Thursday, March 29, 2007

Heyer's Historical sets, collected editions, and monuments of music


Historical Sets, Collected Editions, and Monuments of Music: A Guide to their Contents by Anna Harriet Heyer is one of the essential reference tools in the field of Western classical music. The original edition of the work was published in 1957 and there have updated editions in 1969 and 1980. During this time it expanded from 485 to 1105 pages.

Over the past 90 years the San Francisco Public Library has purchased hundreds of sets of collected editions and monuments of music. A collected edition can be either the complete collected works of a single composer, or a series of works by various composers grouped according to a historical time period, a musical style, or a geographic area. These sets are based on the best scholarship known at the time and include the most accurate editions of the scores. Sets of complete works by a composer should include every work that the composer has written no matter how obscure.

At the San Francisco Public Library, complete works of composers are shelved using the 780.8 call number. The majority of these sets are for library use only, but there are a few on the circulating shelves as well. Many of these sets can be searched online using our online catalog, however, there are also many that are not yet in the database. These must be found using the score card catalog, or by browsing the shelves.

A search of the online catalog does not usually retrieve the contents of the individual volumes of these large sets. Heyer's book is important because it details the contents of these sets. Furthermore, every set has idiosyncracies in they way that it is organized. Additionally, several sets may be difficult to use because they are in foreign languages that may not be familiar to every musician. The overview provided in Heyer can save alot of time in locating a work.

More recently, George R. Hill and Norris L. Stephens have completed a work entitled Historical Sets, Collected Editions, and Monuments of Music: A Bibliography. In many respects this work is an update of Heyer's 1980 edition. However, Hill and Stephens' work does not replace the Heyer in one important way - it provides only a bibliographic citation for the collected works of single composers and does not show the contents of each volume.

There is another way to locate works within a composer's collected works set. Articles on composers in the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians usually give a detailed list of works by that composer. Often these works lists will provide the volume and page number for individual works within the collected works of that composer. Remember, that all San Francisco Public Library card holders have access to the New Grove as a database. To find the New Grove online go the Library's Articles and Databases webpage.

Heyer's book and Hill & Stephen's book also index volumes of musical monuments, historical sets and series. For additional help, come to the Art, Music and Recreation Center reference desk on 4th floor of the library. We also have in-house indexes to some collected works sets not indexed in Heyer or the New Grove.

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Cricket Anyone? A Cricket World Cup Exhibit

The Art, Music and Recreation Center is currently featuring a small exhibit celebrating the 2007 Cricket World Cup. The exhibit is located in a display case on the Main Library's 4th floor and features material from our book, magazine, and digital collections.

The 2007 International Cricket Council Cricket World Cup is being played from March 13 through April 28, 2007. The games are being hosted by the West Indies countries of Jamaica, St. Kitts & Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Lucia, Antigua & Barbuda, Barbadoes, Granada, and Guyana. Sixteen teams are competing to win this event that is held every four years.

While not of the same notoriety as its soccer counterpart, the Cricket World Cup is passionately followed by untold millions of fans, primarily from Great Britain and its former colonies. There is sizable fanbase for cricket in the San Francisco Bay Area owing to our diverse population. For many fans, cricket, like baseball, is not just about the game, but the atmosphere and rituals that a match provides.

The Library has books that introduce cricket to the novice, such as Robert Eastaway's Cricket Explained: From Grubbers to Googlies - A Beginner's Guide to the Great English Pastime. (The 2005 edition of this book, What Is A Googly, is on order at the Library). Beyond A Boundary by C. L. R. James is considered by some to be a classic of sports writing. This book is a memoir that uses cricket as a means of looking at issues of politics, colonialism, and race.

Lagaan: Once Upon A Time In India is a 2001 feature film from India where cricket plays a prominent role. The summary of the film reads: "A village in India asks the British lord to cancel their land tax after a drought ruins the crops. The lord offers to cancel the tax if the villagers beat his staff in a game of cricket." The Library has copies of this film at the Main Library and several branches.

While many Americans have never watched a game of cricket, it was once America's national game, and its history is tied to and precedes that of baseball. In California, cricket had a longer popularity since major baseball teams were established here later. San Francisco was the hub of the state's cricket activity by 1900. The following image is a 1875 photograph of the Recreation Field at the corner of Folsom and 25 Street from the Library's San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Photography Magazine Exhibit on the 4th floor

One of the hidden jewels of the San Francisco Public Library is our vast periodicals collection housed in the Magazines and Newspapers Center on the Main Library's 5th floor. It includes thousands of titles dating from the 18th century to the present.

Currently the Art, Music and Recreation Center is exhibiting covers and contents from our photography magazine collection. The exhibit is located in a display case on the Main Library's 4th floor adjacent to the staircase and near the page desk.

Some of the magazines featured in the exhibit include:


Studio Photography: The Business Behind The Image (continues Studio Photography & Design) is a magazine for the professional photographer and the imaging professional. Each month features the latest wedding, commercial, portrait, travel and digital photographers. Resources include marketing strategies, product reviews, technical tips and business relations.

Holdings: Vol. 1, no. 1 - Premiere issue (Jan. 1998)-current

website: http://www.imaginginfo.com/publication/pub.jsp?pubId=3



PCPhoto is the magazine for all things having to do with digital imaging and photography. It includes product reviews, tips for amateurs and professionals and quality images from photographers around the country.

Holdings: Vol. 1, no. 1 (June 1997)-current



website: http://www.pcphotomag.com/



Camera Notes was edited by Alfred Stieglitz who was determined to have photography recognized as a fine art. He included the best photographs from American and European photographers. Stieglitz used a process for printing called photogravure which is related to etching and produced high quality images that distinguished Camera Notes from other photography periodicals.

Holdings: Vol. 1 (July 1897)-v. 6 (Dec. 1903)


Camerawork: A Journal of Photographic Arts is the magazine published twice a year by San Francisco Camerawork, which was founded in 1974. The journal focuses on exhibiting quality images and presenting contemporary issues in the photographic arts.

Holdings: Vol. 19, no. 1 (Spring 1992)-current

website: http://www.sfcamerawork.org/index.html




Many of our photography journals are indexed in our electronic databases including; Art Full Text, Infotrac Onefile, Reader’s Guide Retrospective and Expanded Academic Index. You can access these indexes from the library’s Articles & Databases webpage.

Print indexes include; Photography Magazine Index, Reader’s Guide to Periodical Literature and Photoinfo. Search the library’s online catalog by title to find these indexes.


To browse a list of all the photography titles at San Francisco Public Library search by subject “photography” and then click on “limit/sort search” and click on “periodical” from the drop down menu of material type.


If you have any questions please ask a librarian in person at SFPL, email the library, or phone 415.557.4400.

Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Welcome

Welcome to the San Francisco Public Library's Art, Music and Recreation Center weblog. This blog will be a site where we can share information about our books, resources, classes and exhibits with our library patrons. Stay tuned for more...