Working Group on Terminology in 20th-Century Music Final Report, submitted by Michael Colby March 17, 1998 Introduction Members: Dan Cherubin, Michael Colby (chair), Ralph Hartsock, David Lesniaski, Brian Newhouse, Deta Davis (LC Liaison) The working group was appointed after the 1993 MLA meeting in San Francisco. Our charge was to identify and define key concepts in 20th-century music and to compile a list of terms derived from these concepts. We would then decide which of these terms sho uld be sent to the Library of Congress as proposals for new subject headings. We first met as a group at the 1994 MLA meeting in Kansas City. There we divided the work into broad categories and each group member took responsibility for specific areas. We also decided that we would compile our list of terms in the form of a thesauru s and determined what information each entry should ideally contain. Prior to the Atlanta meeting in 1995, a preliminary version of the thesaurus was mounted on the MLA Clearinghouse. We received some comments before the Atlanta meeting. At our business meeting in Atlanta, we considered these comments, members brought fort h new comments and we made decisions on many terms, both on their appropriateness for the thesaurus and for LCSH proposals. We received and took under consideration further comments received at and after our open meeting. Over the next year, the group continued to work on the terms. Our first proposals for subject headings were sent to LC in June of 1995. Response from LC was very slow in coming. This situation improved a great deal in October 1995, when Phillip De Sellem was assigned to guide our headings through the process at LC. Mr. De Sellem also provided a great deal of helpful advice on the preparation of proposals. A progress report on the efforts of the working group was given at the open meetings of the Subject Access Subcommittee and Bibliographic Control Committee at the Seattle meeting. At the BCC business meeting in Seattle, it was suggested that a report on t he group's experience with creating and submitting subject heading proposals be written, for the possible benefit of similar future projects. This report appears as an appendix. A final draft of the thesaurus has been prepared and is appended to this report. Of course, no thesaurus of musical terms could ever be considered complete, for music is a dynamic, living art form. As a result of the group's efforts, 20 proposals for action were submitted to the Library of Congress. This includes 18 proposals for new subject headings, one request for an added cross reference to an existing heading and one request for a change to an existing heading. Twelve subject heading proposals were a pproved, four have been rejected, and one was withdrawn by the group. Three still remain that have been sent and await a decision. While LC has not yet acted on all of the proposals, the work of the group is essentially done. Michael Colby will continue to respond to any questions LC may have on the outstanding proposals. Furthermore, if additional material in support of any other he adings in the thesaurus is found, it is possible that they may be submitted outside of the aegis of the working group. Proposals sent to the Library of Congress Status of proposals as of March 24, 1998 Heading Action Animal sounds in music Rejected Body percussion No decision Eclecticism in music Approved Electronic music notation Approved Environmental music Proposal withdrawn Graphic notation (Music) Approved Happening (Music) Cross-reference to Happening (Art), no decision Humpback whale sounds in music No decision Interactive music Rejected Just intonation Approved (LC internal proposal) Microtonal music Change from Microtonic music, approved Music theater Approved Neo-impressionism (Music) Approved Neoromanticism (Music) Approved Open form music Approved Serialism (Music) Approved Site-specific music Rejected Sound sculpture (Music) Rejected Stochastic process in music Approved Text-sound compositions Approved Thesaurus of Terms NOTE: Some terms contain a field labeled "Action." This contains the status of a proposal for a new heading or change to an existing heading which has been sent to the Library of Congress. Proposals were not sent to LC for terms which lack this field. Th ese terms may be useful, however, for those wishing to provide access with non-LCSH subject terms in a 65X field. For those terms which have been approved by LC, the newly-established LCSH does not always contain an identical scope note or the same references as in this thesaurus. term: Animal sounds in music Action: Rejected scope: Use for actual live or recorded animal sounds in the music. Do not use for sounds created by instruments mimicking animals. Do not use for music about animals (Use [Animal name]--Songs and music) NT: Birdsongs in music NT: Humpback whale sounds in music NT: Shell sounds in music NT: Whale sounds in music example: Cage, John. Inlets. example: Ulehla, Ludmilla. Elegy for a whale. term: Birdsongs in music scope: Use for actual live or recorded bird sounds in the music. Do not use for sounds created by instruments mimicking birds. Do not use for music about birds (Use [Bird name]-- Songs and music). BT: Animal sounds in music RT: Humpback whale sounds in music RT: Shell sounds in music RT: Whale sounds in music example: Respighi, Ottorino. Pini di Roma term: Body percussion scope: The use of the body as a percussion instrument. Action: Proposed, no decision UF: Organic percussion BT: Music theater BT: Percussion music RT: Visual percussion source: Composer's file at American Music Center example: Costinesco, George. The musical seminar. term: Chance compositions Action: Change submitted (add cross-reference for Happening (Art)), no decision scope: Music in which deliberate and significant use is made of chance, randomness, or indeterminacy in its composition or performance. UF: Aleatory music UF: Indeterminacy (Music) UF: Chance music NT: Chance compositions (Pitch) NT: Chance compositions (Rhythm) NT: Happening (Art) NT: Open form music NT: Stochastic process in music RT: Mixed media (Music) source: NHDM example: Cage, John. Music of changes. example: Cage, John. 4'33" example: Feldman, Morton. Intersections. example: Brown, Earle. Available forms. term: Chance compositions (Pitch) scope: Music in which the pitch is indeterminate. UF: Indeterminacy (Pitch) BT: Chance compositions example: Oliveros, Pauline. Tashi gomang. example: Cage, John. Fifty eight. example: Rands, Bernard. Agenda. term: Chance compositions (Rhythm) scope: Music in which the rhythm is indeterminate. UF: Indeterminacy (Rhythm) BT: Chance compositions example: Cage, John. Fifty eight. Source: Notes--"the length of which is left up to the interpreter," 64-71 pitches available. term: Eclecticism in music Action: Accepted scope: The deliberate use or juxtaposition of a wide variety of compositional materials, and techniques, especially the juxtaposition of "popular" and "art" music elements, within the same composition UF: Collage (Music) RT: Parody music. source: Bernstein, Leonard. Mass. source: Bolcolm, William. Second violin sonata. source: Ives, Charles. Symphony no.4 term: Electronic music notation Action: Accepted scope: Used either to provide all of the technical data necessary to produce an electronic piece, or, in works combining electronics and live performance, to allow a score reader to co-ordinate with the electronics. UF: Notation, electronic (Music) BT: Musical notation source: Vinton example: Stockhausen, Karlheinz. Studie 2. example: Stockhausen, Karlheinz. Kontakte. term: Enclosed music scope: Musical works designed specifically for enclosed spaces BT: Site-specific music source: Interview with Fees source: Scores example: Anderson, Laurie. Duet for violin and door jamb example: Fees, Jack. Intermission piece term: Environmental sound music Action: Submitted as "Environmental music," but withdrawn by the group due to a conflict with an existing heading scope: Music performed in a non-stationary area (usually out of doors) using traditional and non-traditional means. RT: Site-specific music RT: Musical installations source: AMC composers files source: Scores example: Maue, Kenneth. In the woods example: Oliveros, Pauline. Bonn Feier example: Wishart, Trevor. Bicycle music. term: Equitone notation (Music) scope: Uses two staff lines per octave with five intermediate positions; the chromatic scale is notated with alternating black and white notes-heads and without accidentals. UF: Notation, equitone (Music) BT: Musical notation term: Frame notation (Music) scope: A set, controlling framework, such as a box or rectangle, encloses a group of pitches which are to be played with a free or flexible interpretation. UF: Notation, frame (Music) BT: Musical notation BT: Aleatory music source: Vinton source: Read, Gardner. Music Notation. example: Schaffer, Boguslaw. Imago musicae. example: Berio, Luciano. Circles. term: Graphic notation (Music) Action: Approved scope: Uses visual material other than conventional musical notation, or combined with conventional notation, to communicate the composer's intentions. BT: Musical notation source: Vinton source: NHDM example: Feldman, Morton. Projections. example: Haubenstock-Ramati, Roman. Decisions. example: Denisov, Edison. Chant des oiseaux. term: Happening (Art) Action: Proposed (add cross-reference Happening (Music)), no decision scope: Self-contained theatrical units, (consisting of actions, images, sounds, etc., alone or in combination) are presented in sequence and/or simultaneously. UF: Happening (Music) UF: Musical happenings UF: Theatrical happenings BT: Music theater BT: Chance compositions source: LCSH source: Vinton example: Cage, John. Happening example: Cage, John. Theater piece. example: Davis, Bob and Rich Gold. Break glass in case of fire. term: Humpback whale sounds in music Action: Rejected, resubmitted, no decision scope: Use for actual live or recorded humpback whale sounds in the music, as opposed to sounds created by instruments mimicking humpback whales. (For music about humpback whales, use Humpback whale--Songs and music.) BT: Animal sounds in music BT: Whale sounds in music example: Hovhaness, Alan. And God created great whales. example: Lewis, Robert Hall. Nuance II. Whale lament. example: Winter, Paul. Whales alive. term: Indeterminate notation (Music) scope: Notation which leaves matters such as pitch, duration and note order to the discretion of the player. UF: Notation, indeterminate (Music) BT: Musical notation RT: Chance compositions RT: Chance compositions (Pitch) RT: Chance compositions (Rhythm) source: Vinton. source: Cole, Hugo. Sounds and signs. example: Boulez, Pierre. Pli selon Pli. example: Stockhausen, Karlheinz. Klavierstuck XI. example: Cage, John. Concert for piano and orchestra. term: Interactive music Action: rejected scope: Musical work that requires some sort of interaction between the music source (performers, tapes, etc.) and surrounding area (audience, environment, etc.) in order to be performed. BT: Music theater RT: Music with audience participation source: Interview with Fees, 7/94 source: AMC composer files, Michael Schell example: Fees, Jack. Guitar instrumentallations. example: Schell, Michael. An alarming situation (homage to B. Fuller) .. Note-- "alarms clocks and tapes set off by audience." term: Just intonation Action: Approved (from an internal LC proposal) scope: Use for works about scales and tuning systems using non-tempered, "pure" intervals tuned according to the rations of the partials of the harmonic series. UF: Just tuning UF: Pythagorean tuning UF: World tuning NT: Microtonal notation RT: Musical temperament BT: Microtones BT: Musical intervals and scales source: New Grove source: Vinton example: Partch, Harry. Genesis of a music. term: Just intonation music scope: Use for musical works employing in a pervasive manner scales and tuning systems of non-tempered, "pure" intervals tuned according to the rations of the partials of the harmonic series. RT: Microtonal music source: NHDM example: Johnston, Ben. String quartet no. 4. example: Young, LaMonte. Well-tuned piano. term: Klavarscribo notation scope: Lines and spaces run vertically on a staff and are grouped according to the black and white keys of the keyboard. UF: Notation, Klavarscribo BT: Musical notation source: Vinton example: Jacobs-Bond, Carrie. Perfect day. term: Microtonal music Action: Proposed (from existing heading Microtonic music),accepted scope: Use for musical works employing in a pervasive manner tempered scales and tuning systems with other than twelve notes to the octave. UF: Microtonic music UF: Microintervallic music UF: Quarter-tone music UF: Sixth-tone music RT: Just intonation music source: NHDM source: Vinton. example: Eaton, John. Danton and Robespierre example: Ives, Charles. Three quarter-tone pieces. example: Nono, Luigi. A Carlo Scarpa architetto ai suoi infinite possibili: per orchestra a microintervalli. term: Microtonal notation scope: Any of several systems which express intervals smaller than a semitone (e.g. quarter tones); the most common uses conventional accidentals with alterations. UF: Notation, microtonal BT: Musical notation source: Vinton. example: Haba, Alois. Suite for violoncello solo 1955. example: Kagel, Mauricio. Sexteto de cuerdas. example: Penderecki, Krzysztof. Emanationen. term: Moving sound concert scope: A work that incorporates dance and music but is not considered to be solely a dance piece, opera or ballet. BT: Music theater BT: Multi-media music source: Program notes by composer & choreographer--AMC file example: Thompson, Waddy. Eyeless tears in a universe of ether. term: Multicultural music theater scope: The use of non-western and/or non-traditional methods to convey a theatrical piece that does not fall into the context of musical or opera. BT: Music theater source: Interview with composer 8/94 example: Kitzke, Jerome. Mad Coyote madly sings term: Multimedia storytelling scope: Storytelling (usually non-Western) dependent on music and other media for presentation. BT: Music theater source: Press releases of composer example: Adams, John Luther. Coyote builds North America example: Gaburo, Kenneth. Show tellies. term: Music theater Action: Accepted scope: Musical works that are performed in a theatrical context, but do not fall into the categories of opera or musicals UF: Action pieces source: NHDM source: New Grove source: Griffiths example: Cage, John. Theatre piece example: Berio, Luciano. Circles term: Musical instrument installations scope: A musical work inherent on the placement of an instrument in a specific place UF: Instrumentallations BT: Site-specific music RT: Theatrical musical instrument settings source: Interview with composer 8/94 example: Fees, Jack. I (for oboe) term: Musical sporting events scope: Musical piece played as a competitive game/sport BT: Music theater BT: Musical games source: Interview with composer 8/94 example: Fees, Jack. (P)layer(s). term: Neo-impressionism (Music) Action: Accepted UF: Neo-impressionism in music BT: Impressionism (Music) BT: Music--20th century source: Tawa, Nicholas. A most wondrous babble. example: Ewazen, Eric. Sonata for horn and piano, 1992. "Neo-impressionistic in style, the sonata is a large scale four movement work." --Program notes. term: Neoromanticism (Music) Action: Accepted UF: Neo-romanticism in music UF: New romanticism (Music) BT: Romanticism (Music) BT: Music--20th century source: Druckman, Jacob. Horizons '83: since 1968, a new romanticism? source: Music index (Neo-romanticism) example: Rochberg, George. Concord quartets term: Numerical notation (Music) scope: Notation which utilizes numbers to represent the notes of the scale. UF: Notation, numerical (Music) BT: Musical notation RT: Twelve-tone system source: Wourinen, Charles. Simple composition. source: Babbitt, Milton. Milton Babbitt: words about music. term: Open form music Action: Accepted scope: Here are entered works in which composed sections may be arranged in time as chance or choice disposes. UF: Mobile form BT: Chance compositions NT: Open form (Variable pitch) NT: Open form (Variable phrase sequence) source: Vinton. source: Griffiths. example: Boulez, Pierre. Sonatas, piano, no.3. example: Brown, Earle. Twenty-five pages. example: Feldman, Morton. Intermission, no.6. example: Stockhausen, Karlheinz. Stucke, piano, no.11. term: Open form music (Variable phrase sequence) scope: Notated music in which the phrase sequence is variable. BT: Open form BT: Variable phrase sequence open form source: Vinton example: Foss, Lukas. Elyrres. example: Foss, Lukas. Fragments of Archilochos. term: Open form music (Variable pitch sequence) scope: Notated music in which the pitch sequence is variable. BT: Open form BT: Variable phrase sequence open form source: Vinton example: Kagel, Marucio. Transicion no.2 term: Outdoor music scope: Here are entered works of music specifically written for outdoor performance, be it a specific location or a general designation (i.e. a park, a lake). BT: Site-specific music source: AMC composers' files example: Hiller, Lejaren. Electronic sonata and midnight carnival example: Chambers, Wendy. Boating music. term: Paraphrase music scope: A composition that seriously reworks the musical material of another composition, style, or era UF: Historicism (Music) UF: Paraphrase music RT: Eclecticism (Music) example: Cage, John and Lejaren Hiller. HPSCHD. example: Foss, Lukas. Baroque variations. example: Rochberg, George. Third string quartet. term: Physical poetry scope: Performance pieces utilizing music and text in certain physical boundaries. BT: Music theater BT: Performance art source: Composer's catalog example: Jarvinen, Arthur. Strait of Magellan term: Prepared double-bass music scope: Here are entered works for double-bass with accessories not supplied by manufacturers. Do not use this for double-bass music also using manufacture supplied accessories, such as mute. BT: Prepared instrument music example: Klein, Joseph. Melodrame. term: Prepared trombone music scope: Here are entered works for trombone with accessories not supplied by manufacturers. Do not use this for trombone music also using manufacturer supplied accessories, such as mute. example: Klein, Joseph. Goblin market. term: Process music scope: Music in which performers or technological processes transform an initial and limited set of materials source: Schaeffer, New Sounds example: Lucifer. I am sitting in a room example: Stockhausen. Gesang der Junglinge example: Riley, Terry. Music for the gift term: Proportional notation (Music) scope: Instead of expressing duration with symbols, durational proportions are transmuted into the graphic equivalent of notes spaced out horizontally along the staff according to their durations. UF: Notation, proportional (Music) UF: Proportionate notation UF: Spatial notation UF: Time-space notation BT: Musical notation source: Vinton. example: Reimann, Aribert. Rondes. term: Serialism (Music) Action: (Change from a used-for reference under Twelve-tone system to LCSH), accepted scope: Music constructed according to permutations of a group of elements placed in a certain order or series. Values include pitches, rhythms and durations, and dynamics. UF: Total serialism NT: Serialized duration NT: Serialized dynamics NT: Serialized pitch NT: Serialized range RT: Twelve-tone system source: Vinton example: Boulez, Pierre. Structures, book 1. example: Stockhausen, Karlheinz. Zyklus. term: Serialized duration scope: Music constructed according to permutations of a group of rhythms and durations placed in a certain order or series. BT: Serialism source: Vinton example: Babbitt, Milton. Composition for twelve instruments. example: Krenek, Ernst. Sestina. example: Boulez, Pierre. Structure 1a. example: Webern, Anton. Variations, op.27 term: Serialized dynamics scope: Music constructed according to permutations of dynamics placed in a certain order or series. BT: Serialism example: Babbitt, Milton. Sextets. term: Serialized pitch scope: Music constructed according to permutations of a group of pitches placed in a certain order or series. BT: Serialism BT: Serialized pitch (5 note) BT: Serialized pitch (9 note) BT: Serialized pitch (12 note) BT: Serialized pitch (Variable number sets) term: Serialized pitch (5 note) scope: Music constructed according to permutations of a group of 5 pitches placed in a certain order or series BT: Serialized pitch source: Vinton example: Stravinsky, Igor. In memoriam Dylan Thomas. example: Stravinsky, Igor. Threni. term: Serialized pitch (9 note) scope: Music constructed according to permutations of a group of 9 pitches placed in a certain order or series BT: Serialized pitch example: Schoenberg, Arnold. Klavierstucke, op.23. No. 9. term: Serialized pitch (12 note) scope: Music constructed according to permutations of a group of 12 pitches placed in a certain order or series UF: Twelve tone system BT: Serialized pitch example: Schoenberg, Arnold. Wind quintet, op. 26 term: Site-specific music Action: rejected scope: Musical works that were intended to be performed in a specific, usually non- traditional, setting. The specificity of the location can be dependent on the actual items used (e.g. an elevator shaft, a lake) or the exact location (a specific building, Central Park) source: AMC collection example: Fein, Ron. Infinite oceans of force example: Chambers, Wendy. 10 grand example: Schwartz, Elliot. Elevator music term: Sonic geography (Music) scope: The use of natural ambient sounds in site specific pieces. BT: Music theater RT: Environmental music source: Composer's files at AMC example: Adams, John Luther. Earth and the great water. term: Sonic meditation (Music) scope: Musical works performed alone or in groups that are determined by surrounding events. BT: Music theater source: Composer's catalog source: Scores example: Blackburn, Philip. Unearthing example: Oliveros, Pauline. Sonic meditation I-XII. term: Sound installations scope: A musical work with a specifically created environment BT: Site-specific music RT: Environmental music source: Composer's catalog example: Blackburn, Philip. simuLACrum term: Sound sculpture (Music) Action: rejected scope: The use of objects (or persons) as both visual art and a musical work. source: Sound sculpture (LCSH) source: AMC composer's files source: Interview with composers 6/94 (Smith), 8/94 and 9/94 (Tabor) example: Smith, Kile. Concerto for Cristal example: Tabor, Jerry. Exhibit example: Van Appledorn, Mary Jeanne. Freedom of youth term: Sprechgesang notation scope: Notation for a technique of vocal performance which lies between speech and song. UF: Notation, Sprechgesang BT: Musical notation source: Vinton. example: Schoenberg, Arnold. Pierrot lunaire. term: Stochastic process in music Action: Approved scope: Music in which overall contours of sound are specified but inner details are left to random or chance selection. UF: Stochastic music UF: Controlled aleatorism UF: Controlled chance UF: Controlled indeterminacy BT: Chance compositions RT: Complete determinacy RT: Computer music example: Belet, Brian E. At last! Note--"generated by means of stochastic computer program." example: Hiller, Lejaren. Computer cantata. example: Hiller, Lejaren. Illiac suite. Note--"The five main strophes are stochastic settings of five successive approximations of spoken English." example: Xenakis, Iannis. ST/10.1.080262 (title is abbreviation of stochastic music) example: Xenakis, Iannis. Atrees. example: Xenakis, Iannis. Achorripsis. term: Text-sound compositions Action: accepted scope: An electro-acoustic genre in which spoken words, as opposed to sung words or wordless vocal sounds, are the primary musical material. RT: Sound poetry source: NHDM example: Amirkhanian, Charles. Mental radio. example: Cage, John. 62 mesostics re Merce Cunningham. term: Theatrical action music scope: A musical work that incorporates theatrical movement, but cannot be classified as musical theater. BT: Music theater BT: Performance art source: AMC composer files example: Wolman, Amnon. Intermission-(from Conventions Album) term: Theatrical dance music scope: Musical works that incorporate dance and/or movement as an integral part of the composition, but cannot be classified as a dance piece with music. BT: Music theater BT: Dance music source: Composer's catalog source: Scores example: Hovhaness, Alan. Wind drum example: Dean, Laura. Jumping dance term: Theatrical musical instrument settings scope: An installation of musical instruments that incorporates theatrical action, by the audience and/or the performers BT: Music theater BT: Musical instrument installations RT: Sound installations source: AMC composer files source: Interview with Fees 7/94 example: Fees, Jack. Carnival booth installations example: Schell, Michael. An alarming situation (homage to B. Fuller) term: Theatrical ritual music scope: Musical works that incorporate communal activities (sacred, secular, or "everyday events') in a theatrical text. BT: Music theater RT: Sacred music source: AMC composer's files source: Scores example: Oliveros, Pauline. Rose moon term: Theatrical storytelling music scope: A musical work that incorporates storytelling in a non-traditional theatrical setting. BT: Music theater source: Interview with composer 7/94 example: Kitzke, Jerome. The Paha Sapa give back term: Video wall music scope: Works that use walls of video monitors as a musical concept, as opposed to a purely visual one. BT: Music theater source: Interview with composer 7/94 example: Childs, Mary Ellen. A chording to . . . term: Visual percussion scope: Use of percussionists as a visual medium (sculpture, dance) as an important aspect to the piece. BT: Music theater BT: Percussion music source: Interview with composers 5/94 (Lerman and Tabor) , 7/94 (Childs) example: Childs, Mary Ellen. Swing shift example: Lerman, Richard. Changing states 2 example: Tabor, Jerry. Exhibit term: Whale sounds in music scope: Use for actual live or recorded whale sounds in the music. Do not use for sounds created by instruments mimicking whales. Do not use for music about whales. (Use Whales--Songs and music.) BT: Animal sounds in music NT: Humpback whale sounds in music example: Crumb, George. Vox balaenae. example: Ulehla, Ludmilla. Elegy for a whale. LIST OF SOURCES AMC = American Music Center materials. Cole, Hugo. Sounds and signs: aspects of musical notation. London; New York: Oxford University Press, 1974. Dictionary of contemporary music. John Vinton, editor. [1st ed.]. New York: E. P. Dutton [1974]. Griffiths, Paul. The Thames and Hudson encyclopaedia of 20th-century music. London ; New York: Thames and Hudson, 1986. Library of Congress subject headings / prepared by the Cataloging Policy and Support Office, Collections Services. 17th ed. Washington, D.C. : Cataloging Distribution Service, Library of Congress, c1994. The New Grove dictionary of American music / edited by H. Wiley Hitchcock and Stanley Sadie. New York, N.Y.: Grove's Dictionaries of Music, 1986. The New Harvard dictionary of music / edited by Don Michael Randel. Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1986. Read, Gardner Music notation : a manual of modern practice. 2nd ed. London: Gollancz, 1974. Schaefer, John. New sounds : a listener's guide to new music. 1st ed. New York: Harper & Row, c1987. Scores : an anthology of new music / selection and commentary by Roger Johnson. New York : Schirmer Books ; London: Collier Macmillan, c1981. Tawa, Nicholas. A most wondrous babble. New York: Greenwood Press, 1987. Watkins, Glenn. Soundings: music in the twentieth century. New York : Schirmer Books ; London: Collier Macmillan, c1988.