D. Kern Holoman 
Writing about Music 
A Style Sheet

Where do you place the hyphen in ‘Beethoven’ if it breaks between two lines? How do you cite John Coltrane’s album
A Love Supreme? Is it ‘premiere’ or ‘première’? The answers and much more can be found in this definitive resource for authors, students, editors, concert producers—anyone who deals with music in print. Extending the principles devised for the classical repertoires, this revised and expanded edition now includes examples from world music, rock, jazz, popular music, and cinema. This essential volume covers some of the thorniest issues of musical discourse: how to go about describing musical works and procedures in prose, the rules for citations in notes and bibliography, and proper preparation of such materials as musical examples, tables, and illustrations. One section discusses program notes, while others explain the requirements for submitting manuscripts and electronic files, and outline best practices for student writers. An appendix lists common problem words. Updates include greatly simplified citations of Internet locators, the recognition of multiple platforms, and the expectation of paperless transmission and storage of work. Cited as the authority by
The
Chicago Manual of Style, this classic handbook is the go-to source for anyone writing about music.

Inhoudsopgave

Preface to the Third Edition

Introduction: First Principles


1. Music Terminology

Titles of Works

Major and Minor

Capitalization Schemes

Proper Names

Thematic Catalogs of Composers’ Works

Pitch Names

Dynamics

Numbers

Other


2. Narrative Text

Getting Started

Numbers

Dates

Money

Punctuation

Lowercase and Uppercase

Foreign Languages

British English

Diacritics (Accents)

Ligatures

Word Breaks

Abbreviations

Block Citations

References in Running Text

Roman and Italic

Other Typical House Rules

Format and Design

Finally . . . 


3. Citations and Credits

Articles

Books

Digital Media

Sound

Short Titles

Review Heads

Abbreviations

Principles of Annotation

Sample Notes and Bibliography


4. Musical Examples

Lyrics

Scores and Parts


5. Tables and Illustrations

Tables

Illustrations


6. Programs, Program Notes, and Concert Reviews

Concerts

Operas

Texts and Translations

Rosters of Personnel

Program Notes, Liner Notes

The Concert Listing

Reviews

Finally . . . 


7. File Preparation and Control


8. Best Practices for Student Writers


Preliminaries

Typescript

Citations, Again

Vetting

Submission and Production

Beware

Appendix: Problem Words and Sample Style Sheet

Works Cited

Illustration Credits

Over de auteur

D. Kern Holoman is Professor Emeritus of Music at the University of California, Davis, where he conducted the UCD Symphony Orchestra for more than three decades. He is the author of Berlioz; Evenings with the Orchestra; Masterworks; The Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, 1828–1967; Charles Munch; and The Orchestra: A Very Short Introduction.