Any kind of preferred title (form, distinctive, or collective) may have qualifiers added at the end in order to distinguish one kind of edition from another. Five qualifiers are encountered frequently in the catalog. If more than one is used, they appear in the following order:
| "Selections" | |
| "arranged" | |
| "Vocal score" or "Chorus score" (if the item is a score) | |
| Language(s) of translation(s) from the original language |
"Vocal score"
For a work originally composed for voice(s) and instrumental ensemble (usually an orchestra), the music for accompanying instruments is arranged for a keyboard instrument. Commonly used for editions of operas, oratorios, etc., intended for study and rehearsal use by the singers.
| Name | Bizet, Georges, 1838-1875. | ||
| Preferred Title | Carmen. Vocal score |
Used for an edition of the complete music of the opera, but with the orchestra music arranged for piano.
"Chorus score"
Similar to "Vocal score," but only the chorus parts (no solo voices) are printed, and the accompaniment is arranged for piano, or is omitted entirely.
| Name | Kodaly, Zoltan, 1882-1967. | ||
| Preferred Title | Psalmus hungaricus. Chorus score |
Used for an edition that prints only the chorus music for this work originally composed for tenor solo, chorus, and orchestra.
"Libretto"
The edition includes only the words of a large vocal work such as a opera or oratorio (i.e., the music is not printed). Under old practices, "Libretto" was tacked onto the preferred title of the vocal work (e.g. "Carmen. Libretto"). Under new practices, the term "Libretto" is only used when the libretto was written by the composer (e.g. "Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Libretto)") ; otherwise, the libretto is filed in the catalog under the librettist with a see reference to the older practice. Due to the amount of librettos that we own, you will encounter both in the catalog for the time being (don't worry, they are still filed under the composer on the shelf!).
| Name | Meilhac, Henri, 1831-1897 | ||
| Preferred Title | Carmen | ||
| See reference | Bizet, Georges, 1838-1875. Carmen. Libretto | ||
| Indexed name | Libretto for (work): Bizet, Georges, 1838-1875. Carmen. |
Used for a book that includes only the words of the opera.
"Text" or "Texts"
The edition includes the words only of smaller vocal works, such as a song, song cycle, or song collection.
| Name | Schubert, Franz, 1797-1828. | ||
| Preferred Title | Songs. Texts |
Used for a book that contains the words only of all the songs of Schubert.
Language(s) of translation(s)
The name(s) of the language(s) is/are added for an edition of a vocal work that includes a translation of the text to a language other than the original one. If this element isn't present, you can assume the work is in its original language.
| Name | Bizet, Georges, 1838-1875. | ||
| Preferred Title | Carmen. Vocal score. English & French |
Used for an edition for voices and piano of the complete opera, with text in the original French, and an English translation provided.
| Name | Bizet, Georges, 1838-1875. | ||
| Preferred Title | Carmen. Libretto. English |
Used for a book containing only the text of the complete opera in English translation, without the original French text.
"Selections"
This indicates that the edition or recording contains only a portion of the work(s) described in the first part of the preferred title.
| Name | Beethoven, Ludwig van, 1770-1827. | ||
| Preferred Title | Piano music. Selections |
Used for a collection of three or more solo piano works by Beethoven, in various forms, but not including all of the piano works.
| Name | Schumann, Robert, 1810-1856. | ||
| Preferred Title | Dichterliebe. Selections |
Used for a collection of three or more songs form the sixteen-song cycle Dichterliebe, but not containing the complete cycle.
"arranged"
The music has been arranged for a different medium of performance, or a different purpose than originally intended by the composer. One of the most frequent uses of "arr." in preferred titles is with editions of works for instrumental soloist(s) and orchestra, with the orchestral accompaniment arranged for a keyboard instrument.
| Name | Brahms, Johannes, 1833-1897. | ||
| Preferred Title | Concertos, piano, orchestra, no. 1, op. 15, D minor; arranged |
Used for an edition for solo piano with orchestra arranged for accompanying piano.
| Name | Joplin, Scott, 1868-1917. | ||
| Preferred Title | Entertainer; arranged |
Used for an edition for other than piano of Joplin's ragtime piano work.