IAML International Association of Music Libraries

The Sub-commission on Unimarc met twice during the Sydney Conference. The attendees have adopted updating of the lists “Medium of performance” and “Musical forms”.
They have also considered the other proposals which will be sent to the Permanent Unimarc Committee of IFLA.

1. Codes updating

Musical forms (field 128)
New code

vil	villanelle

Medium of performance (field 145)
New codes

cb	cristal Baschet
mgt	glass trumpet
ocb	cobla
oiv	vocal and instrumental group (or ensemble)
ptx	txalaparta
tih	Irish harp (Gaelic harp, cláirseach)
tsh	shamisen
vhc	haute-contre
wsn	surnāy (zurla, zurna, mizmār)

New variants / codes with suffixes

code		variant terms				main term

kor		positive				organ

ptr		riqq, rikk				tambourine

pwo		mokubio (Japanese woodblocks)		woodblocks

sdb+suffixe	five-string double bass			double bass

vcta		contratenor altus			countertenor

vctb		contratenor bassus			countertenor

wcl+suffixe	clarinet in A				clarinet

wbp		sourdeline				bagpipe

Modified codes

korx 	orgue Hammond		use		kore (electric organ)

pss 	sound structure		use		mss

vcl	contratenor altus	use		vcta

Deleted code

vvg	vagans

2. Relator codes

New relator codes
The Italian Working Group will propose new relator codes useful to catalogue early music manuscripts, printed music and librettos: most of these codes are in Marc21 and Intermarc formats but not in Unimarc. These relator codes are for:

impresario (Italian meaning of the word in the 19e c.)
instrumentist
composer of the adapted work (proposed code: 231)
composer of the “host-work”
costume designer
metteur en scène (director)

Upgrading of the Guidelines for using Unimarc for Music
An upgrading of the Guidelines is necessary due to the upgrading of the rules for using relator codes (alphabetic codes of the list 145 may now be used in subfield $4 of fields in the 7--).
These new rules must be explained and the examples upgraded.

3. Upgrading of field 145

At the beginning of 2006, the reference library of the Cité de la Musique and the Documentation Centre of Contemporary Music (Centre de documentation de la musique contemporaine) (Paris) tried to implement the field 145. Their target was to provide inquiry based on selection of the medium of performance of the musical works. These libraries worked with their software vendors, but the computer engineers couldn’t implement the field 145 with its current structure. It is possible to display the entered data, but it is impossible to inquire some data.
Therefore, the Comité français Unimarc (CfU) is preparing an upgrade project for field 145 (structure of the field and lists of suffixes), which has been submitted during the meeting.
Massimo Gentili-Tedeschi will transmit this project to the Italian Working Group, which will express its opinion in September.

Laurence Decobert