This document lists the additions or changes to the list of Types of compositions for use in music uniform titles, the Final report of the Working Group on Types of Compositions. Additions or changes to existing entries are added in bold blue. Deletions are struck out bold. New entries are in plain, black type.

Use of "double," "triple," etc. in titles of musical works
Submitting terms for consideration
Diacritics

• These two letters should have a ligature over them.
• These letters should have a ligature over them.
• These two letters should have a ligature over them.
• There should be a miagkii znak (not available as an image) at the apostrophe (representing the miagkii znak) from which this is linked. The miagkii znak occupies a space rather than appearing over a letter. A miagkii znak can appear in the following languages appearing in this document:
       ° Russian

" ... it would be a mistake to try to draw any hard and fast conclusions about the treatment of words like "double," "triple," etc. in titles of musical works, since they may have various meanings. In the case of "double concertos," etc., we felt the need for a Music Cataloging Decision because in the past honest differences of opinion had led to inconsistent results. Those who feel that "Double concerto" should not be treated as distinctive argue that "double" implies medium of performance and hence should be omitted from the initial title element under 25.28A, while the majority feel that this is stretching the meaning of "statement of medium of performance" too far. These differences of opinion still exist, but now that we have agreed on a policy and stated it in an MCD we may expect to have more consistency... Titles like "Double quartet" present a rather different situation. Ordinarily a double concerto is indeed a type of concerto, but a double quartet is not a quartet but an octet. Therefore we have never hesitated to treat such titles as distinctive. On the other hand, we seem to have been consistent in treating "Double fugue" as the name of a type of composition... Obviously "double" has an entirely different meaning in this case, one which has no medium-of-performance implications at all. Hence none of us seem to have given serious consideration to treating "double fugue" as distinctive. These different uses of the words "double," "triple," etc., really have little relation to one another, and it would be a mistake, I believe, to try to make any general statement about the use of such words in uniform titles..."

Communication from Richard Hunter, Mar. 7, 1991; used with permission. This represents Richard Hunter's personal opinion and is not an official Library of Congress statement.

Do you have a term or title that is being treated inconsistently or about which you are uncertain? Feel free to submit new terms or titles for consideration to Michelle Koth or US mail (Yale Music Library, PO Box 208240, New Haven, CT 06520-8240). Any supporting citations or documentation you can provide will be appreciated.

Alleluia

DISTINCTIVE

Alleluja

DISTINCTIVE

Alleluya

DISTINCTIVE; LCCN 95-750144

Basdans

(Russian); use Basse danse

Bassa danza

(Italian); use Basse danse

Bassadanza

(Italian); use Basse danse

Basse danse

TYPE (English, French, Spanish); the principal court dance during the late Middle Ages and Renaissance; use for bassa danza, bassadanza, basdans.

Boree

(English); use Bourrée.

Bourrée/Bourrées

TYPE (English, French, German, Italian, Spanish); use for boree, burre. LCNAF n94-111318

Boutade

TYPE (French); 18th-century term for a dance or whole ballet in a fanciful and playful style; the name given to an improvised piece of instrumental music, which, if written down, would have been given the title caprice or fantaisie; use for butada. LCCN no98-55664

Burre

(Russian); use Bourrée.

Butada

(Russian); use Boutade.

Chamber sonata

DISTINCTIVE (English)

Chorale prelude/Chorale preludes

TYPE (English); use this form when it is the composer's original title; apply 25.30B1a: do not add a statement of medium of performance if the medium is implied by the title. Implied medium: organ; see also Choralvorspiel, Prélude de choral. LCNAF 95-70817

Choralvorspiel/Choralvorspiele

TYPE (German); use this form when it is the composer's original title; apply 25.30B1a: do not add a statement of medium of performance if the medium is implied by the title. Implied medium: organ; see also chorale prelude, Prélude de choral. LCNAF 88-642589

Cortège

Type (English, French) LCCN 96-703525

Cuadrilla

(Spanish); use quadrille

Decimino

(Italian); use dixtuor

Detsimet

(Russian); use dixtuor

Dezett

(German); use dixtuor

Dixtuor

TYPE (English, French); a work for ten players; use for decimino, detsimet, Dezett. LCCN 99-389112

Add links to a section in the preface that would elaborate on when "double" makes a term distinctive (e.g., Double concerto) and when it refers to a compositional technique (e.g., double fugue):

Dopplequartett
Double concerto
Double fugue
Double quartet
Doppelquartett

Duettino/DuettiniDuettinos

TYPE (Italian); diminutive of duetto; a short and/or concise vocal or instrumental duet; Use the plural form Duettini when it appears as 1) part of a heading including another type (e.g., Soli e duettini, guitars (2) (MDAR no98-45667)) or as 2) a distinctive title for what are actually trios (n96-22971). LCNAF 87-130822 LCNAF n97-58509

Dumka/Dumkas

TYPE (English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish); a type of Ukrainain folk music whose name was adopted in Slavonic countries in the 19th century as a term for a sung lament and later as an instrumental piece. LCCN 89-751432

Dumky

(English); plural form of dumka; use dumkas.

Ejercicio/Ejercicios

DISTINCTIVE TYPE (Spanish) LCCN 86-752547

Esercizio/Esercizi

DISTINCTIVE (Italian) LCCN 93-700894
TYPE (Italian); treat as a type of composition when the term is used to mean "study," "etude," etc. LCNAF n97-95126

Exercise/Exercises

DISTINCTIVE TYPE (English); treat as a type of composition when the term is used to mean "study," "etude," etc. LCCN 96-706002

Fandango/Fandangos

TYPE (English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian) LCCN 86-755304; LCCN 97-708221

Fantasietta/Fantasiettas

TYPE (English, Italian)

Forlana

(German, Italian, Spanish, Russian); use forlane.

Forlane

TYPE (English, French); Italian folkdance; use for forlana, furlana.

Furiant/Furiants

TYPE (English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish); an exuberant Bohemian folkdance. LCCN 94-771946

Furlana

(Spanish, Italian); use forlane.

Halleluia

DISTINCTIVE

Halleluja

DISTINCTIVE

Hallelujah

DISTINCTIVE; LCNAF n94-65886

Halleluya

DISTINCTIVE; LCCN 88-752236

Halleluyah

DISTINCTIVE

Kadril'

(Russian); use quadrille

Kammersonate

DISTINCTIVE (German) LCNAF n97-27427

Kamernaia sonata

DISTINCTIVE (Russian)

Ländler/Ländlers Ländler

[remove final s]

Lento

TYPE (English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian); LCNAF no98-53485

Miuzet

(Russian); use Musette.

Muséte

(French); use Musette.

Musette/Musettes

TYPE (English, French, German, Italian, Spanish); a dance-like piece of pastoral character whose style is suggestive of the sound of the musette or bagpipe; use for miuzet. LCCN 95-751086/M; 88-751177 /M/r92; 82-743090 /R/r982

Noël/Noëls

TYPE (French); LCNAF n82-153156

Pisen/Pisne

TYPE (Czech); use for vocal works of this type in Czech; when an instrumental work is titled "Pisen," treat this title as distinctive. For vocal works, apply 25.30B1 a): do not add a medium of performance for works with the initial title element Songs, Lieder, etc. unless it differs from the implied medium of solo voice(s) with acc. for keyboard instrument (this does not apply to songs in a popular medium). Apply 25.30B10: accompaniment for works with the initial title element Songs, Lieder, etc.: when the work is accompanied by any medium other than a keyboard instrument, add the name(s) of the instrument(s) followed by "acc." If the work is unaccompanied, add "unacc." as the medium of performance. Use for specific collections, e.g., Klein, Gideon. [Pisne, op. 1], Krása, Hans [Pisne, clarinet, viola, violoncello acc.] or as the first word of a composer's distinctive title, e.g., Martinêu, Bohuslav [Pisne o Marii]. For miscellaneous collections use "song", e.g. [Songs. Selections] n94-95182

Prélude de choral/Préludes de chorals

TYPE (French); use this form when it is the composer's original title; apply 25.30B1a: do not add a statement of medium of performance if the medium is implied by the title. Implied medium: organ; see also Chorale prelude, Choralvorspiel.

Psalm/Psalms

TYPE (English, German, Russian); for vocal works only; distinctive title for instrumental works; use in the language of the original and in the singular if a single psalm is qualified in a title by the number of the psalm. Give the numeral ...

Quadriglia

(Italian); use Quadrille.

Quadrille/Quadrilles

TYPE (English, French, German); popular 19th-century ballroom dance; use for cuadrilla, kadril', quadriglia. LCNAF no98-7167

Quartettino/Quartettinos

TYPE (Italian); because titles like Quartettino, Quintettino, etc. do not include the words quartet, quintet, etc., rule 25.30B3 cannot be applied; LCCN 85-751084

Quartettsatz

DISTINCTIVE (German) LCCN 94-772029

Quintettino/Quintettinos

TYPE (Italian);  because titles like Quartettino, Quintettino, etc. do not include the words quartet, quintet, etc., rule 25.30B3 cannot be applied.LCCN 95-754183 /M/r98

Ricercare/Ricercars/Ricercari

TYPE (English, Italian); because there is no single accepted English form of name for either the singular or plural of this type, use whatever form used by the composer and maintain that form throughout for that composer; use for recercada, Ricercar, richerkar. LCCN 84-757355

Rondoletto/Rondolettos

TYPE (Italian) LCCN 99-385075

Scherzetto/Scherzetti

TYPE (English) LCNAR n83-121492

Seguidilla/Segiudillas

TYPE (Spanish); use "Seguidilla/seguidillas" and medium statement for vocal works. For an instrumental work, consider it a dance and use the plural form of the term, "Seguidillas," for both singular and plural forms, with medium statement.

Set/Sets

TYPE (English) LCNAF n98-64541

Sonata da camera

DISTINCTIVE (English, French, Italian, Spanish) LCNAF no98-60604

Sonata da chiesa

DISTINCTIVE (Italian) LCNAF no98-15129

Sonata de cámara

DISTINCTIVE (Spanish)

Sonate da camera

DISTINCTIVE (Italian) LCCN 97-708718

Sonate de chambre

DISTINCTIVE (French)

Sonatinetta/Sonatinettas

TYPE (Italian) LCNAF no98-55462

Song/Songs

TYPE (English); use for vocal works of this type in English; when an instrumental work is titled "Song," treat this title as distinctive.  For vocal works, apply 25.30B1 a): do not add a medium of performance for works with the initial title element Songs, Lieder, etc. unless it differs from the implied medium of solo voice(s) with acc. for keyboard instrument (this does not apply to songs in a popular medium). Apply 25.30B10: accompaniment for works with the initial title element Songs, Lieder, etc.: when the work is accompanied by any medium other than a keyboard instrument, add the name(s) of the instrument(s) followed by "acc." If the work is unaccompanied, add "unacc." as the medium of performance.  Use only ... for other languages see, e.g., ... pisen ... LCNAF 85-139914

Add this phrase to each of these terms: See Song for treatment:
canción, Canzone, Chanson, Gesang, Lied, Melodie, Pisen, Pesnia, Romance, Vocalise.

Sousedská/Sousedsky

TYPE (Czech) LCCN 96-752783

Triple concerto

DISTINCTIVE (English) LCNAF 91-8791

Veränderung/Veränderungen

TYPE (German); treat as a type of composition when the term is used to mean "variations." LCNAF n94-31866

Vocalise/Vocalises

     TYPE (English, French); for vocal works only; distinctive title for instrumental works; use for vocalización, ...

Comments to Michelle Koth, Catalog Librarian, Yale University Music Library
Last revised March 4, 2009.