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 |