Contents

INSTRUCTIONS FOR WORKING WITH THE DATABASE OF BMI SOURCES

 

SEARCHING AND WORKING WITH THE DATABASE

The database files, on the one hand, copies of the correspondence pertaining to Bohuslav Martinů, and copies of music and non-music sources of Martinů’s compositions (autographs and prints of scores, piano reductions, drafts, sketches, librettos, etc.), on the other. The two collections are administered separately. All the materials are physically deposited at the Bohuslav Martinů Foundation Library in Prague.

 

CORRESPONDENCE

To search for a specific letter or a batch of letters, switch over in the database on the bar in the header to the CORRESPONDENCE page. The displayed list includes all the letters filed in the database; the letters are arrayed according to the collection’s reference numbers. To search in the correspondence collection, use the search engine in the upper left corner of the page. The offered search field will retrieve the entered phrase by means of full text search in the whole database of correspondence. For more precise searching, you can use the advanced search form, through which you can search according to exact criteria.

The fields designated with a magnifying glass symbol search in the respective databases of persons, institutions, locations and compositions. To select the item sought, it is first necessary to write in the search field the initial letters of the sought-after word (e.g. to search for letters sent by Bohuslav Martinů, enter “mart” in the “sender“ field), subsequently the field displays a list of potential words from which you can choose the required one (e.g. “Martinů, Bohuslav”).

In the search field “composition as subject” you can enter both the name of the respective composition and the Halbreich number. When searching by the Halbreich number only the digits should be entered.

The name of an institution is always stated in the original form and is not translated. If you want to find a variant of the name of the institution you are seeking, use full text searching in the database of institutions, where you can switch over by means of the bar in the header. This database contains the names of institutions translated into Czech and English.

To display detailed characteristics of a specific letter, click on the respective line. You must click beyond the name of the recipient or sender of the letter, since the names of persons and institutions refer to the pages comprising further information about them.

 

COMPOSITIONS AND SOURCES

The database also contains a list of Bohuslav Martinů’s compositions, which at the same time provides access to the music sources pertaining to individual compositions. The page COMPOSITIONS displays a list of all Martinů pieces arranged by their Halbreich number. To search in the list of compositions, use the search engine in the upper left corner of the page. The offered search field seeks out the entered word by means of full text search in the whole list. For a more precise search, you can use the advanced search form, through which you can search according to exact criteria.

The fields designated with a magnifying glass symbol search in the respective databases of persons, institutions, locations and compositions. To select the item sought, it is first necessary to write in the search field the initial letters of the sought-after word (e.g. to search for letters sent by Bohuslav Martinů, enter “mart” in the “sender“ field), subsequently the field displays a list of potential words from which you can choose the required one (e.g. “Martinů, Bohuslav”).

The name of an institution is always stated in the original form and is not translated. If you want to find a variant of the name of the institution you are seeking, use full text searching in the database of institutions, where you can switch over by means of the bar in the header. This database contains the names of institutions translated into Czech and English.

To have a detailed description of a specific composition displayed, click on the respective line.

The last data item on a page describing a composition is a list of sources for the composition in question. By clicking on the selected source, it is possible to display a detailed description of this source. By clicking on the name of a composition on the page with a source’s description, it is possible to switch back to the page with a composition’s description.

 

PEOPLE AND INSTITUTIONS

In addition to data about materials of a source nature, the database of the Bohuslav Martinů Institute’s sources also contains a database of persons and institutions. The persons and institutions are linked to the sources or otherwise relate to the personality of Bohuslav Martinů. These databases can be browsed simply by means of a full text search on the respective page of the database.

 

Correspondence collection arrangement

  • Copies of letters gathered in the Bohuslav Martinů Foundation Library are arranged in batches relating to a single person or institution. Thematically related batches sometimes associate more than one person; for example, the Sacher batch (shelf-mark: Sac) contains letters written both by Paul Sacher and Maja Sacher.
  • The letters in all batches are arranged chronologically.
  • The contents of individual batches are described in the List of the correspondence collection. Stated with each batch is its shelf-mark, the names of persons or institutions, assignation, language, and the number of letters and their physical placing in the Bohuslav Martinů Foundation Library.
  • The shelf-mark format is explained in the following examples:
    • Ryb 1941-07-13 = a letter from the Frank Rybka batch, with the date of sending being 13 July 1941.
    • Ryb 0000-00-00a = a letter from the Frank Rybka batch with an unknown date of sending.
  • Each person and institution corresponding with Bohuslav Martinů have their own batch, whose acronym is made up of the first three letters of the surname (e.g. Jan Löwenbach = Löw); in the case that the first letters of the surname are identical, the shelf-mark is supplemented with the first letter of the first name (e.g. Stanislav Novák = NovS). The acronyms of institutions are made up of the first letters of the name of the institution (e.g. Národní divadlo [National Theatre] = ND, Státní hudební vydavatelství [State Music Publisher] = SHV).
  • In the cases when Bohuslav Martinů is neither the addressee nor the sender, the letter is included in a batch of one of the persons (institutions) in the correspondence relation. For instance, a letter of Rosalie Barstow to Frank Rybka must be included either in the Frank Rybka batch (Ryb) or the Rosalie Barstow batch (BarR) à here it is necessary to apply the hierarchy of the batches.
    • Batches with a higher rank in the hierarchy can contain letters from batches with a lower rank in the hierarchy, or some letters from batches with a lower rank in the hierarchy can be omitted in the given batch, since they are included in a batch with a higher rank in the hierarchy.
    • The Boosey & Hawkes batch(BH), which has been assigned the number “1”, is at the top rank of the hierarchy. On the other hand, the Charlotte Martinů batch (MarC) has been assigned the number “999” and, accordingly, is at the bottom rank of the hierarchy.
    • The batches that do not have assigned numbers in the hierarchy are automatically subordinated to the batches with assigned double-digit numbers and superordinated to the batches with three-digit numbers. In the case of batches without assigned numbers, it was not necessary to determine their rank in the hierarchy.
    • As Bohuslav Martinů is the addressee or sender of the majority of the correspondence deposited in the Bohuslav Martinů Foundation Library, the correspondence as a whole is divided into batches of the persons and institutions with whom Bohuslav Martinů corresponded. Accordingly, there is not a Bohuslav Martinů batch as such.
    • The hierarchy is defined in a special column in the List of the correspondence collection.

 

ABBREVIATIONS

 

GENERAL ABBREVIATIONS

[...] part of text missing or one word missing due to illegibility of the original text
[...?...] part of text missing due to illegibility of the original text
[?] uncertainty concerning meaning of foregoing text
[!] mistake in foregoing text
[Martinů] added data
[Martinů?] added data uncertain
[auth.] authorised title of composition

 

ABBREVIATIONS OF SOURCES

The designation of sources for individual compositions draws upon the abbreviations of sources used for the Bohuslav Martinů Complete Critical Edition. The abbreviations define the nature of the sources in question as precisely as possible. The numbers after the sources represent the chronological order of sources of the same type (e.g. R1, R2, etc.):

Autographs
A – at the beginning = all by BM’s hand
A – at the end = BM’s markings

A autograph score (also "mastersheet" or "transparent")
CS score in copyist’s hand
 
R reproduction of the score (Circle Blue Print, Maestro)
RA reproduction of the score with BM’s markings
 
PF proof of score
PFA proof of score with BM’s markings
 
P parts in foreign hand
PA parts in foreign hand with BM’s markings
AP autograph parts
RP reproduction of parts in foreign hand
RPA reproduction of parts in foreign hand with BM’s markings
PFP proofs of parts
PFPA proofs of parts with BM’s markings
 
SP solo part(s) in foreign hand
SPA solo part(s) in foreign hand with BM’s markings
ASP autograph solo part(s)
PFSP proof(s) of solo part(s)
PFSPA proof(s) of solo part(s) with BM’s markings
 
VS vocal score in foreign hand
AVS autograph vocal score
PFVS proof of vocal score
PFVSA proof of vocal score with BM’s markings
 
CHS choral score in foreign hand
ACHS autograph choral score
PFCHS proof of choral score
PFCHSA proof of choral score with BM’s markings
 
PR piano reduction in foreign hand
APR autograph piano reduction
PRA piano reduction with BM’s markings
RPR reproduction of the piano reduction
PFPR proof of piano reduction
PFPRA proof of piano reduction with BM’s markings
 
TS textual source (original text, a book, etc.)
SY synopsis
ASY autograph synopsis
 
L libretto or vocal text in foreign hand
AL autograph libretto
LA libretto in foreign hand with BM’s markings
PL printed libretto
 
LC list of corrections in foreign hand
ALC autograph list of corrections
 
PS printed score (PS2 = second edition with alternations,...)
PP printed parts
PSP printed solo part(s)
PPR printed piano reduction
PVS printed vocal score
PCHS printed choral score
 
PV piano version/arrangement
D draft
Sk sketch
Rec recording
LE letter

 

INSTRUMENTS ABBREVIATIONS

To designate the configuration of instruments applied in compositions, the database of the Bohuslav Martinů Institute’s sources uses established abbreviations applied in the Bohuslav Martinů Complete Critical Edition:

Abbreviation of the instrument / voice (part) Full name (Italian or original)
S Soprano / Soprani
mS Mezzosoprano / Mezzosoprani
A Alto / Alti
T Tenore / Tenori
Bar Baritono / Baritoni
B Basso / Bassi
C Coro
V Voce / Voci
Sp Speaker
 
Arpa Arpa
Banjo Banjo
Batt Batteria
Camp Campana
Campnl Campanella
C claire Caisse claire (Snare drum)
Cast Castagnette
Cel Celesta
Cemb Cembalo
Cl Clarinetto / Clarinetti
Cl basso Clarinetto basso
Coch Cochiti
Coco Cocoon rattle
Cb Contrabbasso / Contrabbassi
Cfg Controffagotto
Cor Corno
Cor ing Corno inglese
Crot Crotales
DH Deer hooves
Fg Fagotto
Fisarm Fisarmonica
Fl a becc Flauto a becco
Fl dolce Flauto dolce
Fl Flauto
Fl picc Flauto piccolo / Ottavino
Flex Flexatone
GC Gran Cassa
Glock Glockenspiel
Gong Gong
Arm Armonio / Harmonium
M Dics Metal disc rattle
Ob Oboe
Org Organo
Pf Pianoforte
Ptti Piatti
Sass Sassofono
Sass alto Sassofono alto
Sass tenore Sassofono tenore
S drum Snare drum
Tamb basco Tamburello / Tamburo basco
Tbrino Tamburino
Tamb picc Tamburo piccolo
Tamb mil Tamburo militare
Tamb rull Tamburo rullante / Tenor drum 
Tam-tam Tam-tam
Ther Theremin
Timp Timpani
Trgl Triangolo
Tr Tromba / Trombe
Tr basso Tromba basso
Trb Trombone
Trb basso Trombone basso
Tb Tuba
Vla / Vle Viola / Viole
Vl I Violino I / Violini I
Vl II Violino II / Violini II
Vc Violoncello/Violoncelli
WL Wooden logs
WB Wooden block
Xil Xilofono