Music Cataloging at Yale AACR2

Deta went over the pertinent rules for content notes, from AACR2r, the LC Rule Interpretations (LC RIs), and Music Cataloging Decisions (MCDs). (The RIs and MCDs are available to us on the LC DeskTop). This report combines her presented material, her answers to questions asked during her presentation, and my additions of the rules that Deta cited.

Contents can be taken from any source, even other than the item in hand.

Contents notes for scores usually include those contents that actually are music. Accompanying textual material, such as biographical information, performance instructions, and critical report are included in the note for accompanying material (5.7B11).

There are no guidelines in AACR2 as to the order in which contents are listed in the contents note when the order of titles in a table of contents varies from the order in which they physically appear in the item.

Durations

A recording with a single work
For playing time for a recording with a single work, see 1.5B4. Give the duration as stated on the item, using the abbreviations in the appendix of AACR2, in the physical description area (300 field):

hour/hours	= hr.
minute/minutes	= min.
second/seconds	= sec.

Printed vs. actual durations: If there is more accurate information about the durations printed on the recording, container, etc., use it. If the insert says 53 min., 13 sec. and it actually lasts 53 min., 50 sec., use the actual time. However, it's not worth it to actually play the recording to determine if the stated durations are correct.

Examples:
300     1 sound disc (40 min.)
300     1 sound disc (43 min., 23 sec.)
300     1 sound disc (1 hr., 20 min.)

The duration is given in the 300 field only when the disc contains one work; otherwise the total duration is not given in the 300 field.

A recording or score with two or more works or a score with a single work

Duration for a score with a single work
For a score with only one work, give the duration in a note (5XX); not in the physical description (300).

Durations for a recording or score with two or more works
For instructions on transcribing durations for a recording or score with two or more works, see LC RI 6.7B10. Give the durations in a note (5XX) as they appear on the item, as stated above. However, MCD RI 6.7B10 says to express the duration by separating the hours, minutes, and seconds with colons:

For:	use:	not:
40 min.	40:00	40 min.
3 min., 23 sec.	3:23
1 hr., 20 min.	1:20:00
45 sec.	:45	45 sec.

This applies only to note fields (for all scores and for recordings with two or more works). When the duration is in the 300 field (for recordings with one work only), you do not use the colons:

300     1 sound disc (1 hr., 20 min.)

not

300     1 sound disc (1:20:00)

MCD 6.7B10 limits to six the number of durations that are to listed. This is an LC policy only, so we can feel free to include more.

For items with no collective title in the 245 (each work on the disc is included in the 245), put the durations in a separate 500 field.

500     Durations: 6:17; 8:45; 10:21; 12:05.

For items with a collective title in the 245 (each work is included in a 505), include the durations there.

All works by one composer:

505 0   Title (6:17) -- Title (8:45) -- Title (10:21) -- Title (12:05).

Works by various composers:

° One work by each composer (listed in the order in which they appear on the item)
° Duration follows each statement of responsibility:

505 0   Title / composer 1 (6:17) -- Title / composer 2 (8:45) -- Title / composer 3 (10:21) -- Title / composer 4 (12:05).

° One or more works by one or more composers (listed in the order in which they appear on the item)
° Duration follows the statement of responsibility for single titles; durations follow the titles for multiple titles by one composer separated by a semi-colon:

505 0   Title / composer 1 (6:17) -- Title / composer 2 (8:45) -- Title / composer 1 (10:21) -- Title / composer 2 (12:05).

505 0   Title / composer 1 (6:17) -- Title (8:45) ; Title (10:21) / composer 2 -- Title / composer 3 (12:05).

1.1G3 is our guidance here. It says to transcribe the titles of individually titles works in the order in which they appear in the chief source of information. Separate the titles by semicolons if they're by the same composer (nothing new here).

If the works are by different composers, follow the title of each work by its parallel title, other title information, and statement of responsibility. Separate group with a period and ONE space (LC RI 1.0C)

Generally, choose only one source for transcribing title information and do not combine information from more than one source.

Don't use brackets in the contents note, for three reasons:

• 1.7A1: use brackets ONLY for interpolations withing quoted material.
• Contents are transcribed from any single source. Just like transcribing the title proper in the 245 field, take the information from one source only; do not add title information from another source, even if you put it in brackets.
• When the title in the 245 is transcribed from a source other than the chief source, you add a note indicating the source of the title. The contents may be transcribed from any source, but we don't add a note indicating the source. So, adding bracketed information to the contents note doesn't help, because there is no indication of the source of the contents or where the bracketed information came from. If you need to add explanatory information, add it in a general note.

See LC RI 1.0C for punctuation and spacing. Although this is available to us in the LC DeskTop, I will summarize information we would need for content notes:

• Periods and spacing:
  • Add only one space after periods, except for between initials, in which case there is no space.
  • When initials appear without periods, add periods only when it is known for sure that they are initials. If not sure, don't add them:
    • T S Eliot is transcribed as T.S. Eliot
    • RCA is transcribed as RCA not R.C.A.
    • Theme and variation on BACH is transcribed as Theme and variation on B.A.C.H.
• Use dashes between equivalent elements.
• Final punctuation for content notes:

  More than one 505 field:		no final punctuation until the final 505 field
  Complete or partial contents:		use final punctuation
  Tag	Indicator	Possible final punctuation
  505	0	. > " ? ! - --
  505	1	never ADD punctuation
  505	2	. > " ? ! - --
  Brackets and final parentheses are not considered final punctuation, so when final punctuation is required, add a period following a bracket or parenthesis.

• Don't use ampersands in the contents note unless they appear in the source from which you are transcribing the title or statement of responsibility. Don't use ampersands in other note fields.

See 1.1B1 for instructions. This is familiar to us. But, 1.1B4 gives us permission to abridge, and it says we can do so if we include at least the first five words and don't lose crucial information by abridging.

LC RI 2.7B18 says to transcribe the TITLE PROPER that appears in the table of contents, unless another source gives a "more authoritative account of the data."

The title proper would include the title itself and the name or number of a part.

For generic title, also include medium of performance, work or serial number, etc. For distinctive titles, exclude this information. The MCD 2.7B18 doesn't add anything to this. But 5.7B18 says to add to the titles opus numbers if they are necessary to identify the works. I suppose the 518 for performers and instruments or a 500 for form of work and instrumentation is then the only way to include medium of performance for works with distinctive titles.

For multi-part items, give the volume numbering stated on the item. If it's not stated, don't make one up. So, in other words, using [CD 1] and [CD 2] is technically incorrect. Nowhere in the rules, RIs, or MCDs does it say this can be done.

When the term "volume" is used, use the abbreviation Vol. or Vols. at the beginning of a note or preceding a Roman numeral.

Use ISBD punctuation (see 1.0C and RI 1.0C), so that when we have a title and the title of a part, a period, not a colon, separates the title of the whole from the title of the part. (See 1.1B9) The period indicates that what follows is subordinate:

Title. Title of the part

not

Title: Title of the part

Statements of responsibility should be transcribed as they appear. Here we can use brackets to clarify or explain the role of that person. Again, use abbreviations only when they appear in the source, and follow AACR2 App. B. For example, arranger and arranged are both abbreviated as arr.

Title page: Fünfzehn Arien für eine Altstimme aus Kantaten
Table of contents:
Kantate Nr. 22 Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwölfe
Kantate Nr. 30 Freue dich, erlöste Schar
Kantate Nr. 33 Allein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ
Kantate Nr. 34 O ewiges Feuer

505 0  Nr. 22. Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwölfe -- Nr. 30. Freue dich, erlöste Schar -- Nr. 33. Allein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ -- Nr. 34. O ewiges Feuer ...

Use the abbreviation "Nr." because the contents are in German. Don't repeat "Kantate" each time, because it appears in the 245 field. Follow Nr. __ with a period, because the title of a part of a larger work is followed by a period.

Title page: Folk songs in settings by master composers / Herbert Haufrecht ; with a preface by Virgil Thomson.

505 0  English songs -- Irish songs -- Scottish songs -- Welsh songs -- American songs.

OR

505 0  English songs. Title / Name -- Title ; Title ; Title / Name -- Title / Name -- Irish songs. Title / Name -- Title / Name -- Title ; Title / Name -- Scottish songs. Title / Name -- Title / Name -- Title / Name -- Welsh songs. Title ; Title / Name -- Title / Name ...

In the second example here, dashes were used between individual titles rather than semicolons because some of the composers wrote more than one work. Otherwise it could have been:

505 0   English songs. Title / Name ; Title / Name ; Title / Name -- Irish songs. Title / Name ; Title / Name ; Title / Name -- Scottish songs. Title / Name ; Title / Name ; Title / Name ; Title / Name -- Welsh songs. Title / Name -- Title / Name ...

For recitative/aria titles that belong together, use the slash:
Recitative title/aria title

The bottom line:

• Strive for clarity.
• Follow the rules for transcription of titles if the rules for content notes don't suffice.