Returning Scores Reminder!

The largest collection of material in the Conservatory Library are musical scores. As expected, keeping track of them is also a big part of this collection!

With the end of semester due date approaching, remember:

1. Check the back inside cover for all parts/leaves that should be included before returning them.

2. The Conservatory Library policy states that any scores returned with missing parts will be kept on your student/patron record, and a replacement fee and costs will be incurred.

This can also affect and delay registration for the next semester, obtaining transcripts, etc. By making sure this procedure is followed allows us to make our scores readily available for other patrons, as well as yourself!

Thank you in advance for helping our collection continue to be one of the greatest in the country!

Conservatory Library accessions its 40,000th CD!!

Liz Bennett, student assistant in the Conservatory Library, accessioned the library's 40,000th CD. This milestone number has been assigned to the 6-CD set titled Woodstock, 40 years on: back to Yasgur's Farm, issued by Rhino.

Title change in Periodicals

Newsletter--Institute for Studies in American Music has been renamed~the new title is American Music Review and the first issue is available in Periodicals.

Job Opening Reference Assistant – Conservatory Library (3 positions)

Description:

- Train for service at the Reference Desk

- Assist with preparation of local reference tools

- Develop your knowledge of library resources and music bibliography

Please fill out a Library Job Application, available in the entrance to the Conservatory Library. Leave the application in the box marked “Completed Applications.”

Qualifications:

- Financial Aid Eligibility Preferred

- Ability to work with people, to function effectively under pressure, and to work cooperatively as part of a team

- Willingness to continue learning and growing with the job and to accept increasing responsibility

Reliability, punctuality, and a solid music background

Application Deadline: December 6, 2009

Paid training (two-hours per week) to begin February, and the pay rate is $7.30 per hour. Beginning fall semester, the position will be five hours per week. Contact Person: Kathy Abromeit, Public Services Librarian

kathleen.abromeit@oberlin.edu

Naxos Music Library iPhone App Live!

The Naxos Music Library App is now available on the iTunes App store. Simply search "Naxos Music Library"! Information on the App can also be found here
Happy Remote Listening!

The Grove Book of Opera Singers

Covering over 1500 singers from the birth of opera to the present day, this marvelous volume will be an essential resource for all serious opera lovers and a companion to the successful Grove Book of Operas. The most comprehensive guide to opera singers ever produced, this volume offers an alphabetically arranged collection of authoritative biographies that range from Marion Anderson to Benedict Zak.

Conservatory Reference ML102.O6 G76 2008

Cleveland Public Library featuring the Oberlin Bassoon Quartet!

The Fine Arts Department is pleased to present the Oberlin Bassoon Quartet (OBQ) on October 31st, 2009 at 2pm in the 3rd floor lobby of the Main Library building (325 Superior Ave., Cleveland, Ohio, 44114). The OBQ will perform works by Boismortier, Dubios, J.S. Bach, Tony Bruno and Peter Schickele. This program is free and open to all ages. For more information call 216-623-2848.

The first Oberlin Conservatory of Music bassoon quartet was formed in 1994 and was called "Firewood". As interest in playing bassoon quartets grew at Oberlin more groups formed. In 2002 another quartet from Oberlin called "The Black Sheep" did a short tour of China and that solidified the trend of playing bassoon quartets at Oberlin. Since 2004 there has always been a group called The Oberlin Bassoon Quartet with rotating personnel. Since 2004 the OBQ has done extensive tours of China and Italy, and has played performances in other music schools around the country.

The members of the current OBQ are 4 sophomore bassoon majors at Oberlin from different parts of the US and abroad:

• Liz Bennett, Colorado
• Shelly Li, China
• Jake Purcell, Washington
• Brittney Walker, Illinois

A Dictionary for the Modern Flutist - New in Reference!

A Dictionary for the Modern Flutist (Con Ref ML 102.F58 M33 2009) by Susan J. Maclagan presents clear and concise definitions of more than 1,500 common flute-related terms that a player of the Boehm-system flute may encounter. Fully illustrated with more than 100 images, the entries contain descriptions of words related to all aspects of the flute: flute types, flute parts, flute repair, playing techniques, acoustics, articulations, intonation, common ornaments, flutemaking, flute history, flute music books, and more.

Reclaiming the Right to Rock: Black Experiences in Rock Music

On November 13th and 14th, the Archives of African American Music and Culture (AAAMC) will be hosting a two-day conference on Black rock on the Indiana University-Bloomington campus.The conference and related activities are open to local and regional musicians, scholars, students, and the general public for a nominal fee.

Reclaiming the Right to Rock: Black Experiences in Rock Music will bring together Black rock musicians from different generations and regions with music critics and scholars to discuss the socio-political history, musical developments, and the future of Black rock. The main component of the conference will be three panels, each exploring one of the following topics:

1. The conceptualization and origins of Black rock;
2. The politics of Black rock;
3. The face of Black rock in the 21st century.
   

Read more

The Song Decoders at Pandora (NYTimes article)

By ROB WALKER
Published: October 18, 2009 (NYTimes)

On first listen, some things grab you for their off-kilter novelty. Like the story of a company that has hired a bunch of “musicologists,” who sit at computers and listen to songs, one at a time, rating them element by element, separating out what sometimes comes to hundreds of data points for a three-minute tune. The company, an Internet radio service called Pandora, is convinced that by pouring this information through a computer into an algorithm, it can guide you, the listener, to music that you like. The premise is that your favorite songs can be stripped to parts and reverse-engineered. read more

Oberlin Conservatory Library will be closed Friday, October 23, 2009

Due to electrical work involving the Litoff building, the Oberlin Conservatory Library will be closed Friday, October 23, 2009.

The Roderic C. Knight Instrument Collection on DIsplay

The Roderic C. Knight Instrument Collection One of Emeritus Professor of Ethnomusicology, Rod Knight's research interests is organology, or the scientific study of musical instruments. He began collecting instruments already as a high school student and continued throughout his career, regarding instruments as the "trophies" of ethnomusicology, typically returning from field work with his hands full. Stop in the Conservatory Library and see a sampling of his collection. The entire collection, however, may be viewed and searched online.

IN Harmony: Sheet Music from Indiana

IN Harmony: Sheet Music from Indiana is now available through OBIS. IN Harmony is a search and discovery system for accessing sheet music from the Indiana University Lilly Library, the Indiana State Library, the Indiana State Museum, and the Indiana Historical Society. Funded through a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), IN Harmony features Indiana-related sheet music - sheet music by Indiana composers, arrangers, lyricists or publishers as well as sheet music about the state.

Research Guide Mania

This week we added several new research guides to the Conservatory Library Reference Collection.

Franz Liszt : a research and information guide by Michael Saffle Con Ref ML134.L7 S2 2009

Paul Hindemith : a research and information guide by Stephen Luttmann Con Ref ML134.H5 L87 2009

Vincenzo Bellini : a research and information guide by Stephen A. Willier Con Ref ML134.B439 W54 2009





Alban Berg : a research and information guide by Bryan R. Simms

American Viola Society

The American Viola Society (AVS) is an association for the promotion of viola performance and research. Check it out!

As a member of AVS, you can also take part in local activities through membership in the AVS local chapters located across the country.

To see if there is a local chapter in your area, check out the Community pages.

Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary Dies at 72

By WILLIAM GRIMES

Published: September 17, 2009
NYTimes

Mary Travers, whose ringing, earnest vocals with the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary made songs like “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “If I Had a Hammer” and “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” enduring anthems of the 1960s protest movement, died on Wednesday at Danbury Hospital in Connecticut. She was 72 and lived in Redding, Conn. more

Meet the Circies!

They're here to help you at the Conservatory Library Circulation Desk. Stop in!

Back Row: Tom, Jesse, Kyle
Middle Row: Megan, Charlotte, Jane, Sam, Jonathan, Megan, Cathy, Glenna, Ryan, Francisco, Graham, Austin
Front Row: Sarah, Avery, Charlotte, Will, John

Missing: Jacquie

A Cellist's Companion: A Comprehensive Catalogue of Cello Literature by Michael Feves & Henk Lambooij

Over 35 years of compilation has resulted in the very first comprehensive catalogue of cello music, including approximately 45,000 titles by 15,000 composers. Listed alphabetically by composer are works for cello solo, cello and piano, cello and orchestra, duos, cello ensemble music, solo cello with chamber ensemble, two or more soloists and orchestra, cello and voice, methods and studies. An index by instrumentation is also included. This unique project to compile all music ever written for cello solo - published or unpublished, in print or out of print - is a reference work that will immediately become every cellist's companion.

Conservatory Reference ML128.V5 L3 2007

Meet the Reffies!

The Reference Desk in the Conservatory Library is staffed by a group of eight well-trained reference assistants. The reference desk staff are: Anna, InSoo, Joseph, Brandon, Charlotte, Drew, Lauren, and John (in front). Stop by and ask a question. They're happy to help you!

LIBRARY JOB - CONSERVATORY LIBRARY STUDENT ASSISTANT

APPLICATION DEADLINE: HOURS: 5 hours/week
Sunday, Sept. 6* PAY RATE: $7.30/hr.
*Deadline may be extended if necessary.

RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Assign call numbers and maintain files for new recordings.
• Special projects as needed.

QUALIFICATIONS:
• Ability to handle meticulous and detailed work independently and with accuracy. A short proofreading test will be given at time of interview.
• Good keyboarding skills (accuracy is more important than speed).
• Reliability and punctuality.
• Background in music highly desirable.
• Reading knowledge of foreign language desirable.

Submit application to the Conservatory Library Circulation Desk,
Attn. Phyllis Jones

PLEASE NOTE: Applications must include Conservatory Library Supplement to Application for Student Employment in order to be considered. Forms are available from the Conservatory Library Circulation Desk.

Oberlin College Library actively seeks a diverse student staff. Oberlin College is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer.

Welcome Class of 2013

New in Con Ref: The Guitar in American Banjo, Mandolin and Guitar Periodicals 1882-1933

The Guitar in American Banjo, Mandolin and Guitar Periodicals 1882-1933
Between 1880 and the mid-1930s, a unique musical movement grew and flourished in this country. Focused on the promotion of so-called “plectral instruments,” this movement promoted the banjo, the mandolin, and the guitar as cultivated instruments on a par with the classical violin or piano. The Banjo, Mandolin and Guitar (BMG) community consisted of instrument manufacturers, music publishers, professional teachers and composers, and amateur students. While some professional soloists achieved national recognition, the performing focus of the movement was ensemble work, with bands of banjos, mandolins and guitars ranging from quartets and quintets (modeled on the violin-family string ensembles) to festival orchestras of up to 400 players (mimicking the late romantic symphony orchestra).

The bibliography consists of two large sections. The first contains a chronological list of articles, news items, advertisements, illustrations, and photographs as well as a list of musical works for guitar published in the BMG magazines. The second section of the bibliography is a series of indices which link names and subjects to the lists. With nearly 5500 entries and over 100 pages of indices, this bibliography offers researchers access to a musical world that has been locked away on library shelves for the past century.

New Findings on the Death of Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart may have died at 35 from complications of strep throat in 1791. According to a Dutch study by researchers of the University of Amsterdam, Mozart may of been one of several citizens of Vienna who contracted a deadly kidney complication that stemmed from a strep throat infection during the winter of 1791.

The composer developed severe swelling and back pain that was consistent with a strep infection which led to kidney inflammation known as glomerulonephritis. Researcher Richard Zegers said witnesses may have thought it was possible Mozart may have had scarlet fever, but since his rash came at the end of his illness this was ruled out. With scarlet fever, a rash appears early on.

Previous reports of how Mozart died were thought to be less than reliable. On his death certificate is was officially stated that cause of death was Hitziges Friselfieber, also known as "heated miliary fever", a rash that looked like millet seeds. Is is also thought intentional poisoning, rheumatic fever or trichinosis (eating undercooked pork) were to blame.

Trevor Herbert: Music In Words - A Guide To Researching And Writing About Music

Music in Words: A Guide to Researching & Writing about Music. Trevor Herbert addresses all the issues that anyone, from students to professional musicians, may be confronted with when undertaking a writing task, whether it be a programme note or thesis. This clearly thought-out book is a guide and reference manual in one: the first part is a 'how to' section, including an introduction to the strategic use of the Internet; the second, a compendium of information for quick reference. Its straightforward approach will make it a much-needed support for those who have little or no experience of writing about music, while being equally useful as a reference tool for more experienced users.

Damages of $1.9 million could backfire on music industry

By Ben Sheffner

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - The recording industry secured a resounding victory last week when a Minneapolis jury awarded the four major labels $1.92 million in damages after unanimously finding that a 32-year-old mother had willfully infringed on their copyrights by downloading and sharing 24 songs on the Kazaa peer-to-peer network. more

New in Con Reference: Choral Repertoire

Choral Repertoire is a comprehensive one-volume presentation of the canon of the Western choral tradition. Designed for practicing conductors and directors, students and teachers of choral music, amateur and professional singers, scholars, and interested vocal enthusiasts, it is an account of the complete choral output of the most significant composers of this genre throughout history. Organized by era (Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern), this book will be an essential guide to programming, a reference tool for program notes and other research, and, most importantly, a key resource for conductors, instructors, scholars, and students of choral music.

Bernstein’s Workroom Will Head to Indiana

By Daniel J. Wakin

Published: March 9, 2009 NYTimes

Leonard Bernstein’s children have donated the carefully preserved contents of his main composing studio to Indiana University, which has promised to recreate the space. The items run from the deeply meaningful to the banal. They include Bernstein’s stand-up composing table; a conducting stool that may have been used by Brahms, given as a gift by the Vienna Philharmonic; an electric pencil sharpener; a telephone; an ashtray and disposable lighters; 39 Grammy-nomination plaques; and a piece of the Berlin Wall. (Bernstein conducted an international orchestra in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony near site of the wall shortly after it was taken down.) more

British Library: Archival Sound Recordings: Music from India

British Library: Archival Sound Recordings: Music from India
The ethnomusicologist Rolf Killius has recorded traditional Indian music for the British Library for more than a dozen years, and the Archival Sound Recordings website for the Library has samples of some of the folk, devotional, and ritual music of India that he has recorded. The website allows the visitor to listen to the music by location.

Folk Music in Bartok's Compositions - New in Reference

More than a third of Bartok's compositions are folksong arrangements. This catalogue brings together all the melodies that are in these compositions, including Arab, Hungarian, Romanian, Ruthenian, Serbian and Slovak melodies. Take a look! Con Ref ML134.B18 L27 2008

Green Music for your Environmentally-Friendly St. Patrick's Day!

Click on the following subject headings to find Green Music for St. Patrick's Day!
Ecology - Songs and Music
Earth Day -- Songs and music
Animal sounds
Insect sounds
Nature sounds
Wolf sounds
Birdsongs
Soundscapes (Music)
Winter -- Songs and music
Summer -- Songs and music
Spring -- Songs and music
Autumn -- Songs and music

Baltimore Opera Company moves into Chapter 7 bankruptcy

By Tim Smith | tim.smith@baltsun.com

10:40 PM EDT, March 12, 2009

Three months after seeking Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and canceling the remainder of the 2008-2009 season, the board of trustees of the Baltimore Opera Company voted today to pursue Chapter 7 liquidation instead and dissolve the 58-year-old organization. The company's assets, including a warehouse, scenery, costumes and technical equipment, will be sold, and the proceeds will be distributed among creditors. more

Recent American Art Song - new in reference

Recent American Art Song: A Guide
(Con Ref ML128.S3 C65 2008 ) is a reference source devoted to songs with English texts by American composers, written for solo voice and piano. The book focuses exclusively on art song since 1980, a substantial period largely ignored by scholars. This is the first study to examine this repertory in detail, and many of the songs and composers are discussed in print for the first time.

Keith E. Clifton has examined approximately 1000 songs by nearly 200 composers. Many songs employ musical idioms well beyond traditional classical styles, including references to jazz, musical theater, rap, and rock & roll, and several songs blur the boundaries between recital and stage works. Organized alphabetically by composer, entries contain complete biographical and bibliographical information, with major works and links to print resources and composer websites when available. In addition, Clifton provides detailed information on the vocal range, musical style, and appropriate voice type for individual songs. The book concludes with a full discography and bibliography, as well as indexes listing the works by poet, song cycle, title, voice type, and level of difficulty.

The Chopin Collection at the University of Chicago Library

The Chopin Collection at the University of Chicago Library consists of over 400 first and early printed editions of musical compositions by Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849). The Collection, maintained in the Special Collections Research Center, includes items within the following scope:

• First editions of individual works published before 1881
• Non-first editions of individual works published before 1881
• Collective editions published before 1881

Digitized images of all scores in the University of Chicago Library's Chopin Collection are available as part of the Library's online Chopin Early Editions digital collection.

Clavier Companion

The publications Clavier and Keyboard Companion have merged to form a new title, Clavier Companion. It's on the shelf in Periodicals now.

The Encyclopedia of Popular Music - new online resource!

The online version of Colin Larkin's 10-volume The Encyclopedia of Popular Music, 4th Edition is available through Oxford Music Online. Containing 27,000 entries and over 6,000 new entries, it features a broad musical scope covering popular music of all genres and periods from 1900 to the present day, including jazz, country, folk, rap, reggae, techno, musicals, and world music. The Encyclopedia also offers thousands of additional entries covering popular music genres, trends, styles, record labels, venues, and music festivals. Key dates, biographies, and further reading are provided for artists covered, along with complete discographies that include record labels, release dates, and a 5-star album rating system. Check it out here.

Obama DOJ pick: RIAA lawyer who killed Grokster

by Declan McCullagh

President Obama is continuing to fill the senior ranks of the U.S. Department of Justice with the copyright industry's favorite lawyers.

Donald Verrilli announced Wednesday that he had been named associate deputy attorney general. Verrilli is the lawyer who pulled the plug on Grokster, sued Google on behalf of Viacom, and represented the Recording Industry Association of America against a Minnesota woman named Jammie Thomas who's accused of illicit file sharing. more

Word of the Week: Controlled Vocabulary

Controlled vocabulary is the words and phrases used by a subject specialist when creating subject headings for an article, document, or book for a specific index or catalog. For example, the books in Oberlin's library collection are assigned subject headings from the Library of Congress Subject Headings. Articles listed in Music Index, JSTOR and other are given subject headings by subject specialists, or indexers. These subject headings are then listed in a thesaurus designed for that database. This is meant to provide consistency and order in the chosen words and phrases. If you don't know what the proper subject heading is, try a WORD search in OBIS, select a promising bibliographic record, and then click on the subject to find other like items. Voilà!!

New Scores, Recordings, DVDs, & Books

It was a busy WT in the Conservatory Library. Take a look at all the new items added to the collection while the snow was falling in Oberlin! New Scores, Recordings, DVDs, & Books

MOD Music, Opera & Dance

Packed with more than 8,400 entries of all the relevant performing arts organizations in Asia, the Pacific and North America, MOD is a wonderful guide for everyone working in the international cultural arena. All entries are fully indexed and include key senior personnel contact details, descriptions of organizations and information on budgets and programming strategies. Con Ref PN1583.M875

A Charles Ives Omnibus

New in the Conservatory Library Reference Collection!

Central to the evolution of American music is the legacy of Charles Ives. This grand-scale reference work provides details surrounding Ives' life. Performances, recordings, journalistic reports, reviews, and scholarly studies of all kinds as well as assorted Ivesiana in the form of literature, art, film, dance, and other expressions of homage are included. Many of the entries are amplified with contextual information or carefully selected excerpts. OBIS record

Great Conversations in Music

Before he died in 2003, the late classical musician Eugene Istomin sat down with some of his musical compatriots to record a series of programs titled "Great Conversations in Music". These four wonderful programs are included here on this website, which is maintained by the Library of Congress. The programs were produced and directed by Peter Rosen, and visitors may wish to start their travels through the site by reading a bit about Istomin in the short essay titled "Remembering Eugene Istomin". Moving on, visitors will find the full-length programs "The Pianists", "The Composers", "Chamber Music", and "The Virtuosos". Each program contains performances and conversations with people like Emmanuel Ax, Leon Fleisher, Charles Rosen, Lynn Harrell, and Yo-Yo Ma.

The Frigid Fingers Were Live, but the Music Wasn’t

By DANIEL J. WAKIN

Published: January 23, 2009 NYtimes

Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma and two colleagues performed at the inauguration, but the music had been recorded. more

check out ITunes U

ITunes U is a part of the ITunes Store featuring free lectures, language lessons, audio books, and more, Explore over 75,000 educational audio and video files from top universities, museums and public media organizations from around the world. Click on ITunes Store and follow the links by educational institution, academic interest, or top downloads.

Topics available in music range from classical guitar recitals at the University of Utah to The Folkways Collection at Smithsonian Global Sound to lectures and performances at Yale School of Music. Check it out!!