Music reference: Encyclopedias of the past, present, and future

How does one grapple with music research in the digital age? What are the changes and challenges therein? On 23 June 2015, a group of distinguished academics and editors came together for a panel discussion on “Referencing music in the twenty-first century: Encyclopedias of the past, present, and future” at a conference organized by the International Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centers (IAML) and the International Musicological Society (IMS). The participants were Anna-Lise Santella, Editor of Grove Music Online; Don M. Randel, Editor of the Harvard Dictionary of Music; Harry White, Co-general Editor of Encyclopaedia of Music in Ireland; Hanns Werner Heister, Co-editor of the Komponisten der Gegenwart; Laurenz Lütteken, Editor in Chief of Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart; Tina Frühauf, Editor of Répertoire International de Littérature Musicale; and Álvaro Torrente of the Diccionario de Música Española e Hispanoamericana. The conversation was wide ranging and covered topics as diverse as Wikipedia, Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s early music dictionary, and Irish musical lexicography. The videos below cover some of the key themes raised by the panelists.

Introducing the speakers

Musicology and music reference

How are music reference texts reflective of the time they are written in?

The effect of Wikipedia on music encyclopedias

What are some challenges that music encyclopedias face?

Many thanks to RILM and the IAML/IMS Programme Committee for organizing such a successful event!

Headline image credit: Sara Levine for Oxford University Press.

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