Tim Dickson explained how he handles "aggregate" compositions
So if I understand you correctly he would regard each WTC book as one
composition with 24 movements. In my poor's man data base I don't handle
movements at all, so now I feel less ashamed for not having typed the all
2*24 preludes and fugues when I entered the WTC books as two compositions
instead of 48. ;-)
Another issue that I am know worrying about is related to the question of
how to classify a composition. This, I think, is of general interest and
not technical so I will post it here.
My first attempt was to create a Composition Type selection which included
entries like: Piano concerto, Violin Solo, String Quartet, Piano Solo,
(and here I think I started to mess up) Prelude and Fugue, Rhapsody,
Overture etc... Bach's 48, again alerted me that something is wrong in my
thinking. Is it Piano Solo type? Harpsichord Solo type? Keyboard solo
type, Prelude and Fugue type?
Now I am thinking of splitting this entry into 2 entries. 1) Instrumentation
: Which will include selections like Piano and Orchestra, Piano Solo,
(generic) Keyboard Solo, Harpsichord Solo, String Quartet 2) Form which will
include selections like Sonata, Concerto, Overture, Symphony, Prelude,
Prelude and Fugue, Lieder...
This will improve the classification. But I still don't think I got it quite
right. Is an impromptu a form or should I think of it as a name and not a
form - How sould one handle Schubert's impromptus. Orchestration is obvious.
Form? Schumman's Carnaval? What is a fantasie - How should one handle
Schubert's Wanderer fantasie.? The orchestration of Hammerklavier is
obvious its form too, but what is the form of Beethoven Op. 131 or 51 1?
Variety I guess is the spice of life or a conspiracy to keep data base
programmers employed.
Dan Zimmerman
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