Types of Compositions for Use in Music Uniform Titles: A Manual for Use with AACR2

MLA Working Group on Types of Compositions. Types of Compositions for Use in Music Uniform Titles: A Manual for Use with AACR2, Chapter 25. 2002 rev., last updated Mar. 18, 2005. Available online at http://www.library.yale.edu/cataloging/music/types.htm (accessed 15 Apr. 2005).

This manual was created for the purpose of detailing the types of musical compositions that fall under the rubric “generic title” in AACR2, Chapter 25. Uniform titles are essential for music catalogers as they collocate all instances of a musical work within a catalog. It lists alphabetically names of musical forms which are common enough to qualify as generic types. The principles of the list follow that of AACR2. They are not meant to substitute for it; rather it is a tool to be used in conjunction with official cataloging documentation. The manual gives all the noted exceptions, the use of plurals, scope notes about their proper usages, and under which language the form should be given.

This manual is hosted on the Music Cataloging at Yale page, which houses the NACO-Music Project handbook A Handbook of Examples For Use in Authority Records—a site that houses many other useful documents for music catalogers. Additions and deletions to the list of types are made by submitting new terms to Michelle Koth, the webmaster of the Yale site and a member of the Music Library Associations’ Bibliographic Control Committee. One of the most useful aspects of the list are the cross-references from unauthorized terms to authorized terms. This list is essential in the construction of music uniform titles.