Yale or not. Materials do not circulate, but may be used in the Reading Room on the court level after researchers register with the Beinecke.

One of the largest buildings in the world devoted entirely to rare books and manuscripts, the library has room in the central tower for 180,000 volumes and in the underground book stacks for over 600,000 volumes; it now contains about 500,000 volumes and several million manuscripts. Temperature and humidity controls ensure that stored materials are protected for future generations. ..”

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Added on: Jun 29, 2010 | Hits: 211

“Back in the 1970's I was Microfilm Librarian for the Lute Society of America, and the keeper of the largest collection of lute music in the world. Ever since then I have enjoyed copying music from the original sources, fixing andy mistakes I found, and arranging it for cittern, lute/orpharion or ensembles. These days I am particularly interested in wire-strung instruments, and I play mostly English music on orpharions, bandora and cittern. I have enjoyed music I copied from Sarge Gerbode's web site and now inspired by it, I would like to share my music with other musicians. -- Nancy Carlin“

Tags: manuscript

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Added on: Jun 29, 2010 | Hits: 229

Italian motets of the 17th century and other works Edited by Dennis Collins

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Added on: Jun 17, 2010 | Hits: 416

“ Our publishing mission is to seek out and publish compositions by women composers which display the highest level of excellence and musical merit. Because works by women composers have been historically overlooked and undervalued, our hope is to make these gems more widely available for concert performance. Our publishing mission reaches to all centuries including the present day and extends to a wide range of musical forms and genres. ..“

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Added on: Jun 17, 2010 | Hits: 583

“We produce performing Urtext editions of early music, based on original sources. We are constantly adding new titles to our catalogue, but don't worry if you can't find something - let us know and we'll try to produce a new edition for you! ..“

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Added on: Jun 17, 2010 | Hits: 267

“ The Web Library of Seventeenth-Century Music is a service offered by the Society of Seventeenth-Century Music to its members and to the musical community at large. It presents new editions of seventeenth-century compositions that have remained unpublished or that are not available commercially. WLSCM hopes to include editions of all types, from short lute and keyboard pieces to selections from (or even entire) operas and oratorios. When available, sound recordings of these works will accompany the editions.

Editions are selected and reviewed by an Editorial Board of specialists in seventeenth-century music. As such, WLSCM is pioneering the online publication of refereed (peer-reviewed) musical editions. WLSCM invites the submission of additional editions.“

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Added on: Jun 17, 2010 | Hits: 218

Édition Fayard (France)

Added on: Jun 15, 2010 | Hits: 233

“The Bach Cantatas Website (BCW) is a comprehensive site covering all aspects of J.S. Bach's cantatas and his other vocal works. The BCW contains discussions and detailed discographies of each cantata and other vocal works, performers and general topics. The BCW also contains texts and translations, scores, music examples, articles and interviews, and over 6,800 short biographies of performers of Bach's vocal works and players of his keyboard and lute works, as well as of poets & composers associated with Bach. There are also other relevant resources such as the Lutheran church year, database of chorale texts & melodies and their authors, detailed discographies of many Bach's instrumental works (solo keyboard, lute, Art of Fugue, Musical Offering, etc.) and piano transcriptions and their performers, reviews and discussions of Bach’s instrumental works, books and movies on Bach, terms and abbreviations, schedule of concerts of Bach's vocal works, Bach Festivals & Cantata Series, guide to Bach tour, Bach in arts and memorabilia, thousands of links to other relevant resources. The BCW is an international collective project, being compiled from various postings about the subject, most of which have been sent to the Bach Mailing Lists.“

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Added on: May 03, 2010 | Hits: 244

Kenneth Sparr’s site on the Guitar, the Lute and the Early Keyboard

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Added on: Apr 17, 2010 | Hits: 313

“This book is about the instrument which evolved into the bassoon. My original idea was to compile a complete guide to all extant curtals and all known references to their use. This has proved to be an impossible task since not only are new instruments still occasionally found, but also because there are enough references to their use in Spain alone to warrant a whole lifetime researching them all. The chronological and repertoire sections in particular should therefore be regarded as giving representative examples, illustrating the enormous use which was made of these instruments. ..“

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Added on: Apr 17, 2010 | Hits: 349

“There are hundreds of printed and manuscript books of music for plucked-string instruments from the late fifteenth century through the end of the eighteenth century. Most of these sources were written for the lute or guitar; there were also a few books for lesser-known plucked string instruments: the vihuela, cittern, bandora, mandora, and orpharion, as well as instruments related to the lute such as the arch-lute and theorbo. This site concentrates primarily on sources that employ a notational system called "tablature." Sources which can be played on these instruments but are in standard notation (such as those calling for continuo accompaniment) are not generally included.

The list contains basic bibliographical information for as many of these tablatures as I can find. Sources used include various volumes in the Répertoire international des sources musicales (RISM) series, the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (2000), and Howard Mayer Brown's Instrumental Music Printed before 1600: A Bibliography (Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press, 1965). A variety of other sources were used as well, cited in the bibliographies for each entry, and new sources have come to light since the publication of the core bibliographic works.

This remains a work-in-progress, but I felt the inclusion of manuscripts and materials outside the sixteenth century was important enough to warrant a basic list, however incomplete. I currently have a list of prints and manuscripts from the late fifteenth century to 1800 (the RISM series cutoff) and will be completing information for this list and adding it to the page over the next few weeks. Detailed information on the tablatures will only be available from the sources I have studied either first-hand or from copies and will thus take much, much longer (I am beginning with the tablatures c1500). 

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Added on: Apr 16, 2010 | Hits: 475

“Here you will find more than 3000 lute pieces in French tablature in the following formats: Fronimo (ft2 and ft3), from Francesco Tribioli, TAB from Wayne Cripps, midi, and PDF (which you can read using Acrobat Reader). (Why the different formats?).  I apologize to those who prefer other formats, such as Spanish or Italian, but I believe French is the most widely used format, though it is easy to change to another format -- even German tab (not that anyone would really want to do this…)! 

I have collected these pieces over the years from the internet or have entabulated and/or arranged or realized them myself. I have edited all of them and formatted them to fit nicely on US letter size paper (8.5 x 11 in), though some are formatted for US legal size (8.5 x 14 in). I have not formatted any for A4, as life is too short.  ..“

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Added on: Mar 30, 2010 | Hits: 360

Why I give away Free Tablature and Free Music I am hoping it's sort of like a drug addiction. You play the free tune, think it's sort of nice maybe, and then dismiss it. But then a while later, you find yourself humming a tune, and can't figure out what it is. You finally figure out it's something I wrote, then you play it more and more often, as you get better at it, you become addicted, you need more. You are then forced to send me money for new pieces to supply your new habit. You start to come to the page every week hoping to see new tunes. It's all an insidious plot.

Website by Allan Alexander.

Tags: lute, mandolin, guitar, GuitarAndLute.com

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Added on: Feb 15, 2010 | Hits: 334

“The collection of 3,421 items was donated in 1969 by New York rare book dealer Hans P. Kraus. It consists primarily of texts of Italian opera, but also includes Italian cantatas, serenatas, oratorios, dialogues and Passions. Dating from the seventeenth through the twentieth century, the collection documents musical performances by Italian, French, German and Austrian composers given mostly in Italian cities, but also in Vienna and elsewhere.

The earliest item in the collection is the libretto by Ottavio Rinuccini for "La Dafne," performed in 1598, published in Florence in 1600, and generally considered to be the first opera. Also included is the first edition of Rinuccini's "L'Euridice," produced in Florence in 1600 for the marriage of Henry IV of France and Maria de' Medici, and the earliest opera for which the music survives.

Noted librettists represented in the collection in addition to Rinuccini are Apostolo Zeno, Pietro Metastasio, and Arrigo Boito. Composers include Giuseppe Verdi, Domenico Cimarosa, Giovanni Paisiello, Gaetano Donizetti, and Gioacchino Rossini.“

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Tags: opera, libretti, libretto

Added on: Jan 18, 2010 | Hits: 365

“In Japan, there are many unavailable collections of musical sources (musical notes, books on music, etc.). Of primary consideration is the Nanki Music Library, founded by Marquis Yorisada Tokugawa (1892-1954) in Azabu-Iikura, Tokyo in 1918, which includes autographs of Beethoven, Liszt, and other composers. The Nanki Music Library was the first public musical library in Japan and actively collected many rare musical sources from throughout the world, such as the bibliotheca of William Hayman Cummings (1831-1915), a British music educator. The Library was closed to the public in 1931 due to financial difficulty of the Tokugawa family; nevertheless, international attention has remained focused on the collection.

This project aims to design and create digital content materials from such sources with the expert assistance of digital archivists at the studio of the Research Institute for Digital Media and Content (DMC), Keio University. The digitized musical contents will be distributed internationally, and will enhance Japan’s contribution to music in the future. Emphasis in the digitization process is both on the applicability of the collections’ structure to other musical archives and its potential for use in the development of new educational materials. ..”

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Added on: Jan 08, 2010 | Hits: 311