The "Preposterous Muddle" Revisited: An XML Thematic Catalog DTD

The "Preposterous Muddle" Revisited: An XML Thematic
Catalog DTD

Perry
Roland
Technology Services Alderman Library University of Virginia
pdr4h@virginia.edu

1999

University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA

ACH/ALLC 1999

editor

encoder

Sara
A.
Schmidt

Introduction
Thematic catalogs of music have been produced for centuries. Yet, little
attention has been paid to the study of this class of documents due to its
specialized and complex nature. This paper describes the thematic catalog,
its value in the field of music bibliography, and proposes an XML Document
Type Definition that, it is hoped, will stimulate debate on the value of
standardization of this document class.

What is a Thematic Catalog?
A thematic catalog systematically arranges a body of music. Its general
functions are the same as other bibliographical tools: identification,
location, and collocation. The thematic catalog, however, derives special
power from the use of brief citations of music, called incipits, which
provide more certain identification of musical works than any single element
or combination of elements used for other materials, such as creator, title,
publisher, or date. (Brook, p. vii) Such precise identification is necessary
because a single musical work can exist in multiple printed and recorded
editions, because portions of musical works are frequently published or
performed separately (sometimes with a different title) with no reference to
the parent work, and because entire musical works, or selected portions, are
often arranged or transcribed to create "new" entities. (Nagy, p. 15)
Brook identifies several applications for thematic catalogs -- mnemonic aid,
table of contents, guide to a composer's own output, inventory of library
holdings, advertisement for a copying or publishing firm, legal document,
compilation of "true" themes, musicological documentation, and thematic
locator for incipits without an existing catalog. (Brook, p. x-xv) This list
of functions demonstrates the same continuum of activity from simple
list-making to complex analytical endeavor observed in general
bibliographies. (Krummel 1984, p. 4)
The Value of Thematic Catalogs Thematic catalogs have long been recognized as
a solution to the special problems of accessing and describing music. The
earliest examples of thematic catalogs were produced in the 9th to 11th
centuries (Brook, p. x). The fact that production of printed thematic
catalogs has increased every year since 1850 (Basart, p.7) also demonstrates
their value. Vincent Duckles wrote "the thematic catalog is one of the most
useful of all reference tools in the field of music bibliography." (Duckles,
p. 552) While Duckles was primarily concerned with the value of thematic
catalogs to scholars, librarians, and catalogers, Brook's list clearly
demonstrates their usefulness to many segments of the music community.

How is a Thematic Catalog Organized?
Despite Cowley's statement that "the compiler of a bibliography ... is bound
by no conventional rules of arrangement" (Cowley, p. 179), several
organizational methods can be identified for thematic catalogs. When dealing
with the work of a single composer, catalog entries are usually arranged
chronologically or in some classified manner, e.g., by genre. (Basart, p. 6)
Alphabetical arrangement is usually preferred when addressing a single genre
or a body of works by many composers. It is not uncommon, however, to
encounter complex hierarchical arrangements, e.g., alphabetical geographical
entries containing alphabetical composer entries containing works listed by
date.
Responding to the rise in production of thematic catalogs, Hyatt King was the
first to set down the data requirements for a thematic catalog. (King, p.
45-46) His list of suggestions was later expanded based on examination of
catalogs created after the publication of King's guidelines. (Basart, p.
8-10) While not appropriate in every situation, the data requirements given
by King and Basart demonstrate the wide range of information that may be
included in a thematic catalog.

Why Do We Need a Standard?
The benefits to creators and users of an encoding and interchange standard
for thematic catalogs are many. The major benefit of a structured markup
language like XML is that syntax and semantics are treated separately. Once
the precise identification of the role of the information in a document is
accomplished, the data is almost infinitely malleable and can be distributed
in both print and electronic forms. This is a considerable advantage given
the difficulty of creating a thematic catalog and the wide-ranging needs of
its potential users.
Possible applications of the standard include: (1) encoding and interchange
of data in existing catalogs; (2) improvement of the quality of information
contained in future catalogs by providing a template for creators; (3)
realization of "music in print" or "recordings in print" publications,
highly desirable by the music community, comparable to the cumulative trade
catalogs the book world enjoys (Krummel 1987, p. 47); 4) creation of
databases necessary for identifying anonymi, eradicating past errors of
attribution, resolving multiple-parent riddles, and providing data for
future research, e.g., stylistic analysis (LaRue, p. 1181).

Why Not Use an Existing DTD?
The DTDs that exhibit potential for markup of thematic catalogs (TEI and
MARC) are unsatisfactory. TEI is designed primarily for representing texts,
not data, while MARC uses a flat database approach that doesn't accommodate
markup of existing catalogs. In addition, neither DTD allows markup of
musical data using recognized musical terminology, such as "clef" or "pitch
range". Consequently, markup of this group of documents is more likely to be
successful if a new DTD, under the control of the music community, is
created.

The MusiCat DTD
The MusiCat DTD is intended to meet the specialized needs of thematic catalog
creators and users. It provides traditional access points like title,
creator, and imprint as well as music-specific data elements, such as tempo,
meter, and key.
The DTD allows for the many bibliographic arrangements encountered by using
(descriptive unit) elements. Data elements within the are optional and
repeatable, including additional descriptive units. This approach is
structured enough to be usable for database-oriented applications, but loose
enough to accommodate presentation-oriented existing catalogs. It is also
applicable to other kinds of catalogs and bibliographies where extensibility
is a concern.
The use of header information at each descriptive level allows for the
inclusion of management data necessary for collaborative projects and data
access restriction, very important concerns to the music community.

MusiCat Examples
While space does not permit inclusion of the entire DTD, short examples of
compliant markup are provided below.
Example 1
<musicat>
<catalog id="18thItalianInstr">

<descunit class="composer" id="besozzi">

<creator>Besozzi, Alessandro,
<daterange><date>1702</date><date>1775</date></daterange>
<biography>

<p>Oboe virtuoso active in the royal court of Turin ...</p>
<p>There are nineteen trio sonatas by Alessandro Besozzi ...</p>

</biography>

</creator>
<descunit class="entry" id="It67">

<md><key class="sig">A major</key></md>
<titlepage label="1.">

<title>Sonata a tre</title> / Del Sigr. Allessandro Besozzi/ Basso/

</titlepage>
<physdesc>

<extent>v 1 & 2, bass.</extent>
<dimensions>22x30.5 cm</dimensions>
<otherphysdetail>Hand A. Brown</otherphysdetail>

</physdesc>
<inciplist>

<incip>

<notation><!-- musical notation --></notation>
<md>

<duration units="measures">:11:+:14:</duration>
<tempo class="term">Andante</tempo>

</md>

</incip>
<incip>

<notation><!-- musical notation --></notation>
<md>

<duration units="measures">:34:+:38:</duration>
<tempo class="term">Allegro</tempo>

</md>

</incip>
<incip>

<notation><!-- musical notation --></notation>
<md>

<duration units="measures">:21:+:29:</duration>
<tempo class="term">Allegro</tempo>

</md>

</incip>

</inciplist>
<bibref>
Published as no. 6 of
<title>XII Sonates ... par Mrs. Bezzossi. Oevre IIe</title>.
<imprint><place>Paris</place>,
<publisher>Le Clerc</publisher>,
<date>ca. 1740</date></imprint>

</bibref>

</descunit>
<!-- additional descunits of class "entry" -->

</descunit>
<!-- additional descunits of class "composer" -->
</catalog>
</musicat>
Example 2
<musicat>
<catalog id="DaviesP">

<descunit class="dramatic works">

<descunit class="entry" id="d4">

<title>The Lighthouse</title>
<imprint><date>1979</date></imprint>
<md><duration units="time">75 mins</duration></md>
<imprint><publisher>Chester Music</publisher></imprint>
<md>

<formgenre>Chamber opera in one act with prologue</formgenre>
<scoring>for tenor, baritone, bass and instrumental ensemble</scoring>

</md>
<odd>Libretto by the composer</odd>
<performed>

<performerlist label="Characters:>
<performer>

<dramatispersona>Sandy, Officer 1</dramatispersona>Tenor

</performer>
<performer>

<dramatispersona>Blazes, Officer 2
</dramatispersona>Baritone

</performer>
<performer>

<dramatispersona>Arthur, Voice of the Cards, Officer 3 </dramatispersona>Tenor

</performer>

</performerlist>

</performed>
<scoring>flute (doubling piccolo and alto flute), clarinet in A ...</scoring>
<scoring>*percussion: marimba, 4 timpani, ...</scoring>
<performed>First performance <date>September 2, 1980</date> at the

<corpname>Edinburgh International Festival</corpname> by <performer>Neil Mackie</performer>, <performer>Michael Rippon</performer>, <performer>David Wilson-Johnson</performer> and <performer class="group">The Fires of London</performer> conducted by <performer role="conductor">Richard Dufallo</performer>
</performed>
<composed>Commissioned by the <corpname role="commissioner"> Edinburgh International Festival</corpname>. Winner of the first Tennent Caledonian Award.
</composed>
<imprint>

<availability>Full score, vocal score and parts for hire. Publication of full score and vocal score for sale 1981/2. Libretto on sale.
</availability>

</imprint>

</descunit>
<!-- additional descunits of class "entry" --> </descunit>

<!-- additional genre descunits -->

</catalog>

References

Ann
Basart

Bringing Order into Preposterous Muddle: Recent Trends
in Thematic Catalogs

Cum notis variorum

67

5-17
Nov. 1982

Barry
S.
Brook

Viano
Richard

Thematic Catalogues in Music: An Annotated
Bibliography
2nd ed.

New York
Pendragon Press
1997

J.
D.
Cowley

Bibliographical Description and Cataloguing

London
Grafton & Co.
1939

Vincent
Duckles

A Checklist of Thematic Catalogues

Notes

11

552
Sept. 1954

Charles
Goldfarb

Paul
Prescod

The XML Handbook

Upper Saddle River, N.J.
Prentice-Hall PTR
1998

Alec
Hyatt
King

The Past, Present and Future of the Thematic
Catalogue

Monthly Music Record

LXXXIV
953, 954
10-13, 39-46
1954

D.
W.
Krummel

Bibliographical Handbook of American Music

Urbana
University of Illinois Press
1987

D.
W.
Krummel

Bibliographies: Their Aims and Methods

New York
Mansell Publishing
1984

Jan
LaRue

George
W.
Logemann

EDP for Thematic Catalogues

Notes

22

1179-86
1965-66

Kären
Nagy

Music Authority Control: A Public Service
Perspective

Ruth
Tucker

Authority Control in Music Libraries
MLA Technical Report No. 16

Canton, MA
Music Library Association
1989