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This page sets out how to decide what the tag for a particular work should be. Although this page of explanation is very long, the
process is normally very short, and you will often find it takes less than a minute to tag a page (sometimes much less, sometimes more).
The tags begin with |Tags= and consist of two main elements: the "work type" and the "instrumentation", separated by spaces and a
semi-colon " ; ". Here are some examples:
|Tags=symphonies ; orch
|Tags=concertos ; pf orch
|Tags=minuets ; str
|Tags=sonatas ; vc pf
|Tags=operettas ; vv orch ; fr
|Tags=oratorios ; 2vv ch pf ; de
You may have noticed that in the last two examples there is a third tag, indicating the language used in vocal works.
Note that semi-colons are used rather than slashes, and no capital letters should be used in the tags.
Work Type
The first element of the tag is the "work type", always given in the plural (so we use "symphonies" rather than "symphony"). Very often
the type is contained in the work title, e.g. names of musical forms (sonata, symphony, concerto), tempo designations (adagio, allegro),
and standard combinations of instruments (trio, quartet), and these can be identified very quickly.
On the other hand there are works like Messiah or Le nozze di Figaro where the form of work is not obvious from the main title, but the
composer has helpfully provided descriptions or subtitles so that we know these are oratorios and operas respectively. Sometimes
there's no clarification in the score itself, and we might have to consult printed or online reference sources such as Grove for a definitive
answer.
It's also important to make sure that the types are always given in the same language, with the same capitalisation, according to the
same rules (because "Part Song" and "partsong", for example, would be considered as different tags by IMSLP's software). So we need a
standard glossary of terms that we can use. It so happens that music librarians have been grappling with these problems for years, and
the list below owes much to the Music Library Association's list of Types of Compositions for Use in Music Uniform Titles [1],
supplemented by other sources.
The first column lists a variety of musical forms, both singular and plural, in various languages (indicated by standard two-letter codes
[2]). The second column (highlighted in green) indicates the standardised type that we should use, which are usually in the plural. You
may then need to scroll further up or down the list to see any important notes accompanying its usage in the main entry (in bold type),
e.g. that the term Anthems should only be used for choral works rather than for national anthems (which have their own distinct tag).
Type of Work
See under Notes
(singular/plural/language)
Adagietto/Adagiettos (it) adagiettos use only when it is the composer's title for an independent piece
Adagio/Adagios (it) adagios use only when it is the composer's title for an independent piece
Agitato/Agitatos (it) agitatos use only when it is the composer's title for an independent piece
part of the traditional Latin mass; use only for independent pieces
Agnus Dei (la) agnus dei
(note the singular form)
Allegretto/Allegrettos (it) allegrettos use only when it is the composer's title for an independent piece
Allegro/Allegros (it) allegros use only when it is the composer's title for an independent piece
Andante/Andantes (it) andantes use only when it is the composer's title for an independent piece
Andantino/Andantinos (it) andantinos use only when it is the composer's title for an independent piece
use only for choral settings of religious or moral texts (do not confuse
Anthem/Anthems (en) anthems
with national anthems)
Antiphons (en) antiphons part of the traditional Latin mass; use only for independent pieces
use only when it is the composer's title for an independent vocal work;
Aria/Arias (en, fr, hu, it, es) arias
use Airs for purely instrumental works of 17th/18th centuries
Arietta/Ariettas (en, de, it, ru) ariettas use only when it is the composer's title for an independent vocal work
Arioso/Ariosos (en) ariosos use only when it is the composer's title for an independent vocal work
Aubade/Aubades (en, fr, de, it, es) aubades a piece of morning music (counterparts of serenades or nocturnes)
Ave Maria (la) ave maria use only for independent works so titled by the composer
Ballad/Ballads (en) ballads applies to vocal works only; use Ballade for instrumental works
Ballade/Ballades (en, fr, de) ballades use for instrumental works only; use Ballad for vocal works
use only for renaissance Italian songs so titled (do not confuse with
Ballata/Ballatas (it) ballatas
Ballada)
Ballet/Ballets (en, fr) ballets use only for dance forms (do not confuse with Balletts)
use only for 16th/17th-century vocal works styled as such (do not
Ballett/Balletts (en) balletts
confuse with Ballets)
Basse danse/Basse danses (en, fr, es) basse danses the principal court dance during the late Middle Ages and Renaissance
a social dance popular in Europe and American from the 1930s, with a
Beguine/Beguines (en, de, it, es) beguines
rhythm similar to that of the bolero
Benedictus (la) benedictus use only for pieces independent from the ordinary mass
Berceuse/Berceuses (fr) berceuses for instrumental works only; use lullabies for vocal works
Bolero/Boleros (en, de, hu, it, ru, es) boleros a Spanish dance in triple time
Bossa nova/Bosa novas (en, fr, de, pt) bossa novas Brazilian dance from the mid-20th century
use for late 18th/early 19th century humorous stage works styled as
Burlesque/Burlesques (fr, en) burlesques
such by the composer
Cakewalk/Cakewalks (en) cakewalks African American dance of the late 19th/early 20th centuries
Cancin/Cancines (es) canciones use only when it is the composer's title for a vocal piece
Cantabile/Cantabiles (en, fr, de, it, es) cantabiles use only when it is the composer's title for a short vocal piece
late 16th-century Italian part-song; also used for solo songs and
Canzonetta/Canzonettas canzonettas instrumental pieces of a songlike nature (do not confuse with
Canzonas, Canzonets)
use 'only when it is the composer's original title (do not confuse with
Capriccio/Capriccios (it) capriccios
Caprices)
use 'only when it is the composer's original title (do not confuse with
Caprice/Caprices (en, fr) caprices
Capriccios)
Chaconne/Chaconnes (en, fr, de) chaconnes a form of variations popular during the Baroque era
Chansonette/Chansonettes (fr) chansons use only when it is the composer's original title
use only when it is the composer's original title; do not confuse with
Chant/Chants (en) chants
French Chants; for Gregorian chant, use Plainchant
Character piece/Character pieces (en) character pieces use only where this (or a foreign equivalent) is the composer's title
Characteristic piece/Characteristic pieces [variants: character piece, Charakterstck; currently grouped with
character pieces
(en) pieces]
Chorale prelude/Chorale preludes (en) chorale preludes setting of a chorale melody, usually for organ
Choralvorspiel/Choralvorspiele; Choral-
chorale preludes
Vorspiel/Choral-Vorspiele (de)
Communions (en) communions part of the traditional Latin mass; use only for independent pieces
use only where it is the composer's original title, but use different
Concertante/Concertantes (en, it, es) concertantes
heading for Sinfonie concertanti
Concertino/Concertinos (it) concertinos use only where it is the composer's original title
Cradle song/Cradle songs (en) lullabies for vocal works only, otherwise use berceuses
part of the traditional Latin mass; use only for independent pieces
Credo (en, fr, de, it, la) credo
(note singular form)
Dal/Dalok (hu) dalok Hungarian vocal work; use only when it is the composer's original title
a Cuban ballroom dance developed during the 19th century (do not
Danzn (es) danzon
confuse with Dance)
a sequence from the traditional Latin mass; use only for independent
Dies irae (la) dies irae
pieces
Dirge/Dirges (en) dirges a mournful song or instrumental piece for burial or memorial rites
Double concerto/Double concertos (en) double concertos a concerto for two solo instruments with orchestral accompaniment
Double canon/Double canons (en, fr) double canons a variant of the canon with two independent solo lines
Double fugue/Double fugues (en, fr) double fugues a variant of the fugue with two independent solo lines
Dumka/Dumkas (en, fr, de, it, es, ru) dumkas a Slavonic folk ballad; can be vocal or instrumental
'Estampie/Estampies (en, fr, de) estampies instrumental dance form originating in the 13th and 14th centuries
Film Score/Film Scores (de) film scores music specifically written to accompany cinematic works
Finale/Finales (it) finales use only when it is the composer's title for an independent piece
Folk song/Folksong/Folk use for works specifically identified as such, or general songs of a
folksongs
songs/Folksongs (en) national or regional character that are not otherwise designated
Forlane/Forlanes (en, fr) forlanes an Italian folkdance popular in the early 18th century
a fugue-like piece which falls short of a proper fugue; use only when
Fugato/Fugatos (en, fr, de, hu, it, ru) fugatos
it is the composer's original title
Fughetta/Fughettas (en, fr, de, it, es) fughettas a short or light fugue; use only when it is the composer's original title
treat "Prelude and Fugue" separately, i.e. first as a Prelude and then
Fugue/Fugues (en, fr) fugues
also as a Fugue (etc.)
Funeral march/Funeral marches (en) funeral marches use only when styled as such by the composer; otherwise use Marches
Galop/Galops (en) galops a fast and lively ballroom dance in 2/4 time
an old French dance in common time beginning on the 3rd beat of the
Gavotte/Gavottes (en, fr, de) gavottes
bar
part of the traditional Latin mass; use only for independent pieces
Gloria (la) gloria
(note singular form)
Gradual/Graduals (nl, en, de, es) graduals use only for independent pieces so titled by the composer
a Cuban narrative song form, usually in 6/8 alternating with 3/4; use
Guajira/Guajiras (es) guajiras
only when it is the composer's original title
use only for works for wind instruments or a small wind band (oboes,
Harmony/Harmonies (en) harmonies
horns, bassoons, etc.) when this is the composer's title
a dance in triple or duple time popular with British sailors in the 18th
Hornpipe/Hornpipes (en) hornpipes
century
Hymne (de) hymns use for religious works only; otherwise see "secular hymns"
Improperia (la) improperia use only for independent works so styled by the composer
Intermde/Intermdes (fr) intermedes use only when this is the composer's title of a character piece
Introduction/Introductions (en, fr) introductions use only when this is the composer's original title
use only for organ pieces when this is the composer's original title; for
Introit/Introits (en) introits
the extract from the Latin mass, use Hymns
Invention/Inventions (en, fr, de) inventions use only where this is the composer's original title
Jazz (en) jazz use for improvisational pieces without prescribed instrumentation
Kujawiak/Kujawiaks (en, pl) kujawiaks Polish folk dance, similar to but slower than the mazurka
part of the traditional Latin mass; use only for independent pieces
Kyrie (el, la) kyrie
(note singular form)
Larghetto/Larghettos (en, fr, de, it, es) larghettos use only when it is the composer's title
Lento (en, fr, de, it, es) lentos use only when it is the composer's title
use only for short instrumental or vocal exercises, where this is the
Lesson/Lessons (en) lessons
composer's title
use for publications of the text of operatic and vocal works that omit
Libretto/Librettos (en) librettos
the music
Lied/Lieder (de) lieder use only when styled as such by the composer
Liturgy/Liturgies (en) liturgies use only when styled as such by the composer
Lullaby/Lullabies (en) lullabies for vocal works only; otherwise use berceuses
Madrigal/Madrigals (en, fr, de, hu, es) madrigals Use for "madrigali spirituali" as well
Magnificat/Magnificats (la) magnificats use only for independent works so title by the composer
Malaguea/Malagueas (es) malaguenas a type of instrumental piece, song, or dance in the flamenco style
Mambo/Mambos (en, fr, de, it ,es) mambos a 20th-century Cuban ballroom dance
Mazurka/Mazurkas (cz, en, fr, de, hu, ru) mazurkas a Polish folk dance in triple time
Meditation/Meditations (en) meditations use only when this is the composer's title
Mlodie/Mlodies (fr) melodies use only for French vocal works when this is the composer's title
Milonga/Milongas (es) milongas a traditional song or dance genre from Argentina and Uruguay
a song usually for solo voice and guitar popular in 19th-century Brazil
Modinha/Modinhas (en, pt) modinhas
and Portugal; also a Brazilian dance form derived from the vocal form
Motet/Motets (cz, nl, en, fr, pl, ru) motets use only when styled as such by the composer
Ma (cz) masses
Music history (en) music history use for writings about historical music practices
use for writings about the general composition, harmony, rhythm and
Music theory (en) music theory
structure of music
use only for pieces of music that are national anthems of countries
National Anthem/National Anthems (en) national anthems (past or present), or works based on their themes (do not confuse with
anthems)
chant, item of the Proper of the Mass; from the 17th century
Offertorium/Offertoria (en, de, la) offertorium
frequently performed independently of the liturgy
use only for independent settings that do not form part of larger
Offertory/Offertories (en) offertories
works
Operetta/Operettas (en) operettas a form of light opera, popular from the late 19th century
Oratorio/Oratorios (en/fr/it) oratorios divide into "sacred oratorios" and "secular oratorios" if possible
Ostinato/Ostinatos (it) ostinatos use only where this is the composer's original title
Ottetto (it) octets
Overture/Overtures (en) overtures use only for independent works styled as such by the composer
Pantomime/Pantomimes (en, fr) pantomimes late 18th/early 19th century form of ballet popular in France
Passamezzo/Passamezzos (en) passamezzos an Italian dance of the 16th and early 17th centuries
Passepied/Passepieds (fr) passepieds a French courtly dance of the 17th/18th centuries, in triple time
Passion/Passions (en) passions use only where this is the composer's designation
Pome symphonique/Pomes
symphonic poems
symphoniques (en)
Polka/Polkas (nl, en, fr, de, hu, pl) polkas a lively Bohemian dance in 2/4 time
Postlude/Postludes (en, fr) postludes use only for independent works titled as such by the composer
Potpourri/Potpourris (en, de, hu, es) potpourris a piece consisting of pre-existing tunes, often from operas
use only for independent works titled as such by the composer; but
Prelude/Preludes (en) preludes
see also Chorale preludes
Presto/Prestos (it) prestos use only when it is the composer's title for an independent piece
Processional/Processionals (en) processionals use only for pieces for organ styled as such by the composer
use only for settings of Biblical psalms, and then only if the entire text
Psalm/Psalms (en/de/ru) psalms comes from the psalms; if it is mixed with other texts, use something
else
Publishers' catalog/Publishers'
publishers catalogs
catalogues (en)
Quodlibet/Quodlibets (en, fr, de, hu, it, a composition in which well-known melodies and texts appear in
quodlibets
es) successive or simultaneous combinations
Rag/Rags (en) rags a syncopated piece, often for keyboard, from the early 20th-century
generic term used in France during the 17th and 18th centuries for
Rcit/Rcits (fr) recits
fragments or entire compositions for solo voices or instruments
Recitative/Recitatives (en, fr) recitatives use only for works titled as such by the composer
Rpons/Rpons responsories
Reproaches (en) improperia
Responsory/Repsonsories (en) responsories use only for independent works so titled by the composer
Ricercare/Ricercars/Ricercari (en, it) ricercars use only where this is the composer's title
Rigaudon/Rigaudons (en, de, hu) rigaudons a French folk dance popular during the 17th/18th centuries
use only for the vocal work of the 13th to 15th centuries; for the
Rondeau/Rondeaux (fr) rondeaux
repeat form of the late 18th and 19th centuries, use Rondos
Rondino/Rondinos (en) rondinos use only where this is the composer's title
Rondo/Rondos (en, fr, de) rondos use only where this is the composer's title for an independent piece
Rondoletto/Rondolettos (it) rondolettos use only where this is the composer's title
Rumba/Rumbas (en, fr, de, it, ru, es) rumbas a popular recreational dance of Afro-Cuban origin.
Sacred song/Sacred songs (en) sacred songs for songs based on a religious subject; see also Songs
Saltarello/Saltarellos (en, fr, de, it, es) saltarellos a rapid Italian dance in triple metre
Salve Regina (la) salve regina use only for an independent work, so styled by the composer
Samba/Sambas (en, fr, de, it, ru, es) sambas an Afro-Brazilian couple-dance and popular musical form
Sanctus (la) sanctus part of the traditional Latin mass; use only for independent pieces
(note singular form)
Scale/Scales (en) scales use for works designated as scale studies by their composers
Scherzo/Scherzos (en, fr, de, it, es) scherzos use only for independent compositons styled as such by the composer
for cantatas not based on religious subjects; see also Sacred cantatas
Secular cantata/Secular cantatas (en) secular cantatas
and Cantatas
for works styled as hymns by the composer, but which don't have a
Secular hymn/Secular hymnss (en) secular hymns
religious subject
for oratorios not based on religious subjects; see also Sacred oratorios
Secular oratorio/Secular oratorios (en) secular oratorios
and Oratorios
Sequences (en) sequences part of the traditional Latin mass; use only for independent pieces
use only for 17th/18th-century dramatic vocal works for two or more
Serenata/Serenatas (it) serenatas singers and orchestra; for instrumental works entitled serenata, use
"serenades".
Simphonie concertante/Simphonies
symphonies concertantes
concertantes (fr)
use only for Baroque works titled as such by the composer; otherwise
Sinfonia/Sinfonie/Sinfonias (it, en) sinfonias
use Symphonies
Sinfonie concertante/Sinfonies
symphonies concertantes
concertantes (fr)
Sketch/Sketches (en) sketches use only when designated as such by the composer
Solfeggio/Solfeggios (it) solfeggios use only for vocal exercises styled as such by the composer
generic term for Latin American rural or peasant music, both vocal
Son/Sones (es) sones
and instrumental
Sonatina/Sonatinas (en) sonatinas use only when it is the composer's original title
use only for works styled as such by the composer, or for any piece
Song/Songs (en) songs for solo voice (with or without accompaniment) whose form is not
designated; note also Folksongs, Sacred songs
a sequence from the traditional Latin mass; use only for independent
Stabat Mater (la) stabat mater
works titled as such by the composer
Symphonie concertante/Symphonies a work for multiple solo instruments and orchestra; use only when it is
symphonies concertantes
concertantes (fr) the composer's title
use for the multi-movement work of the 18th to 20th centuries; but
Symphony/Symphonies (en) symphonies
for the Italian Baroque sinfonia use Sinfonias
Tango/Tangos (en, fr, de, it, ru, es) tangos a Latin-American song and dance
Tarantella/Tarantellas (de, it, en, ru) tarantellas a folkdance of southern Italy in triple time
Te Deum (en/fr/de/it/la/es) te deum use only for independent works styled as such by the composer
Thematic catalog/Thematic catalogues use for catalogues of works by a composer that include musical
thematic catalogs
(en) incipits
Tragdie en musique tragedies en musique Use only for the late 17th-18th C. French form of opera so named
Trio/Trios (en, fr, de, it, ru, es) trios a composition for three performers
Uwertura overtures
use for "Theme and Variations", etc., and all works consisting of a
Variation/Variations (en, fr, de) variations sequence of variations on one or more themes whose form is not
otherwise designated
Variatsiia/(ru) variations
Villancico/Villancicos (es) villancicos a Spanish vocal work for one or more voices with refrain
a form of light vocal music popular in Italy and elsewhere from the
Villanella/Villanelle (en, it, ru, es) villanelle
1530s to the early 17th century (do not confuse with Vilannelles)
Vivace/Vivaces (en, fr, de, it, es, ru) vivaces use only when this is the composer's title
a piece for solo organ used at the beginning and end of church
Voluntary/Voluntaries (en) voluntaries
services, or an extemporised musical compositon
Wedding march/Wedding marches (en) wedding marches use only when styled as such by the composer; otherwise use Marches
Wiegenlied/Wiegenlieder (de) lullabies for vocal works only; otherwise use berceuses
use only for writings that are so generic they do not fit into a more
Writings (en) writings
specific category, e.g. music theory
Zortzico/Zortzicos (es) zortzicos Basque folksong or dance in 5/4 time with dotted rhythms
German folk dance with regular alternation between duple and triple
Zwiefacher/Zwiefache (de) zwiefache
meter
Special cases
If a work's title includes more than one of the above terms (e.g. "Prelude and Fugue", "Romances and Songs" or "Valse-Scherzo") then a
separate tag should be given for each term ("preludes ; fugues", "romances ; songs", "waltzes ; scherzos". The only exceptions are those
in the form of "Theme and Variations" or "Air and Variations", etc. which are all tagged just as variations").
The tag should always describe the whole composition, and not the individual movements or sections within a work.
With the exception of the double canons and double fugues, numbers or adjectives should be ignored when deciding on the work type,
so that "Psalm XLIX" just comes under psalms, and a "Groe Fugue" comes under fugues.
Always use the work type designated by the composer, even if you think it must be wrong. Watch out for inaccurate translations or work
page titles though!
Summary
When deciding on the "work type" of any composition, consider the following questions, in this order:
If the answer to all these is "no", then you're very unlucky. But in these rare cases you should use "piece" as the work type for the time
being, and post a note in the forums or project discussion page to see if anyone can provide a more definitive answer. The same applies
if you think you have the correct term but it doesn't appear in the table above, which doesn't claim to be completely comprehensive.
Once you've found your standard work type, you can move on to the instrumentation ...
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Instrumentation
Apart from the "work type", the other element of the work tag is the instrumentation. It's important to be clear that the work tag is not
intended to duplicate the detailed data that is (or should be) already displayed in the general information box of the work page. Instead,
the tag should summarise this information as concisely as possible, using a system of abbreviations for instrument names and families.
These have to be standardized and used in a particular way so that they can be understood by IMSLP's software. But they have been
designed to be straightforward to use, with a little practice.
Again, do not give separate tags to individual movements or sections within a work. The tag should always describe the instrumentation
of the whole work, in its original form, without considering any arrangements or transcriptions (but see also "special cases", below).
Ensembles
Larger works will have multiple performers playing the same instruments and sometimes performing identical parts. The largest of these
ensembles is of course the orchestra, which includes instruments from the four main families of: woodwinds, brass, percussion and
strings. So:
Family Abbreviation Description
Where two or three families of instruments come together to make a larger ensemble we can also combine some of these abbreviations
using only a space
The families are always named in the same order (woodwinds; brass; percussion; strings), and do not have any capital letters in their
codes. Reduce terms like "wind band", "military band", "brass band" and "chamber orchestra" to their constituent families or instruments,
eg. a piece for wind band would be
Solo instruments
The names of individual instruments should be given if they are not playing as part of an ensemble. This can be in a chamber piece,
playing with other soloists, or as a soloist in a concerto.
This is not intended to be a comprehensive list of orchestral instruments just the ones most likely to be used in the work tags. If
you need to use any instruments that are not on the list, then if possible tag them with the appropriate instrument family name
(woodwinds, brass, percussion, strings or keyboard) and bring this to the attention of the project co-ordinator.
for large ensembles only (do not use for chamber or Woodwind
Woodwinds (modern) ww
instrumental works) instrument
Bass clarinet/Bass clarinets bcl use for B or A bass clarinet Bass clarinet
Contrabass clarinet/Contrabass use for any clarinet lower than A bass clarinet, Contrabass
cbcl
clarinets including contralto clarinet clarinet
Saxophone/Saxophones sax Saxophone
Woodwind
Woodwinds (traditional) ww
instrument
Pan flute pan use for pan pipes, quenas and similar Andean flutes Pan flute
Chalumeau/Chalumeaux cm Chalumeau
Slide trumpet/Slide trumpets stpt Also known as Tromba di tirarsi or Zugtrompete Slide trumpet
Unpitched
use this tag for all unpitched percussion
Percussion (unpitched) perc percussion
instruments
instrument
use this tag for any percussion instrument not Pitched percussion
Percussion (pitched) perc
appearing in the list below instrument
Glass harmonica/Glass harmonicas ghca Not to be confused with the ordinary harmonica Glass harmonica
Tibetan crystal singing bowls (including sheng,
Sheng/Shengs sheng Sheng
lusheng)
Hammered
Dulcimer/Dulcimers dulc use for hammered dulcimer
dulcimer
for large ensembles only (do not use for chamber or Plucked string
Plucked strings (modern) str
instrumental works) instrument
for large ensembles only (do not use for chamber or Plucked string
Plucked strings (traditional) str
instrumental works) instrument
for large ensembles only (do not use for chamber or Bowed string
Bowed strings (modern) str
instrumental works) instrument
Violin/Violins vn Violin
Arpeggione arp do not confuse with Italian arpa (for harp) Arpeggione
for large ensembles only (do not use for chamber or Bowed string
Bowed strings (traditional) str
instrumental works) instrument
Vielle/Vielles vie use also for hurdy-gurdy and lire organizzate Vielle
Electronic musical
Electronic Instruments
instrument
Synthesizer/Synthesizers syn use for any other electronic keyboard or organ Synthesizer
Ondes Martenot om Ondes Martenot
Usage
Spaces should only be used to separate instrument names, and the tag should not contain any additional spaces, semi-colons, dashes or
any other punctuation. For example:
Different forms of the same instrument should be grouped together, e.g. "2hn" (not "bass hn and alto hn"), and any instruments that are
marked ad lib. or 'optional' should be omitted.
The sequence of instruments within each tag must follow the sequence in the table above.
Orchestral ensembles
Use "orch" for a mixed ensemble of winds and strings (with more than one string player per part), with or without percussion; only
include individual instruments in the tag if they are designated as soloists throughout (see Concertos below). So a small classical
orchestra with one oboe, 2 horns and strings would still be "orch".
The term "band" has a different meaning in different countries, so we avoid it here, and instead use these tags:
"ww br" = wind ensemble (consisting of woodwind and brass instruments only)
"ww br perc" = wind band (woodwind, brass and percussion instruments)
"ww" = woodwind ensemble (no percussion or brass)
"br" = brass ensemble (no woodwinds or percussion)
"br perc" = brass band (no woodwinds)
Concertos
Normally the name of the solo instrument(s) comes before the ensemble. For example
Note that for a concerto grosso, where individual instruments in an orchestra take their turns as soloists, the tag would still be "orch".
Chamber/Instrumental works
For small-scale works, where solo instruments are performing together as individuals instead of part of a group, all the instruments
should be listed individually:
"2vn va vc" = 2 violins, viola and cello (the standard string quartet combination)
"fl vn va vc" = flute, violin, viola and cello
"vn vc pf" = violin, cello and piano
"hn 2crt tba" = horn, 2 cornets, tuba
"ob 2hn 2vn va pf" = oboe, 2 horns, 2 violins, viola and piano
"cl bn 2vn va vc db" = clarinet, bassoon, 2 violins, viola, cello and double bass
"fl 2vn va vc 2hpd" = flute, 2 violins, viola, cello and 2 harpsichords
Many baroque pieces include a part for "basso continuo" or "continuo" which can be played by unspecified combinations of instruments.
This should be treated as a single instrument abbreviated to "bc" and placed at the end of the tag (e.g. "2vn va bc").
If it is unclear whether a work is intended for solo string instruments or for string ensemble, then both possibilities should be
tagged.
Choral Works
Use the abbreviation "ch" for any chorus consisting of both male and female performers. Otherwise you should choose the appropriate
term from the list below:
The chorus should always be listed before any accompaniment, like this:
However, if a piano accompaniment is intended for rehearsal only, the piano part should not be included in the tag. Instead, mention in
the "Misc. note" for that specific edition that there is a piano part for rehearsal only.
If it is unclear whether a work is intended for solo voices or for a chorus, then both possibilities should be tagged.
Vocal Works
Choose from the following terms for works involving solo voices (singular / plural):
use when the ranges of multiple solo voices are not known or not
Voices vv (double v)
specified
(e.g. "2eq") use when the range of two or more solo voices are
Equal voices eq
equal but unspecified
Mezzo-Soprano/Mezzo-Sopranos mez
Alto/Altos alt
Haute-contre alt
Countertenor alt
Tenor/Tenors ten
Baritone/Baritones bar
for spoken dialogue parts only (e.g. Prokofiev's Peter and the
Narrator nar
Wolf)
If the range of a solo voice part is not specified then use either v (singular voice) or vv (2 or more voices) as required. Examples include:
In the case of operas and operettas with many characters and solo parts it is not necessary to count the number of solo vocal parts. Just
use "vv" for "voices
operas ; vv ch orch
Although most operas and operettas are written for the above combination, there are significant exceptions, so make no assumptions!
Language tags are usually required for vocal works (see below)
Special Cases
Alternative Instrumentation
Some works include alternative parts for solo instruments approved by the composer, like the Viola or Violin Concerto No.2 by Anton
Stamitz, where the solo instrument can be a violin, viola, or viola d'amore. In such cases more than one tag should be used, e.g.:
Occasionally a work can exist in two different forms, particularly where a piece for piano was later orchestrated by the composer, like
Holst's suite The Planets (originally written for piano duet, but better known in the composer's orchestral version). This would be tagged
as both:
In renaissance (and some later) works, each individual voice of a polyphonic composition may be assigned a separate staff, which may
only be labelled "soprano" or "canto" (if labelled at all), even though they are intended to be played on instruments rather than sung. This
is known as "open scoring", and we have special tags to deal with this situation. For example:
For ease of use we retain the "sop alt ten bass" ranges in the tags, but the tag for "sop" would be converted to "treble" in the category
description.
Where we only have clefs, without any indications of ranges, the following guide should be used:
Preferred
Clef Usual part name, or applicable voice range
voice
G2 Treble, also Triplum: these days usually sung by female Sopranos sop
C1 Canto/Cantus, or Discantus, Superius: Soprano sop
C2 Medius/Mean (also Cantus, Altus occasionally): might be more of a Mezzo-Soprano (Mez) sop (or alt)
C3 Alto/Altus/Contratenor [altus] (also Tenor occasionally): usually sung by female Contraltos alt
If some instruments are specified, but not others, then everything in the tag preceding the "open" would be treated as a normal
instrument
"sop open 2sop alt bass" = soprano voice with 4 unspecified instruments (2 of which are treble, 1 alto and 1 bass)
If all else fails, and if it's not possible to identify the instrumentation at all, then use:
Undetermined instrumentation
If the instrumentation of the original work cannot be determined (because IMSLP has only arrangements, and not the original score), then
the tag und may be used. This will place the work into the special category Works with undetermined instrumentation, from which they
can be removed when the original instrumentation is ascertained.
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Languages
An extra tag is used to indicate the language of a vocal or literary work. This should consist of the standard 2-letter codes, some of the
most common of which are shown below:
Albanian sq
Anglo-Saxon ang
Arabic ar
Aragonese an
Aramaic arc
Armenian hy
Azerbaijani az
Basque eu
Bulgarian bg
Catalan ca
Cherokee chr
Chinese zh
Church Slavonic cu
Croatian hr
Czech cz
Danish da
Dutch nl
Efik efi
English en
Esan ish
Esperanto eo
Estonian et
Farsi (Persian) fa
Finnish fi
French fr
Gaelic (Irish) ge
Gaelic (Scottish) gd
Galician glg
Georgian ka
German de
Greek (Modern) el
Haitian Creole ht
Hawaiian haw
Hebrew he
Hindi hi
Hungarian hu
Icelandic is
Indonesian id
Irish (Gaelic) ge
Italian it
Japanese ja
Latin la
Latvian lv
Lithuanian lt
Macedonian mk
Maltese mt
Maori mi
Neapolitan nap
Norwegian no
Occitan oc
Persian (Farsi) fa
Polish pl
Portuguese pt
Romanian ro
Russian ru
Sanskrit sa
Scots (Gaelic) sc use for the Germanic language spoken in the lowlands of Scotland
use for the Celtic language spoken in the Scottish highlands and
Scottish (Gaelic) gd
islands
Serbian sr
Slovak sk
Slovene sl
Spanish es
Swahili sw
Swedish sv
Tagalog tl
Telugu te
Turkish tr
Ukrainian uk
Venetian ve
Vietnamese vi
Welsh cy
Yiddish yi
Zulu zu
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