Originally posted on my old website, 1 July 2023.
Introduction
As a high school student, my favourite place in school was actually not the band room, but the band library. I count myself lucky to have had a director who allowed me access to the area. My director understood my fascination with the music that was housed therein, and trusted me to look at scores and parts for works which I had never heard (and in some cases, would not hear for many, many years). I was enthralled by the titles of those works: …and the mountains rising nowhere, Hammersmith, Solitary Dancer, Molly on the Shore, The Leaves are Falling, Flag of Stars, and many, many more.
I realise how silly it sounds to be captivated by a work’s title, without ever having heard the actual music. To my high school-aged self, however, these titles were compelling. Also compelling was the look of the engraving. Even back then, I marveled at the differences in layout from one publisher to another. To this day I still remember the feel of the music, as well as the smell of it. Particularly those very old Hindsley transcriptions that seem to make it into most older band libraries. It no doubt influenced how I feel about “house styling” in my own music.
At one point, I had almost the entire FBA (Florida Bandmasters Association) Concert Music List memorized. I guess I have always been a bit of a wind band repertoire buff. Never mind the fact that I could not have hummed a single melody for most of these works. During my time at Florida State University I was exposed to many of the pieces I had previously only known by title. Thanks to Jim Croft, Pat Dunnigan, and Bentley Shellahamer, and the various ensembles they conducted, I learned there was more to music than a compelling title. I now needed more for a piece of music to stand out. I suppose it was one of the many lessons I learned along the way to becoming a wind band conductor.
Library (Re-)Organization
When I returned to my alma mater in a teaching capacity some years later, I took on the responsibility of re-organizing and re-cataloguing the band library (the same one that had originally ignited my love of literature). This task took me the better part of an academic year (we had quite a nice collection), and it prepared me for later re-organizations. Since this is a blog about wind band music and its related aspects, it makes sense to discuss the band library. After all, this is the place where we store the most important element that helps our wind bands “go,” indeed, our life’s blood, and our curriculum: The music itself.
In my experience, most band libraries (whether at the secondary or tertiary levels) look like one of these two pictures:
Perhaps one of these setups looks familiar to you?
Mind you, I’m not here to “throw shade” at anyone who uses either system. Money is hard to come by in most band programs, and the budget is better spent on instruments and new music, rather than new methods of storage. Time is also a limited resource for band directors, and that time is better spent teaching lessons, running rehearsals, and a myriad other responsibilities. Who has time to re-organize an entire band library? Well…YOU do.
Not all by yourself, of course, unless you’ve got a very small library. In my current re-organization, I have student volunteers from time to time, and I also use one hour of library work as a make-up assignment for excused absences in my ensembles. We have roughly 1200 works in our library, and though I started this project at the beginning of the spring, I am only up through 250 right now. It is a long process, but the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.
By sorting, re-organizing, and re-cataloguing the band library, I am able to accomplish several things I feel are important:
- I’m able to figure out which pieces of music are missing. In some cases, the music has been missing for many years. I can remove it from the database, purchase a replacement, or find out who it was loaned to.
- I’m able to find duplicate sets. These duplicate sets can be sold (as long as your administration gives you permission to do so). They can also be given away, or simply incorporated into one large set.
- I’m able to figure out which sets are missing scores, or an oboe part, or a tuba part, etc. This potentially saves me frustration later when selecting music for a program. It is difficult to perform a piece that is missing all the horn and percussion parts.
- I’m able to use software to keep track of performances, duration, difficulty level, and more. I can also keep program notes for future performances.
The Database
This is what a typical entry in my FileMaker Pro database looks like as of 2023. FileMaker Pro is HIGHLY customizable, hence my specific tabs. You may find similar database software useful, or could just use Microsoft Excel.
As you can see, I am able to keep track of a great variety of information. The keywords I enter now will allow me to program a concert around a theme, if so desired. I can also keep track of the last performance, difficulty level, and any program notes I might want to use again in the future.
FileMaker Pro can also print out a numbered list, as well as alphabetized lists by title or composer. I keep a printed list in the library, so I can browse instead of having to always access the software.
Re-Organization Materials
For me, this re-cataloguing is only one part of the process, however. And here is where I will reveal my deep loathing of those ubiquitous white music storage boxes. Again, I am not criticizing anyone who prefers to use boxes. We all have valid reasons for our preferences. I’m not a fan of using boxes for a variety of reasons that I feel merit some thought:
- A lot of wind band music does not fit correctly in the boxes (which can cause damage to the music). I almost wept when I opened a box to find the very large parts for Strauss’ Suite in B-flat, Op. 4, folded in half to fit into one of these boxes. Oh, the humanity!
- The boxes are fairly inflexible. Boxes are either packed to overflowing, or half empty because the set is small:
- The boxes themselves take up a lot of shelf real estate. It is easy to run out of room in a smaller library. They are also a royal pain to open up sometimes.
After all that complaining, I suppose it’s only fair to tell you what system I use. I prefer using filing cabinets (ubiquitous at most academic institutions) for storage. I pair these with top-loading folders (for easy access). As far as I am aware, Gamble is the only company currently making large top-loading folders. Most other companies make side-loading folders, which are not great in file cabinets. Top-loading folders allow you to easily look at the music without taking it out. With side-loading folders, you have to take the entire folder out, adding to the wear-and-tear). Gamble folders are sturdy, they are not just cheap paper, but rather something like card stock (though not as thick). I highly recommend them!
I print out labels for each work using an Excel template. The labels I use are Avery Shipping labels (Avery 5163), which can accommodate the title, composer, and arranger if applicable. The end result is a much neater, much more accessible way of storing music. It also ends up taking less space than the boxes, so if space is at a premium for you, you may want to investigate.
What if a score is too large for the envelope? I print out a half-sheet that I’ll then include in the filing envelope. This tells anyone accessing the folder where to find the score. I also put a note about its location in the database.
Concluding Thoughts
Probably the best “side-effect” of my band library re-organizations is the discovery of works and composers I was not previously aware of. Music Publishers were churning out myriad compositions, then as today. The great majority of them did not stand the test of time.
Names like Joseph Olivadotti, Harold Walters (he of Instant Concert fame), George Thaddeus Jones, and Carl Frangkiser are ever-present. It wasn’t all Persichetti, Holst, Dello Joio, or Grainger back then. Also, Frank Erickson wrote approximately one billion pieces for wind band, though only the 2-3 we know today have survived the filter of time.
Publishers like Bourne and Belwin and Robbins and Rubank seemed to dominate publishing in the 40s and 50s, though familiar names such as Boosey & Hawkes and Carl Fischer were active back then as well. Also interesting are the wind band conventions from the infancy of our genre, such as condensed scores, D-flat piccolos, E-flat horns, and the stubborn practice of calling an E-flat Contra Alto Clarinet an “E-flat ContraBASS Clarinet.”
The moral of the story is – if your band library is in need of an extreme makeover, you’ll find that you can learn quite a bit about long-term trends in the wind band world, in addition to tidying up and making your operation run smoother. You will come to better understand the ephemeral nature of musical trends and the cyclical nature of our craft.
And you just might find that missing Bassoon 1 part for the Persichetti Symphony buried in the parts for the Gould Symphony (and there was much rejoicing)!