IMSLP:Tagging

< Return to the Categorization Project homepage

A not-so-short guide to Tagging

This page sets out how to decide what the tag for a particular work should be. Although this page of explanation is very long, the
process is normally very short, and you will often find it takes less than a minute to tag a page (sometimes much less, sometimes more).

The tags begin with |Tags= and consist of two main elements: the "work type" and the "instrumentation", separated by spaces and a
semi-colon " ; ". Here are some examples:

|Tags=symphonies ; orch
|Tags=concertos ; pf orch
|Tags=minuets ; str
|Tags=sonatas ; vc pf
|Tags=operettas ; vv orch ; fr
|Tags=oratorios ; 2vv ch pf ; de

You may have noticed that in the last two examples there is a third tag, indicating the language used in vocal works.

Note that semi-colons are used rather than slashes, and no capital letters should be used in the tags.

So let's start by looking at these in detail.

Work Type
The first element of the tag is the "work type", always given in the plural (so we use "symphonies" rather than "symphony"). Very often
the type is contained in the work title, e.g. names of musical forms (sonata, symphony, concerto), tempo designations (adagio, allegro),
and standard combinations of instruments (trio, quartet), and these can be identified very quickly.

On the other hand there are works like Messiah or Le nozze di Figaro where the form of work is not obvious from the main title, but the
composer has helpfully provided descriptions or subtitles so that we know these are oratorios and operas respectively. Sometimes
there's no clarification in the score itself, and we might have to consult printed or online reference sources such as Grove for a definitive
answer.

It's also important to make sure that the types are always given in the same language, with the same capitalisation, according to the
same rules (because "Part Song" and "partsong", for example, would be considered as different tags by IMSLP's software). So we need a
standard glossary of terms that we can use. It so happens that music librarians have been grappling with these problems for years, and
the list below owes much to the Music Library Association's list of Types of Compositions for Use in Music Uniform Titles [1],
supplemented by other sources.

The first column lists a variety of musical forms, both singular and plural, in various languages (indicated by standard two-letter codes
[2]). The second column (highlighted in green) indicates the standardised type that we should use, which are usually in the plural. You
may then need to scroll further up or down the list to see any important notes accompanying its usage in the main entry (in bold type),
e.g. that the term Anthems should only be used for choral works rather than for national anthems (which have their own distinct tag).

Type of Work
See under Notes
(singular/plural/language)

Abanera (it) habaneras

Abertura (es) overtures

Adagietto/Adagiettos (it) adagiettos use only when it is the composer's title for an independent piece

Adagio/Adagios (it) adagios use only when it is the composer's title for an independent piece

Agitato/Agitatos (it) agitatos use only when it is the composer's title for an independent piece

part of the traditional Latin mass; use only for independent pieces
Agnus Dei (la) agnus dei
(note the singular form)

Aire/Aires (en) airs

Air/Airs (en) airs

Allegretto/Allegrettos (it) allegrettos use only when it is the composer's title for an independent piece
Allegro/Allegros (it) allegros use only when it is the composer's title for an independent piece

Allemande/Allemandes (fr, de) allemandes a Baroque German dance

Almain/Almains (en) allemandes

Almaine/Almaines (en) allemandes

Alman/Almans (en) allemandes

Andante/Andantes (it) andantes use only when it is the composer's title for an independent piece

Andantino/Andantinos (it) andantinos use only when it is the composer's title for an independent piece

Anglaise/Anglaises (en, fr, de) anglaises a Baroque English dance

Anglez (ru) anglaises

use only for choral settings of religious or moral texts (do not confuse
Anthem/Anthems (en) anthems
with national anthems)

Antiphons (en) antiphons part of the traditional Latin mass; use only for independent pieces

Arabesca (it, es) arabesques

Arabesco (es) arabesques

Arabeska/ (ru) arabesques

Arabeske (de) arabesques

Arabesque/Arabesques (en, fr) arabesques

use only when it is the composer's title for an independent vocal work;
Aria/Arias (en, fr, hu, it, es) arias
use Airs for purely instrumental works of 17th/18th centuries

Arie (de) arias

Arieta (es) ariettas

Arietta/Ariettas (en, de, it, ru) ariettas use only when it is the composer's title for an independent vocal work

Ariette (fr, de) ariettas

Ariia (ru) arias

Arioso/Ariosos (en) ariosos use only when it is the composer's title for an independent vocal work

Aubade/Aubades (en, fr, de, it, es) aubades a piece of morning music (counterparts of serenades or nocturnes)

Aube (hu) aubades

Ave Maria (la) ave maria use only for independent works so titled by the composer

Ayre/Ayres (en) airs

Bagatela (es) bagatelles

Bagatell (hu) bagatelles

Bagatella (it) bagatelles

Bagatelle/Bagatelles (en, fr, de) bagatelles

Balada/Baladas (ru, es) ballads

Ballad/Ballads (en) ballads applies to vocal works only; use Ballade for instrumental works

Ballada (hu) ballads

Ballade/Ballades (en, fr, de) ballades use for instrumental works only; use Ballad for vocal works

use only for renaissance Italian songs so titled (do not confuse with
Ballata/Ballatas (it) ballatas
Ballada)

Ballet/Ballets (en, fr) ballets use only for dance forms (do not confuse with Balletts)

Ballet d'action (fr) pantomimes

Ballet en action (fr) pantomimes

genre of 18th-century French opra-ballet featuring the heroic and

Ballet hroque/Ballets hroques (fr) ballets hroques
exotic; use only when designated a such by the composer

Ballet pantomime (fr) pantomimes

use only for 16th/17th-century vocal works styled as such (do not
Ballett/Balletts (en) balletts
confuse with Ballets)

Ballett/Balletts (de) ballets

use for the 15th/16th-century Italian dances, or late 16th-/early

Balletto/Balletti (it) balletti 17th-century Italian partsongs only (do not confuse with Ballatas,
 Ballets)

Barcarola (es) barcarolles

Barcarole (en, de) barcarolles

Barcarolle/Barcarolles (fr) barcarolles

Barcaruola (it) barcarolles

Barkarola (hu) barcarolles

Barkarola (ru) barcarolles

Basdans (ru) basse danses

Bassa danza/Bassadanza (it) basse danses

Bassadanza (it) basse danses

Basse danse/Basse danses (en, fr, es) basse danses the principal court dance during the late Middle Ages and Renaissance

a social dance popular in Europe and American from the 1930s, with a
Beguine/Beguines (en, de, it, es) beguines
rhythm similar to that of the bolero

Bguine (fr) beguines

Benedictus (la) benedictus use only for pieces independent from the ordinary mass

Berceuse/Berceuses (fr) berceuses for instrumental works only; use lullabies for vocal works

A two-voice work for voices, instruments, or keyboard; use only when

Bicinium/Bicinia (la) bicinia
it is the composer's title

Bigin (es) beguines

Biguine (es) beguines

Biography/Biographies (en) biographies use for studies of individual musicians

Blues (en) blues

Boceto (es) studies

Bolero/Boleros (en, de, hu, it, ru, es) boleros a Spanish dance in triple time

Bolro (fr) boleros

Boree (en) bourrees

Bossa nova/Bosa novas (en, fr, de, pt) bossa novas Brazilian dance from the mid-20th century

Bourre/Bourres (fr) bourrees French dance of the 17th/18th centuries

Boutade/Boutades (fr) boutades 18th-century dance in a fanciful and playful style

Burlesca (it, es) burlesques

Burleska (ru) burlesques

Burleske (de) burlesques

use for late 18th/early 19th century humorous stage works styled as
Burlesque/Burlesques (fr, en) burlesques
such by the composer

Burleszk (hu) burlesques

Burre (ru) bourrees

Butada (it) boutades

Caccia (it) catches

Cadence (fr) cadenzas

Cadencia (es) cadenzas

Cadenza/Cadenzas (it, en) cadenzas

Cakewalk/Cakewalks (en) cakewalks African American dance of the late 19th/early 20th centuries

Canarie (fr) canaries

Canario (it, es) canaries

a form of dance and music popular in Europe from the mid-16th to

Canary/Canaries canaries
mid-18th centuries

Cancin/Cancines (es) canciones use only when it is the composer's title for a vocal piece

Canoneta (pt) canzonettas

Canon/Canons (en, fr, es) canons see also Double canons

Canon doble (es) double canons

Canon double (fr) double canons

Canone (it) canons

Canone doppio (it) double canons

Cantabile/Cantabiles (en, fr, de, it, es) cantabiles use only when it is the composer's title for a short vocal piece

divide into Sacred Cantatas and Secular Cantatas where possible;

Cantata/Cantatas (en, it) cantatas
otherwise use Cantatas

Cantate (fr) cantatas

Canticle/Canticles (en) canticles

Cantico (it) canticles

Cntico (es) canticles

Canticum (de) canticles

Cantiga/Cantigas (es) cantigas medieval Iberian monophonic songs

Cantilena/Cantilenas (it or la/en) cantilenas

Cantilne (fr) cantilenas

Cantique (fr) canticles

Canto/Canti/Cantos (it, en) songs

Canzon (it) canzonas

originally Provenal troubadour songs; later, pieces of 16th-century

Canzona/Canzonas (en, it, es) canzonas Italian secular music, 16th- to 17th-century instrumental works (do
not confuse with Canzoni)

an 18th- and 19th-century song-like work for voice or instruments;

Canzone/Canzoni (it) canzoni use only where this is the composer's title (do not confuse with
Canzonas)

late 16th-century English part-song (do not confuse with

Canzonet/Canzonets (en) canzonets
Canzonettas)

Canzoneta (es) canzonettas

late 16th-century Italian part-song; also used for solo songs and
Canzonetta/Canzonettas canzonettas instrumental pieces of a songlike nature (do not confuse with
Canzonas, Canzonets)

Canzonette (fr, de) canzonettas

use 'only when it is the composer's original title (do not confuse with
Capriccio/Capriccios (it) capriccios
Caprices)

use 'only when it is the composer's original title (do not confuse with
Caprice/Caprices (en, fr) caprices
Capriccios)

Capricho/Caprichos (es) capriccios

Carmina/Carminas (la) carminas

Carol/Carols (en) carols

Casacin (es) cassations

18th-century instrumental composition (similar to Divertimentos and

Cassation/Cassations (en) cassations
Serenades) often performed outdoors.

Cassazione (it) cassations

Catalogs/Catalogues (en) catalogs See also publishers catalogs

Catch/Catches (en) catches an English round for 3 voices

use for aria-like vocal pieces or a song-like instrumental works so

Cavatina/Cavatinas (en, it, es) cavatinas
titled by the composeer, but not for individual cavatinas within operas

Cavatine (fr) cavatinas

Chacona (es) chaconnes

Chacarera/Chacareras (es) chacareras an Argentinian dance form

Chaconne/Chaconnes (en, fr, de) chaconnes a form of variations popular during the Baroque era

Chakona (ru) chaconnes

Chanson/Chansons (fr) chansons use only when it, or chansonette, is the composer's original title

Chansonette/Chansonettes (fr) chansons use only when it is the composer's original title

use only when it is the composer's original title; do not confuse with
Chant/Chants (en) chants
French Chants; for Gregorian chant, use Plainchant

Chant/Chants (fr) songs do not confuse with English Chants

Character piece/Character pieces (en) character pieces use only where this (or a foreign equivalent) is the composer's title

Characteristic piece/Characteristic pieces [variants: character piece, Charakterstck; currently grouped with
character pieces
(en) pieces]

Charakterstck/Charakterstcke (de) character pieces

Chast/Chasti (ru) movements

Chur (fr) choruses

Chor (de) chorus

Choral (fr, de) chorales

Choralbearbeitung/Choralbearbeitungen a German vocal or instrumental composition based on a pre-existing

choralbearbeitungen
(de) sacred melody; use only where styled as such by the composer

Chorale/Chorales (en) chorales see also Chorale preludes

Chorale prelude/Chorale preludes (en) chorale preludes setting of a chorale melody, usually for organ

Choralvorspiel/Choralvorspiele; Choral-
chorale preludes
Vorspiel/Choral-Vorspiele (de)

Chorinho/Chorinhos (es, pt) chorinhos Brazilian dance of European origin

Choro/Choros (es, pt) chorinhos do not confuse with coros

divide into Sacred choruses and Secular choruses where possible;

Chorus/Choruses (en) choruses
otherwise use Cantatas

Chotis (es) ecossaises

Ciaccona (it) chaconnes

Ciciliano (it) sicilianas

Comic operas (en) comic operas

Communions (en) communions part of the traditional Latin mass; use only for independent pieces

Concert piece/Concert pieces (en) pieces

Concertant (fr) concertantes

use only where it is the composer's original title, but use different
Concertante/Concertantes (en, it, es) concertantes
heading for Sinfonie concertanti

Concertino/Concertinos (it) concertinos use only where it is the composer's original title

a work for soloist(s) and orchestra; do not use "Piano Concerto",

Concerto/Concertos (en, fr, it) concertos "Violin Concerto", "Cello Concerto", etc., but see also Concerti grossi,
Double Concertos, Triple Concertos

a type of Baroque concerto in which a large group alternates with a

Concerto grosso/Concerti grossi (it) concerti grossi
smaller group

Concertone/Concertoni (en) concertoni a rarely-used term meaning "large concerto"

Concertpiece (en) concertinos

Concertstck (de) concertinos

Concierto (es) concertos

Conductus (la) conductus a Latin medieval song

Latin-American dance in 2/4 meter with a repeated two-measure

Conga/Congas (en) congas
rhythmic pattern

Contradanza (it, es) country dances

Contredanse (fr) country dances

Coral (ed) chorales

Corale (it) chorales

Corant/Corants (en) courantes

Coro (it, es) choruses

Corrente/Correnti (it) courantes

Correspondence (en) correspondence use for collections of musicians' letters

Cortge/Cortges (en, fr) corteges a piece of music written to accompany a procession

Country dance/Country dances (en) country dances

Courante/Courantes (fr) courantes a Baroque dance form

Cracoviak/Cracoviak (fr) krakowiaks

Cracoviana/Cracoviana(it, es) krakowiaks

Cracovienne/Cracoviennes (en, fr) krakowiaks

Cradle song/Cradle songs (en) lullabies for vocal works only, otherwise use berceuses

part of the traditional Latin mass; use only for independent pieces
Credo (en, fr, de, it, la) credo
(note singular form)

Csrds (fr) czardas

Cuadrilla (es) quadrilles

Cuarteto (es) quartets

Cujawiak/Cujawiak (es) kujawiaks

Czardas/Czardas (hu) czardas a lively Hungarian dance

Dal/Dalok (hu) dalok Hungarian vocal work; use only when it is the composer's original title

Dance/Dances (en) dances

Danse (fr) dances

a particular genre of salon music for piano developed in Puerto Rico in

Danza/Danzas (es, it) danzas
the late 19th and early 20th centuries (do not confuse with Dance)

a Cuban ballroom dance developed during the 19th century (do not
Danzn (es) danzon
confuse with Dance)

Darab/Darabok (hu) pieces

Decet/Decets (en) decets

Decimino (it) decets

Dectet (en) decets

Descants (en) descants

Detsimet (ru) decets

Dezett (de) decets

use for reference books containing alphabetical articles concerning

Dictionary/Dictionaries (en) dictionaries
music and/or musicians

a sequence from the traditional Latin mass; use only for independent
Dies irae (la) dies irae
pieces

Dirge/Dirges (en) dirges a mournful song or instrumental piece for burial or memorial rites

Divertimento/Divertimenti (en, de, hu, it, divertimentos

es)

use only for instrumental works; for the type of 17th/18th-century

Divertisment (ru) divertimentos
French musical-dramatic entertainment, use Divertissement

use only for the 17th/18th century form of French musical-dramatic

Divertissement/Divertisements (fr) divertissements
entertainment; in all other cases use Divertimentos

a mainly 17th-century English technique of improvised variation over

Division/Divisions (en) divisions
a ground bass, written out for didactic or performance purposes

Divisions on a ground (en) divisions

Dixtuor (en, fr) decets a work for ten players

Doble canon (es) double canons

Doble fuga (es) double fugues

Doppelfuge (de) double fugues

Doppelkanon (de) double canons

Double concerto/Double concertos (en) double concertos a concerto for two solo instruments with orchestral accompaniment
Double canon/Double canons (en, fr) double canons a variant of the canon with two independent solo lines

Double fugue/Double fugues (en, fr) double fugues a variant of the fugue with two independent solo lines

Duet/Duets (en) duets

Dueto (es) duets

Duett (de, ju) duets

a short vocal or instrumental duet; use only where this is the

Duettino/Duettinos (it) duettinos
composer's title

Duetto (it) duets

Dumka/Dumkas (en, fr, de, it, es, ru) dumkas a Slavonic folk ballad; can be vocal or instrumental

Dumky (en) dumkas

Duo (it) duets

Dupla fga (hu) double fugues

Dvoinaia fuga (ru) double fugues

Dvoinaia kanon (ru) double canons

Eclogue/Eclogues (en) eclogues a short instrumental piece of a pastoral nature

Ecossaise/Ecossaises (en, hu) ecossaises a Scottish folk dance

cossaise (fr) ecossaises

Ejercicio/Ejercicios (es) exercises

Eklog (de) eclogues

Eksprompt (ru) impromptus

Elegia (it) elegies

lgie (fr) elegies

Elegie (de) elegies

Elegiia (ru) elegies

Elegy/Elegies (en) elegies use for instrumental works only

Entr'acte/Entr'actes (fr) interludes

Entrada (es) intrada

Epithalamium/Epithalamia (la) epithalamia wedding song or instrumental piece

Equale/Equali (it) equali

Escocesa (es) ecossaises

Esercizio/Esercizi (it) exercises

Esquisse/Esquisses (fr) sketches

Estampida/Estampidas (fr) estampies

'Estampie/Estampies (en, fr, de) estampies instrumental dance form originating in the 13th and 14th centuries

Estampita/Estampitas (es) estampies

Estudio/Estudios (es) studies

Etiud/Etiudy (ru) studies

Etude/Etudes (en) studies

tude/tudes (fr) studies

Etde/Etden (de) studies

Exercise/Exercises (en) exercises see also Studies

Fairy operas (en) fairy operas

Fancie (en) fancies

Fancy/Fancies (en) fancies

Fandango/Fandangos (en, fr, de, it, es,

fandangos a traditional Spanish dance
ru)

Fanfara (it, ru) fanfares

a flourish of trumpets or other brass instruments, often with

Fanfare/Fanfares (en, fr, de) fanfares
percussion, for ceremonial purposes
Fanfarra (es) fanfares

Fanfarria (es) fanfares

Fancie (en) fancies

Fantaisie/Fantaisies (fr) fantasias

Fantasia/Fantasias (en) fantasias

Fantasia/Fantasie (it) fantasias

Fantasie/Fantasien (de) fantasias

Fantasy/Fantasies (en) fantasias

Film Score/Film Scores (de) film scores music specifically written to accompany cinematic works

Finale/Finales (it) finales use only when it is the composer's title for an independent piece

Florish/Florishes (en) flourishes

Flourish/Flourishes (en) flourishes

Fokstrot (ru) foxtrots

Folk song/Folksong/Folk use for works specifically identified as such, or general songs of a
folksongs
songs/Folksongs (en) national or regional character that are not otherwise designated

Forlana (de, it, es, ru) forlanes

Forlane/Forlanes (en, fr) forlanes an Italian folkdance popular in the early 18th century

Fox trot (en) foxtrots

Fox-trot (en, fr, es) foxtrots

Fox-trott (it) foxtrots

Foxtrot/Foxtrots (en) foxtrots 20th-century American social dance in 4/4 time

Foxtrott (de) foxtrots

Italian secular song of the 15th/16th centuries; forerunner of the

Frottola/Frottolas (it) frottolas
madrigal; use only when it is the composer's title

Fuga (it, es, ru) fugues

Fuga doble (es) double fugues

Fuga doppia (it) double fugues

Fugado (es) fugatos

a fugue-like piece which falls short of a proper fugue; use only when
Fugato/Fugatos (en, fr, de, hu, it, ru) fugatos
it is the composer's original title

Fuge (de) fugues

Fugetta (hu, ru) fughettas

Fughetta/Fughettas (en, fr, de, it, es) fughettas a short or light fugue; use only when it is the composer's original title

treat "Prelude and Fugue" separately, i.e. first as a Prelude and then
Fugue/Fugues (en, fr) fugues
also as a Fugue (etc.)

Funeral march/Funeral marches (en) funeral marches use only when styled as such by the composer; otherwise use Marches

Furiant/Furiants(en, fr, de, it, es) furiants an exuberant Bohemian folkdance

Furianty (ru) furiants

Furlana (es, it) forlanes

Gagliarda (it) galliards

Gaillarde (fr, de) galliards

Gal'iarda (ru) galliards

Gallarda (es) galliards

a lively, triple-metre courtly dance of the 16th and early 17th

Galliard/Galliards (en) galliards
centuries

Galop/Galops (en) galops a fast and lively ballroom dance in 2/4 time

Galopp (de) galops

Gavot (ru) gavottes

Gavota (es) gavottes

Gavotta (it) gavottes

an old French dance in common time beginning on the 3rd beat of the
Gavotte/Gavottes (en, fr, de) gavottes
bar

Geistliche konzert (de) sacred concertos

Gesang/Gesnge (de) songs

Giga (it, es) gigues

Gigue/Gigues (en, fr, de) gigues a French dance of English origin

Gimn (ru) hymns

Glee/Glees (en) glees an English part-song for three or more voices

part of the traditional Latin mass; use only for independent pieces
Gloria (la) gloria
(note singular form)

Gradual/Graduals (nl, en, de, es) graduals use only for independent pieces so titled by the composer

Graduale (it, la) graduals

Gradule (cz, hu) graduals

Graduel (fr) graduals

generally used for 19th-century operas in 4 or 5 acts with large-scale

Grand opera/s (en) grand operas
casts and orchestras

piece with a short melody, usually in the bass, repeated continually

Ground/Grounds (en) grounds with changing upper parts, popular in the 16th and early 17th
centuries

a Cuban narrative song form, usually in 6/8 alternating with 3/4; use
Guajira/Guajiras (es) guajiras
only when it is the composer's original title

a Cuban dance in slow 2/4 time, possibly of African origin, that

Habanera/Habaneras (es, fr, de, es) habaneras
became popular in Spain

Harmonia (en, it) harmonies

Harmonie (fr, de) harmonies

use only for works for wind instruments or a small wind band (oboes,
Harmony/Harmonies (en) harmonies
horns, bassoons, etc.) when this is the composer's title

Havanaise (fr) habaneras

Himno (es) hymns

a dance in triple or duple time popular with British sailors in the 18th
Hornpipe/Hornpipes (en) hornpipes
century

Humoresca (es) humoresques

Humoreske (de) humoresques

Humoresque/Humoresques (en, fr) humoresques

Humoreszk (hu) humoresques

Hymn/Hymns (en) hymns a song of praise to a deity or saint

Hymne (de) hymns use for religious works only; otherwise see "secular hymns"

Impromptu/Impromptus (en, fr, de, hu,

impromptus
es)

Improperia (la) improperia use only for independent works so styled by the composer

Improvisation/Improvisations (en) improvisations

In nomine/In nomines (la) in nomines use only for instrumental works

Incidental music (en) incidental music see also film scores

Indul (hu) marches

Inglesa (es) anglaises

Inglese (it) anglaises

Inno (it) hymns

Instrumentation (en) orchestration

Interlude/Interludes (en, fr) interludes

Interludio (it, es) interludes

Interludium (de) interludes

Intermde/Intermdes (fr) intermedes use only when this is the composer's title of a character piece

Intermedio (it, es) intermedes

Intermedium (it) intermedes

Intermetstso (ru) intermezzos

Intermezzo/Intermezzi (en, fr, de, it, es) intermezzos

originally an introductory toccata-like piece for keyboard that sets the

Intonation/Intonations (en, fr, de) intonations pitch for a following sacred vocal composition; may also exist
independently; use for intonazione/intonazioni.

Intonazione/Intonazioni (it) intonations see definition of intonations

Intrada/Intradas (it) intradas

Introduccin (es) introductions

Introduction/Introductions (en, fr) introductions use only when this is the composer's original title

Introduktion (de) introductions

Introduktsiia (ru) introductions

Introduzione (it) introductions

use only for organ pieces when this is the composer's original title; for
Introit/Introits (en) introits
the extract from the Latin mass, use Hymns

Introitus (la) introits

Invencin (es) inventions

Invention/Inventions (en, fr, de) inventions use only where this is the composer's original title

Invento (es) inventions

Inventsiia (ru) inventions

Invenzione (it) inventions

Istampita (it) estampies

Istanpitta (it) estampies

Iumoreska (ru) inventions

Jcara/Jcaras (pt, es) jacaras a 17th/18th-century Spanish dance form

Jazz (en) jazz use for improvisational pieces without prescribed instrumentation

Jig (en) gigues

Jiga (es) gigues

Jigge (en) gigues

Jota/Jotas (es) jotas a lively Spanish dance in triple time

Kadenz (de) cadenzas

Kadril&#39 (ru) quadrilles

Kanon (de) canons

Knon (hu) canons

Kantabile (ru) cantabiles

Kantate (de) cantatas

Kantiga (ru) cantigas

Kantikum (ru) canticles

Kantsonetta (ru) canzonettas

Kanzonette (de) canzonettas

Kaprice (de) caprices

Kaprichch (ru) caprices

Kaprichchio (ru) capriccios

Kaprisa (ru) caprices

Kaprize (de) caprices

Kassation (de) cassations

Kassatsiia (ru) cassations

Kavatina (ru) cavatinas

Kavatine (de) cavatinas

Ketts (hu) duets

Ketts fga (hu) double fugues

Khabanera (ru) habaneras

Khavanez (ru) habaneras

Khor (ru) choruses

Khoral (ru) chorales

Konchertone (de) concertones

Kontrans (ru) country dances

Kontratnc (hu) country dances

Kontretnze (de) country dances

Kontsert (ru) concertos

Kontsertshtiuk (ru) concertinos

Konzert (de) concertos

Konzertant (de) concertantes

Konzertone (de) concertones

Konzertstck/Konzertstcke (de) concertinos

Krakovik/Krakovik (hu, ru) krakowiaks

Polish folk dance characterized by syncopated rhythms in fast duple

Krakowiak/Krakowiaks (en, de, pl) krakowiaks
time

Kujaviak/Kujaviaks (en) kujawiaks

Kujawiak/Kujawiaks (en, pl) kujawiaks Polish folk dance, similar to but slower than the mazurka

Kvadril' (ru) quadrilles

Kvartet (ru) quartets

Kvintet (ru) quintets

Kvodlibet (ru) quodlibets

part of the traditional Latin mass; use only for independent pieces
Kyrie (el, la) kyrie
(note singular form)

Laendler (fr) landler

Lamentation (de) lamentations

Lndler (de) landler an Alpine folkdance in 3/4 time

Largetto (ru) larghettos

Larghetto/Larghettos (en, fr, de, it, es) larghettos use only when it is the composer's title

Largo/Largos (it) largos use only when it is the composer's title

Lavolta (en, fr) volta

Lendler (it) landler

Lendler/ (ru) landler

Lento (en, fr, de, it, es) lentos use only when it is the composer's title

use only for short instrumental or vocal exercises, where this is the
Lesson/Lessons (en) lessons
composer's title

Lesung/Lesungen (de) lessons

Lezion/Lezioni (it) lessons

use for publications of the text of operatic and vocal works that omit
Libretto/Librettos (en) librettos
the music

Lied/Lieder (de) lieder use only when styled as such by the composer

Litanei (de) litanies

Litania (it) litanies

Litanie (fr) litanies

Litany/Litanies (en) litanies

Liturgia (es, it, pl) liturgies

Liturgie (de, fr) liturgies

Liturgy/Liturgies (en) liturgies use only when styled as such by the composer

Lullaby/Lullabies (en) lullabies for vocal works only; otherwise use berceuses

Lullabye/Lullabyes (en) lullabies

Lyric drama/Lyric dramas (en) lyric dramas

Lyric opera/Lyric operas (en) lyric operas a subcategory of opera

Lyric tragedy/Lyric tragedies (en) lyric tragedies a subcategory of opera

Madrigaal (nl) madrigals

Madrigal/Madrigals (en, fr, de, hu, es) madrigals Use for "madrigali spirituali" as well

Madrigale (it) madrigals

Madrygal (pl) madrigals

Magnificat/Magnificats (la) magnificats use only for independent works so title by the composer

Magnficat (es) magnificats

Magnifikat (ru) magnificats

Malaguea/Malagueas (es) malaguenas a type of instrumental piece, song, or dance in the flamenco style

Mambo/Mambos (en, fr, de, it ,es) mambos a 20th-century Cuban ballroom dance

March/Marches (en) marches see also Funeral marches, Wedding marches

Marcha (pt, es) marches

Marche (fr) marches

Marche funbre/Marches funbres (fr) funeral marches

Mrchenoper (de) fairy operas

Marcia (it) marches

Marcietta/Marciettas (en/it) marches

Mars (nl) marches

Marsch (de) marches

Marsh (ru) marches

Marsz (pl) marches

Masque/Masques (en, fr) masques

Mass/Masses (en) masses

Mazur (pl) mazurkas

Mazurca (it, es) mazurkas

Mazurek (it, pl) mazurkas

Mazurka/Mazurkas (cz, en, fr, de, hu, ru) mazurkas a Polish folk dance in triple time

Meditation/Meditations (en) meditations use only when this is the composer's title

Mditation/Mditations (fr) meditations

Medley/Medleys (en) medleys

Mlange/Mlanges (fr) medleys

Mlodie/Mlodies (fr) melodies use only for French vocal works when this is the composer's title

usually music accompanying spoken text; use only for independent

Melodrama/Melodramas (en, ru) melodramas
works described as such by the composer

Mlodrame (fr) melodramas

Melologo (it) melodramas

Menuet (ru) minuets

Menuett (de, hu) minuets

Menuetto (it) minuets

Messa (it) masses

Messe (fr, de) masses

Method/Methods (en) methods

Mthode/Mthodes (fr) methods

Metodo (it) methods

Milonga/Milongas (es) milongas a traditional song or dance genre from Argentina and Uruguay

Minu (es) minuets

Minuet/Minuets (en) minuets a stately dance in triple time

Minuete (pt, es) minuets

Minuetto (it) minuets

Misa (es) masses

Mise (hu) masses

Miserere (la) miserere

Missa (la) masses

Miuzet (ru) musettes

Moderato/Moderatos (it) moderatos use only when it is the composer's title

a song usually for solo voice and guitar popular in 19th-century Brazil
Modinha/Modinhas (en, pt) modinhas
and Portugal; also a Brazilian dance form derived from the vocal form

form of melodrama featuring one character using speech in

Monodrama/Monodramas (en) monodramas
alternation with short passages of music

Morceau/Morceaux (fr) pieces

Morceaux caractristiques (fr) character pieces

Motet/Motets (cz, nl, en, fr, pl, ru) motets use only when styled as such by the composer

Motete (es) motets

Motetta (hu) motets

Motette (de) motets

Motetto (it) motets

Motteto (it) motets

Mottetto (it) motets

Mouvement/Mouvements (fr) movements

use for an independent work titled as such, not for individual

Movement/Movements (en) movements
movements of a larger work

Movimento/Movimenti (it) movements

Movimiento/Movimienti (it) movements

Ma (cz) masses

Msza (pl) masses

Muste (fr) musettes

a dance-like piece of pastoral character whose style is suggestive of

Musette/Musettes (fr, en, de, it, es) musettes
the sound of the musette or bagpipe

Music aesthetics (en) music aesthetics writings only

use for reviews and analysis of specific works by one or more

Music criticism (en) music criticism
composers

Music history (en) music history use for writings about historical music practices

use for writings about music notation, e.g. sol-fa or mensural

Music notation (en) music notation
notation

use for writings about the general composition, harmony, rhythm and
Music theory (en) music theory
structure of music

20th-century genre of dramatic works interspersed with musical

Musicals (en) musicals
numbers
Nachspiel/Nachspiele (de) postludes

use only for pieces of music that are national anthems of countries
National Anthem/National Anthems (en) national anthems (past or present), or works based on their themes (do not confuse with
anthems)

Nocturne/Nocturnes (en, fr, de) nocturnes

Nocturno (es) nocturnes

Nol/Nols (fr) carols

Noktiurn (ru) nocturnes

Nonet/Nonets (en, fr, de) nonets

Noneto (es) nonets a composition for nine performers

Nonett (de) nonets

Nonetto (it, es) nonets

Notturno (de, it) nocturnes

Obertura (es) overtures

Octet/Octets (en) octets a composition for eight performers

Octeto (es) octets

Octuor (fr) octets

Oda (pl, es, ru) odes

da (cz, hu) odes

a ancient poem intended to be sung, usually in honour of some

Ode/Odes (en, fr, de, it) odes special occasion or as part of a play; also a cantata-like form of the
17th and 18th centuries

Ofertorio (es) offertories

Offertoire (fr) offertories

Offertorii (ru) offertories

Offertorio (it) offertories

chant, item of the Proper of the Mass; from the 17th century
Offertorium/Offertoria (en, de, la) offertorium
frequently performed independently of the liturgy

use only for independent settings that do not form part of larger
Offertory/Offertories (en) offertories
works

Oktet (ru) octets

Oktett (de) octets

Oper/Opern (de) operas

the "genres" allocated in Wikipedia, such as "opera buffa" and

Opera/Operas (en, fr, it) operas "singspiele", may also be used instead, and will be treated here as
sub-categories of "opera"

Opera-ballet/Opera-ballets (en) opera-ballets a popular genre of French Baroque opera

Opra-ballet/Opras-ballets (fr) opera-ballets

a sub-category of opera, this was a type of late 19th-century French

Opra bouffe/Opras bouffes (fr) operas bouffes
operetta

a sub-category of opera, this is not to be confused with comic opera;

Opra comique/Opras comiques (fr) operas comiques opra comique combines spoken dialogue (instead of recitative) with
singing

Opra ferie (fr) fairy operas

Opera seria (it) opera seria a subcategory of opera

Operetta/Operettas (en) operettas a form of light opera, popular from the late 19th century

Oratorio/Oratorios (en/fr/it) oratorios divide into "sacred oratorios" and "secular oratorios" if possible

Oratorium (de) oratorios

Orchestration (en) orchestration

Organology (en) organology use for writings about musical instruments

Ostinato/Ostinatos (it) ostinatos use only where this is the composer's original title
Ottetto (it) octets

Ouvertre (de) overtures

Ouverture (fr, it) overtures

Overtura (hu) overtures

Overture/Overtures (en) overtures use only for independent works styled as such by the composer

Padovana (it) pavans

Paduana (de) pavans

Pantomime/Pantomimes (en, fr) pantomimes late 18th/early 19th century form of ballet popular in France

Parfrasi (it) paraphrases

Parfrasis (es) paraphrases

use for 19th century virtuoso works based on well-known tunes,

Paraphrase/Paraphrases (en, fr, de) paraphrases
usually taken from popular operas

Parte (it) partitas

Parthia (de) partitas

Parthie (de) partitas

Partia (de) partitas

Partie (de) partitas

Partita/Partitas (en, fr, de, it, ru, es) partitas

Pasacalle (es) passacaglias

a type of ripresa or ritornello similar to the Spanish passacaglia, or for

Paseo/Paseos (es) paseos
compositions similar to a chaconne

usually a 17th or 18th-century organ piece derived from a Spanish

Paso/Pasos (es) pasos
dance

Paso doble (es, ru) pasodobles

Pasodoble/Pasodobles (en, fr, de, it, ru,

pasodobles a 20th-century Spanish dance in quick duple time
es)

Pasp'e (ru) passepieds

Paspi (fr) passepieds

Passacaglia/Passacaglias (en, de, hu, it,

passacaglias a Baroque form of variations, derived from a Spanish dance
es)

Passacaille (fr) passacaglias

Passacalle (fr) passacaglias

Passakal'ia/ (ru) passacaglias

Passakaliia (ru) passacaglias

Passamezzo/Passamezzos (en) passamezzos an Italian dance of the 16th and early 17th centuries

Pass'e mezo (it) passamezzos

Pass'e mezzo (it) passamezzos

Passecaille (fr) passacaglias

Passepied/Passepieds (fr) passepieds a French courtly dance of the 17th/18th centuries, in triple time

Passe-pied (fr) passepieds

Passing measures (en) passamezzos

Passion/Passions (en) passions use only where this is the composer's designation

Passo e mezo (it) passamezzos

Passomezo (it) passamezzos

Pass-pi (fr) passepieds

Passymeasures (en) passamezzos

use only for operas made up of pieces from different composers or

Pastiche/Pastiches (en) pasticcios
sources; for instrumental works with this title, use "piece"

use only for operas made up of pieces from different composers or

Pasticcio/Pasticcios (it) pasticcios
 sources; for instrumental works with this title, use "piece"

Pastoral/Pastorals (en/fr/de/it/es) pastorales

can be vocal or instrumental composition suggestive of a rustic

Pastorale/Pastorales (en/fr/de/it/es) pastorales
subject, or an early French form of opera-ballet

Pastoral' (ru) pastorales

Pasztorl (hu) pastorales

Pavan/Pavans (en, de) pavans a stately Italian dance in duple time

Pavana (cz, it, pl, ru, es) pavans

Pavanne/Pavannes (fr) pavans

Pavin (en) pavans

use for writings about musical techniques of performance, such as

Performance practice performance practice
ornamentation, interpretation, etc.

P'es/P'esa/P'esy (ru) pieces

Pesn'/Pesen/Pesnia (ru) songs

Pezzo/Pezzi (it) pieces

Phancy (en) fancies

Phansie (en) fancies

Phantasie/Phantasien (de) fantasias

Phantasy/Phantasies (en) fantasias

Piece/Pieces (en) pieces

Pice/Pices (en) pieces

Pieza/Piezas (es) pieces

Pisen/Pisne (cz) songs

Piva/Pive (it) pive a 15th/16th-century Italian dance

Plainsong (en) plainchant

use for medieval unaccompanied monophonic church music (including

Plainchant (en) plainchant
Gregorian chant)

Pome symphonique/Pomes
symphonic poems
symphoniques (en)

Polacca/Polaccas (it) polonaises

Polca (it, pt, es) polkas

Polka/Polkas (nl, en, fr, de, hu, pl) polkas a lively Bohemian dance in 2/4 time

Pol'ka (ru) polkas

Polonaise/Polonaises (en, fr) polonaises a stately Polish dance in triple time

Polonse (de) polonaises

Polonesa (es) polonaises

Polonese (it) polonaises

Polonez (ru) polonaises

Popurri (ru) potpourris

Popurr (es) potpourris

Posludio (it) postludes

Postliudiia (ru) postludes

Postlude/Postludes (en, fr) postludes use only for independent works titled as such by the composer

Postludio (it, es) postludes

Postludium (de, hu) postludes

Potpourri/Potpourris (en, de, hu, es) potpourris a piece consisting of pre-existing tunes, often from operas

Pot-pourri/Pot-pourris (fr, it) potpourris

Praeambulum/Praeambula (la) praeambula

Praeludium (de) preludes

Prludium (de) preludes

Preliud/Preliudiia (ru) preludes

use only for independent works titled as such by the composer; but
Prelude/Preludes (en) preludes
see also Chorale preludes

Prlude (fr) preludes

Prlude de choral/Prludes de chorals (fr) chorale preludes

Preludio (it, es) preludes

Preludium (cz, hu) preludes

Preludjum (pl) preludes

Presto/Prestos (it) prestos use only when it is the composer's title for an independent piece

Processional/Processionals (en) processionals use only for pieces for organ styled as such by the composer

use only for settings of Biblical psalms, and then only if the entire text
Psalm/Psalms (en/de/ru) psalms comes from the psalms; if it is mixed with other texts, use something
else

Psalmo (es) psalms

Psalmus (la) psalms

Psaume (fr) psalms

Publishers' catalog/Publishers'
publishers catalogs
catalogues (en)

Quadriglia (it) quadrilles

Quadrille/Quadrilles (en, fr, de) quadrilles popular 19th-century ballroom dance

Quartet/Quartets (en) quartets a work for four performers

Quartett (de) quartets

Quartettino/Quartettinos (it) quartettinos

Quartetto (it) quartets

Quatuor (fr) quartets

Quickstep/Quicksteps (en) quicksteps

Quintet/Quintets (en) quintets a work for five performers

Quinteto (es) quintets

Quintett (de) quintets

Quintette (fr) quintets

Quintettino/Quintettinos (it) quintettinos

Quintetto (it) quintets

Quodlibet/Quodlibets (en, fr, de, hu, it, a composition in which well-known melodies and texts appear in
quodlibets
es) successive or simultaneous combinations

Rag/Rags (en) rags a syncopated piece, often for keyboard, from the early 20th-century

Rapsodia (it, es) rhapsodies

Rapsodie (fr) rhapsodies

Rapsodiia (ru) rhapsodies

Recercada (es) ricercars

Recessional/Recessionals (en) recessionals

Rechitativ (ru) recitatives

generic term used in France during the 17th and 18th centuries for
Rcit/Rcits (fr) recits
fragments or entire compositions for solo voices or instruments

Rcitatif (fr) recitatives

Recitative/Recitatives (en, fr) recitatives use only for works titled as such by the composer

Recitativo (it) recitatives

Rekviem (ru) requiems

Rpons/Rpons responsories
Reproaches (en) improperia

Requiem/Requiems (la) requiems

Respond/Responds (en) responsories

Responsory/Repsonsories (en) responsories use only for independent works so titled by the composer

Responsorium (de, la) responsories but note also Responsorium graduale

Responsorium graduale (la) graduals

Responsorio (es) responsories

Rezitativ (de) recitatives

Rhapsodie (fr, de) rhapsodies

Rhapsody/Rhapsodies (en) rhapsodies

Ricercar (fr, de) ricercars

Ricercare/Ricercars/Ricercari (en, it) ricercars use only where this is the composer's title

Richerkar (ru) ricercars

Rigadoon (en) rigaudons

Rigaudon/Rigaudons (en, de, hu) rigaudons a French folk dance popular during the 17th/18th centuries

Rigodon (it, ru) rigaudons

Rigodn (es) rigaudons

a 17th-century dance in quick triple time (do not confuse with

Ritournelle/Ritournelles (fr) ritournelles
ritornello)

a vocal or instrumental ballad; use only where this is the composer's

Romance/Romances (en, fr, es) romances
own title

Romans/Romansov/Romansy (ru) romances

Romanza/Romanze (it) romances

Romanza/Romanzas (es) romances

Romanze/Romanzen (de) romances

use only for the vocal work of the 13th to 15th centuries; for the
Rondeau/Rondeaux (fr) rondeaux
repeat form of the late 18th and 19th centuries, use Rondos

Rondino/Rondinos (en) rondinos use only where this is the composer's title

Rondo/Rondos (en, fr, de) rondos use only where this is the composer's title for an independent piece

Rond (es) rondos

Rond (it) rondos

Rondoletto/Rondolettos (it) rondolettos use only where this is the composer's title

Rumba/Rumbas (en, fr, de, it, ru, es) rumbas a popular recreational dance of Afro-Cuban origin.

Rundgesang (de) rondos

for cantatas based on a religious subject; see also Secular cantatas

Sacred cantata/Sacred cantatas (en) sacred cantatas
and Cantatas

for choral compositions based on a religious subject; see also Secular

Sacred chorus/Sacred choruses (en) sacred choruses
choruses and Choruses

Sacred concerto/Sacred concertos (en) sacred concertos

for oratorios based on religious subjects; see also Secular oratorios

Sacred oratorio/Sacred oratorios (en) sacred oratorios
and Oratorios

Sacred song/Sacred songs (en) sacred songs for songs based on a religious subject; see also Songs

Salmo (it) psalms

Saltarelle (fr) saltarellos

Saltarello/Saltarellos (en, fr, de, it, es) saltarellos a rapid Italian dance in triple metre

Sal'tarello (ru) saltarellos

Saltarelo (es) saltarellos

Salve Regina (la) salve regina use only for an independent work, so styled by the composer

Samba/Sambas (en, fr, de, it, ru, es) sambas an Afro-Brazilian couple-dance and popular musical form
Sanctus (la) sanctus part of the traditional Latin mass; use only for independent pieces
(note singular form)

Saraband/Sarabands (en) sarabandes

Sarabanda (it, ru) sarabandes

Sarabande/Sarabandes (fr, de) sarabandes a popular Baroque dance

Sardana/Sardanas (es) sardana a Catalonian dance

Satz/Stze (de) movements

Scale/Scales (en) scales use for works designated as scale studies by their composers

Scherzetto/Scherzetti (en) scherzos

Scherzino/Scherzinos (en, it) scherzos

Scherzo/Scherzos (en, fr, de, it, es) scherzos use only for independent compositons styled as such by the composer

School/Schools (en) methods

Schottische (de) ecossaises

Schule/Schulen (de) methods

Scozzese (it) ecossaises

for cantatas not based on religious subjects; see also Sacred cantatas
Secular cantata/Secular cantatas (en) secular cantatas
and Cantatas

for choral compositions not based on religious subjects; see also

Secular chorus/Secular choruses (en) secular choruses
Sacred choruses and Choruses

for works styled as hymns by the composer, but which don't have a
Secular hymn/Secular hymnss (en) secular hymns
religious subject

for oratorios not based on religious subjects; see also Sacred oratorios
Secular oratorio/Secular oratorios (en) secular oratorios
and Oratorios

Seguidilla/Seguidillas (es) seguidillas Spanish dance and song

Sekstet (ru) sextets

Septet/Septets (en, ru) septets a composition for seven performers

Septett (de) septets

Septimino (es) septets

Septuor (fr) septets

Sequences (en) sequences part of the traditional Latin mass; use only for independent pieces

Serenada (ru) serenades

Serenade/Serenades (en, fr) serenades

use only for 17th/18th-century dramatic vocal works for two or more
Serenata/Serenatas (it) serenatas singers and orchestra; for instrumental works entitled serenata, use
"serenades".

music to accompany religious services not covered by any other

Service/Services (en) services
category

Sestetto (it) sexets

Settimino (it) septets

Sevillana/Sevillanas (es) sevillanas a flamenco-style song and dance of Andalusian origin

Sextet/Sextets (en) sextets a composition for six performers

Sexteto (es) sextets

Sextett (de) sextets

Sextuor (fr) sextets

a 17th- and 18th-century dance and aria form, probably of Sicilian

Siciliana/Sicilianas (en) sicilianas
origin

Siciliano (it) sicilianas

Sicilien (fr) sicilianas

Siciliene (fr) sicilianas

Sicilienne (fr) sicilianas

Simfoniia (ru) symphonies

Simfonietta (ru) sinfoniettas

Simphonie (fr) symhonies

Simphonie concertante/Simphonies
symphonies concertantes
concertantes (fr)

Simphonietta (fr) sinfoniettas

Simphony (en) symhonies

use only for Baroque works titled as such by the composer; otherwise
Sinfonia/Sinfonie/Sinfonias (it, en) sinfonias
use Symphonies

Sinfonia concertante/Sinfonie concertanti

symphonies concertantes
(it)

Sinfonie (de) symphonies do not confuse with Italian plural of Sinfonias

Sinfonie concertante/Sinfonies
symphonies concertantes
concertantes (fr)

Sinfonietta/Sinfoniettas (en, de, it) sinfoniettas

Singspiel/Singspiele (de) singspiele a form of German opera characterized by spoken dialogue

Sitsiliana (ru) sicilianas

Siuita/Siuity (ru) suites

Siziliano (de) sicilianas

Skertso (ru) scherzos

Sketch/Sketches (en) sketches use only when designated as such by the composer

Skizzen (de) sketches

Skladba/Skladby (cz) pieces

Solfeggio/Solfeggios (it) solfeggios use only for vocal exercises styled as such by the composer

generic term for Latin American rural or peasant music, both vocal
Son/Sones (es) sones
and instrumental

usually a work in several movements for solo instruments or small

Sonata/Sonatas (en, it, ru, es) sonatas
ensemble

Sonate (fr, de) sonatas

Sonatina/Sonatinas (en) sonatinas use only when it is the composer's original title

Sonatine (fr, de) sonatinas

use only for works styled as such by the composer, or for any piece
Song/Songs (en) songs for solo voice (with or without accompaniment) whose form is not
designated; note also Folksongs, Sacred songs

Usually used in a church setting, frequently for organ, and used

Sortie/Songs (fr) postludes
during the exit of the congregation

Sortsiko/Sortsiky (ru) zortzicos

Sousedsk/Sousedsky (cz) sousedsky a slow Czech couple-dance in triple time

Spiritual/Spirituals (en) spirituals religious American folksong [variant: spirichul]

a sequence from the traditional Latin mass; use only for independent
Stabat Mater (la) stabat mater
works titled as such by the composer

Stampita (it) estampies

Stndchen (de) serenades

Stck/Stcke (de) pieces

Studie/Studien (de) studies

Studio/Studi (it) studies

Study/Studies (en) studies

Stuk/Stukken (nl) pieces

Suite/Suites (en, fr, de, it, es) suites

use for compositions styled as such by the composer, or for otherwise

Symphonic poem/Symphonic poem (en) symphonic poems
undesignated orchestral works based on historical or fictional events
Symphonie (fr, de)

Symphonie concertante/Symphonies a work for multiple solo instruments and orchestra; use only when it is
symphonies concertantes
concertantes (fr) the composer's title

Symphonietta (fr) sinfoniettas

Symphoniette (en, fr) sinfoniettas

Symphonische Dichtung (de) symphonic poems

use for the multi-movement work of the 18th to 20th centuries; but
Symphony/Symphonies (en) symphonies
for the Italian Baroque sinfonia use Sinfonias

an 18th-century French dance with a lively melody and regular, static

Tambourin/Tambourins (en, fr) tambourins
bass simulating a drum, usually in duple meter

Tnc (hu) dances

Taniec (pl) dances

Tanets/Tantsy (ru) dances

Tango/Tangos (en, fr, de, it, ru, es) tangos a Latin-American song and dance

Tanz (de) dances

Tarantela (es) tarantellas

Tarantella/Tarantellas (de, it, en, ru) tarantellas a folkdance of southern Italy in triple time

Tarentelle (fr) tarantellas

Te Deum (en/fr/de/it/la/es) te deum use only for independent works styled as such by the composer

Terzett (de) trios

Terzettino/Terzettinos (it) terzettinos

Terzetto (it) trios

Ttel/Ttelek (hu) movements

Thematic catalog/Thematic catalogues use for catalogues of works by a composer that include musical
thematic catalogs
(en) incipits

Theme and Variations/Theme with

variations
Variations (en)

Threnody/Threnodies (en, fr) threnodies

Tiento/Tientos (es) tientos a form of Spanish/Latin American instrumental music

Tocata (es) toccatas

Toccata/Toccatas (en, fr, de, it) toccatas

Toccatina/Toccatinas (it) toccatas

Tombeau/Tombeaux (fr) tombeaux

Tokkata (ru) toccatas

Tonadilla/Tonadillas (es) tonadillas a Spanish form of cantata

Tondichtung (de) symphonic poems

Tone poem/Tone poems (en) symphonic poems

Tragdie en musique tragedies en musique Use only for the late 17th-18th C. French form of opera so named

Trio/Trios (en, fr, de, it, ru, es) trios a composition for three performers

Tsapateado/Tsapateady (ru) zapateados

Tyrolean/Tyroleans (en) tyroliennes

Tyrolien (de) tyroliennes

Tyrolienne/Tyroliennes (fr) tyroliennes a Tyrolean folk dance

bung/bungen (de) studies

Umoresca (it) humoresques

Utwr/Utwry (pl) pieces

Uvertiura/Uvertiury (ru) overtures

Uwertura overtures

Val's (ru) waltzes

Vals (es) waltzes

Valse (fr) waltzes

Valzer (it) waltzes

Variacin (es) variations

use for "Theme and Variations", etc., and all works consisting of a
Variation/Variations (en, fr, de) variations sequence of variations on one or more themes whose form is not
otherwise designated

Variatsiia/(ru) variations

Variazione (it) variations

Vaudevilles (en, fr) vaudevilles

Vers (hu) versets

use only for independent keyboard works styled as such by the

Verset/Versets (en, fr) versets
composer

Versett (de) versets

Versetto (it) versets

Versettus (hu) versets

Versiculo (es) versets

Verso (es) versets

Vesper/Vespers (en) vespers

Vil'iansiko (ru) villancicos

Villancico/Villancicos (es) villancicos a Spanish vocal work for one or more voices with refrain

a form of light vocal music popular in Italy and elsewhere from the
Villanella/Villanelle (en, it, ru, es) villanelle
1530s to the early 17th century (do not confuse with Vilannelles)

a 16th- to 17th-century French country dance or song, and an 18th-

Villanelle/Villanelles (fr) villanelles
to 20th-century instrumental piece (do not confuse with Villanelle)

Vivace/Vivaces (en, fr, de, it, es, ru) vivaces use only when this is the composer's title

a textless vocal exercise or concert piece to be sung to one or more

Vocalise/Vocalises (en, fr) vocalises
vowels; use only for vocal works

Vocalizacin (es) vocalises

Vocalizzo (it) vocalises

Vokalise (de) vocalises

Vokaliz (ru) vocalises

Volkslied/Volkslieder (de) folksongs

Volta/Volte (en, de, it, es) volte an early 17th-century dance

Volte (fr) volte

a piece for solo organ used at the beginning and end of church
Voluntary/Voluntaries (en) voluntaries
services, or an extemporised musical compositon

Vorspiel/Vorspiele (de) preludes

Waltz/Waltzes (en) waltzes

Walzer (de) waltzes

Wedding march/Wedding marches (en) wedding marches use only when styled as such by the composer; otherwise use Marches

Wedding procession/Wedding processions

wedding marches
(en)

Wiegenlied/Wiegenlieder (de) lullabies for vocal works only; otherwise use berceuses

use only for writings that are so generic they do not fit into a more
Writings (en) writings
specific category, e.g. music theory

Xcara/Xcaras (es) jacaras

Zalm (cz) psalms

Spanish dance in triple time in which rhythm is marked by stamping of

Zapateado/Zapateados (es) zapateados
the heels
 Zapateao/Zapateaos (es) zapateados

Zarabanda (es) sarabandes

Zarzuela/Zarzuelas (es) zarzuelas a distinct Spanish form of musical theatre

Zhiga/ (ru) gigues

Zorcico/Zorcicos (es) zortzicos

Zortzico/Zortzicos (es) zortzicos

Zortzico/Zortzicos (es) zortzicos Basque folksong or dance in 5/4 time with dotted rhythms

German folk dance with regular alternation between duple and triple
Zwiefacher/Zwiefache (de) zwiefache
meter

Zwischenakt (de) intermezzos

Zwischenspiel/Zwischenspiele (de) interludes

Special cases

If a work's title includes more than one of the above terms (e.g. "Prelude and Fugue", "Romances and Songs" or "Valse-Scherzo") then a
separate tag should be given for each term ("preludes ; fugues", "romances ; songs", "waltzes ; scherzos". The only exceptions are those
in the form of "Theme and Variations" or "Air and Variations", etc. which are all tagged just as variations").

The tag should always describe the whole composition, and not the individual movements or sections within a work.

With the exception of the double canons and double fugues, numbers or adjectives should be ignored when deciding on the work type,
so that "Psalm XLIX" just comes under psalms, and a "Groe Fugue" comes under fugues.

Always use the work type designated by the composer, even if you think it must be wrong. Watch out for inaccurate translations or work
page titles though!

Summary

When deciding on the "work type" of any composition, consider the following questions, in this order:

1. Is the type indicated in the title?

2. Is the type indicated in the subtitle?
3. Is the type indicated anywhere else in the score?
4. Is the type indicated in any authoritative sources?

If the answer to all these is "no", then you're very unlucky. But in these rare cases you should use "piece" as the work type for the time
being, and post a note in the forums or project discussion page to see if anyone can provide a more definitive answer. The same applies
if you think you have the correct term but it doesn't appear in the table above, which doesn't claim to be completely comprehensive.

Once you've found your standard work type, you can move on to the instrumentation ...

remove ad
Instrumentation
Apart from the "work type", the other element of the work tag is the instrumentation. It's important to be clear that the work tag is not
intended to duplicate the detailed data that is (or should be) already displayed in the general information box of the work page. Instead,
the tag should summarise this information as concisely as possible, using a system of abbreviations for instrument names and families.
These have to be standardized and used in a particular way so that they can be understood by IMSLP's software. But they have been
designed to be straightforward to use, with a little practice.

Again, do not give separate tags to individual movements or sections within a work. The tag should always describe the instrumentation
of the whole work, in its original form, without considering any arrangements or transcriptions (but see also "special cases", below).

Ensembles

Larger works will have multiple performers playing the same instruments and sometimes performing identical parts. The largest of these
ensembles is of course the orchestra, which includes instruments from the four main families of: woodwinds, brass, percussion and
strings. So:
 Family Abbreviation Description

a work scored for standard complements of woodwinds,

Orchestra orch
brass, percussion and strings

Woodwinds ww a work using woodwind instruments only

Brass br a work using brass instruments only

a work using percussion instruments only (unusual, but

Percussion perc
possible)

Strings str a work using stringed instruments only

Where two or three families of instruments come together to make a larger ensemble we can also combine some of these abbreviations
using only a space

ww br (= woodwinds and brass instruments)

ww br perc (= woodwinds, brass and percussion)
br perc (= brass and percussion)
br perc str (= brass, percussion and strings)

The families are always named in the same order (woodwinds; brass; percussion; strings), and do not have any capital letters in their
codes. Reduce terms like "wind band", "military band", "brass band" and "chamber orchestra" to their constituent families or instruments,
eg. a piece for wind band would be

ww hn (= woodwinds and horns)

Solo instruments
The names of individual instruments should be given if they are not playing as part of an ensemble. This can be in a chamber piece,
playing with other soloists, or as a soloist in a concerto.

Abbreviations for instruments

For the purpose of tagging we need the instruments to be listed consistently in the same order, and with the same spellings (regardless
of how they might appear in a particular score). The list below shows the most frequently-used solo instruments in the order they should
be named in the tags, and the standard singular and plural forms of their names.

This is not intended to be a comprehensive list of orchestral instruments just the ones most likely to be used in the work tags. If
you need to use any instruments that are not on the list, then if possible tag them with the appropriate instrument family name
(woodwinds, brass, percussion, strings or keyboard) and bring this to the attention of the project co-ordinator.

Instrument or family Abbreviation Notes Wikipedia

for large ensembles only (do not use for chamber or Woodwind
Woodwinds (modern) ww
instrumental works) instrument

Piccolo/Piccolos picc Piccolo

Flute/Flutes fl Flute

use for the instrument pitched in G (sometimes

Alto flute/Alto flutes afl Alto flute
confused with the bass flute)

will display as "Flute damore" (due to apostrophes

Flute d'amore/Flutes d'amore fda Flte d'amour
not being valid characters in category names)

use for the instrument pitched in C, an octave below

Bass flute/Bass flutes bfl Bass flute
the standard flute, as well as the contrabass flute
Recorder/Recorders rec Recorder

Oboe/Oboes ob see also oboe d'amore, bass oboe Oboe

will display as "oboe damore" (due to apostrophes

Oboe d'amore/Oboes d'amore oda not being valid characters in category names) Oboe d'amore

English horn/English horns eh also known as 'cor anglais' Cor anglais

Bass oboe/Bass oboes bob Bass oboe

Heckelphone/Heckelphones heck Heckelphone
Piccolo Clarinet/Piccolo Clarinets pcl use for E, D, or A sopranino clarinets, or any Clarinet
clarinet higher than (but not including) C clarinet.

Clarinet/Clarinets cl use for B, A, or C soprano clarinets Clarinet

usually in E a sixth below concert pitch, but there

Alto Clarinet/Alto Clarinets
Basset clarinet/Basset clarinets
acl are other obsolete keys in the vicinity that might Clarinet
also be called an alto clarinet.
An A clarinet with a low C extension, not to be
bstcl Basset clarinet
confused with bass clarinet or basset horn

not to be confused with the bass clarinet or bass

Basset horn/Basset horns bsthn Basset horn
horn

Bass clarinet/Bass clarinets bcl use for B or A bass clarinet Bass clarinet

Contrabass clarinet/Contrabass use for any clarinet lower than A bass clarinet, Contrabass
cbcl
clarinets including contralto clarinet clarinet
Saxophone/Saxophones sax Saxophone

Sarrusophone/Sarrusophones sar Sarrusophone

Bassoon/Bassoons bn see also contrabassoon Bassoon

Contrabassoon/Contrabassoons cbn Contrabassoon

Mouth organ (not to be confused with harmonium,
Harmonica/Harmonicas hca Harmonica
or glass harmonica)

Woodwind
Woodwinds (traditional) ww
instrument

Fife/Fifes fife Fife

Ocarina/Ocarinas oca Ocarina

ancient Chinese flute; use for Shakuhachi as well,
Xiao/Xiao xiao Xiao
since it descended from the Xiao

Flageolet/Flageolet flag use also for tin whistle Flageolet

Pan flute pan use for pan pipes, quenas and similar Andean flutes Pan flute

Duduk/Duduks dud Duduk

Shawm/Shawms shw Shawm

Chalumeau/Chalumeaux cm Chalumeau

also known as a Zink; not to be confused with the

Cornett/Cornetts crtt Cornett
brass cornet

Serpent/Serpents srp Serpent

Dulcian/Dulcians dlcn Dulcian

Crumhorn/Crumhorns crh Crumhorn

Bagpipe/Bagpipes bag Bagpipes

Musette/Musettes mus Musette de cour

Vuvuzela/Vuvuzelas vuv Vuvuzela

Accordion/Accordions acc Use also for concertinas and bandonens Accordion

Concertina/Concertinas conc Concertina

for large ensembles only (do not use for chamber or
Brass (modern) br Brass instrument
instrumental works)

use for most types of horn, except basset horn (see

Horn/Horns hn Horn
above)

Wagner tuba/Wagner tubas wag Wagner tuba

Ophicleide/Ophicleides oph Ophicleide

Bugle/Bugles bug Bugle

Flugelhorn/Flugelhorns fgh Flugelhorn

Saxhorn/Saxhorns sxh Saxhorn

Trumpet/Trumpets tpt Trumpet

Piccolo trumpet/Piccolo trumpets ptpt Piccolo trumpet

Cornet/Cornets crt do not confuse with the woodwind cornett Cornet

Trombone/Trombones tbn use for all types of trombone Trombone

Euphonium/Euphoniums euph use also for the baritone horn Euphonium

Sousaphone/Sousaphones sou Sousaphone

Tuba/Tubas tba Tuba

Contrabass tuba/Contrabass tubas ctba Contrabass tuba

for large ensembles only (do not use for chamber or

Brass (traditional) br Brass instrument
instrumental works)
use for natural horn, posthorn, hunting horn,
Horn/Horns hn Horn
alphorn, cow horn

Slide trumpet/Slide trumpets stpt Also known as Tromba di tirarsi or Zugtrompete Slide trumpet

Sackbut/Sackbuts skbt Sackbut

Unpitched
use this tag for all unpitched percussion
Percussion (unpitched) perc percussion
instruments
instrument
use this tag for any percussion instrument not Pitched percussion
Percussion (pitched) perc
appearing in the list below instrument

use only when not playing as part of a standard

Timpano/Timpani timp Timpani
orchestra

Toy Instruments toys e.g. as used in Reinecke's Kinder-sinfonie

Glass harmonica/Glass harmonicas ghca Not to be confused with the ordinary harmonica Glass harmonica
Tibetan crystal singing bowls (including sheng,
Sheng/Shengs sheng Sheng
lusheng)

Bell/Bells bell use for tubular bells and carillon Bell

Celesta/Celestas cel also known as "Celeste" Celesta

Glockenspiel/Glockenspiels gl use only when playing as solo instrument Glockenspiel

Xylophone/Xylophones xyl Xylophone

Marimba/Marimbas mar Marimba

Vibraphone/Vibraphones vib Vibraphone

Zither/Zithers zith Zither

Kantele/Kanteles kan Kantele

Hammered
Dulcimer/Dulcimers dulc use for hammered dulcimer
dulcimer

Cimbalom/Cimbaloms cimb Cimbalom

Kalimba/Kalimbas kal Use also for thumb piano or mbira Kalimba

Koto koto Japanese musical instrument Koto

for large ensembles only (do not use for chamber or Plucked string
Plucked strings (modern) str
instrumental works) instrument

Guitar/Guitars gtr Guitar

Electric guitar/Electric guitars egtr Electric guitar

Bass guitar/Bass guitars bgtr Bass guitar

Guitalele/Guitaleles gtl Guitalele

Ukulele/Ukuleles uke Ukulele

primarily used in Portuguese and Brazilian folk

Cavaquinho/Cavaquinhos cav Cavaquinho
music
Banjo/Banjos bjo Banjo

Mandolin/Mandolins mand Mandolin

Mandola/Mandolas mdla Mandola

Mandocello/Mandocellos mdcl Mandocello

Harp/Harps hp Harp

for large ensembles only (do not use for chamber or Plucked string
Plucked strings (traditional) str
instrumental works) instrument

3-stringed Japanese instrument, also known as

Shamisen/Shamisens smn Shamisen
Samisen/Samisens
Lyre/Lyres lyre Lyre

also known as lute-harpsichord, lautenclavicymbel Lautenwerk

Lautenwerck/Lautenwerk laut
or theorbenflugel baroquemusic.org

Lute/Lutes lute Use for theorbo as well Lute

east European string instrument, not to be confused

Tamburica/Tamburicas tbc Tamburica
with the Tanpura
Indian string instrument, not to be confused with
Tanpura/Tanpuras tanp Tanpura
the Tamburica

Oud/Ouds oud early Arabic form of lute Oud

Pipa/Pipas pipa 4-stringed Chinese lute Pipa

Domra/Domras dom 3 or 4-stringed Russian lute Domra

Cittern/Citterns cit also known as the "Cithern" Cittern

Vihuela/Vihuelas vih 6-stringed guitar-like instrument Vihuela

Bandurria/Bandurrias bdr primarily used in Spanish folk music Bandurria

Sitar/Sitars sit use also for the Azerbaijani tar Sitar

for large ensembles only (do not use for chamber or Bowed string
Bowed strings (modern) str
instrumental works) instrument

Violin/Violins vn Violin

Electric violin evn Electric violin

Viola/Violas va Viola

a 5-stringed viola; not to be confused with the

Viola alta/Violas alta vaa
earlier viola pomposa

Violotta/Violottas tva also known as the tenor viola Violotta

a 5-stringed viola; not to be confused with the later

Viola pomposa/Violas pomposi vap Viola pomposa
viola alta
Viola profonda/Violas profonda vpr a larger viola with extended range Viola profonda

will display as "Viola damore" (due to apostrophes

Viola d'amore/Violas d'amore vda Viola d'amore
not being valid characters in category names)

Arpeggione arp do not confuse with Italian arpa (for harp) Arpeggione

Cello/Cellos vc also known as Violoncello(s) Cello

Violoncello piccolo/Violoncelli piccoli vcp also known as 5-stringed cello Violoncello piccolo

Cellone/Cellones clne Alfred Stelzner

Double Bass/Double Basses db also known as Basses Double bass

for large ensembles only (do not use for chamber or Bowed string
Bowed strings (traditional) str
instrumental works) instrument
Vielle/Vielles vie use also for hurdy-gurdy and lire organizzate Vielle

Viol/Viols viol also known as viola da gamba Viol

a hybrid stringed instrument between a lute and

Baryton/Barytons bryt Baryton
viol, often used by Haydn

do not confuse with Violine (which is Italian for

Violone/Violones vlne Violone
"violins")
Rebec/Rebecs reb Rebec

a 1-stringed instrument used in medieval and

Tromba marina/Trombe marina trm Tromba marina
Renaissance Europe, and as late as Vivaldi

Erhu/Erhus erhu 2-stringed Chinese instrument Erhu

 Keyboard kbd use where no particular keyboard instrument is Keyboard
specified, or the generic term "Klavier" is used instrument
Clavichord/Clavichords clvd Clavichord

Harpsichord/Harpsichord hpd Harpsichord

Piano/Pianos pf but see also below Piano

Piano left hand pflh

Piano right hand pfrh

Piano 3 hands pf3h use for 2 players at one piano

Piano 4 hands pf4h use for 2 players at one piano

Piano 5 hands pf5h use for 3 players at one or two pianos

Piano 6 hands pf6h use for 3 players at one or two pianos

2 Pianos 5 hands 2pf8h use for 3 players at two pianos

2 Pianos 8 hands 2pf8h use for 4 players at two pianos

Pedal piano/Pedal pianos pfped Pedal piano

Organ/Organs org Organ

Mechanical instrument/Mechanical use for mechanical organs, mechanical keyboards,

mech Mechanical organ
instruments music boxes, musical clocks, etc.
Harmonium/Harmoniums harm Harmonium

Physharmonica/Physharmonicas phys Physharmonica

Melodica/Melodicas mel Melodica

Mlodion/Mlodions mld Melodion

Harmonichord/Harmonichords hmcd Harmonichord

Electric piano epf Electric piano

Electronic musical
Electronic Instruments
instrument

Synthesizer/Synthesizers syn use for any other electronic keyboard or organ Synthesizer
Ondes Martenot om Ondes Martenot

Theremin/Theremins thrm Theremin

use for 'live' computer-generated sounds (use

Electronic Sounds elec
"Tape" for all pre-recorded sounds)

use for performances requiring pre-recorded

Tape tape
sounds of any kind
also known as "Basso Continuo" (do not confuse
Continuo bc Figured bass
with cont for "contralto").

Usage

Spaces should only be used to separate instrument names, and the tag should not contain any additional spaces, semi-colons, dashes or
any other punctuation. For example:

"2vn" = 2 violins (not "2 vn")

"hn 2pf" = horn and 2 pianos
"vn pf str" = violin and piano playing as solo instruments, accompanied by with a string ensemble

Different forms of the same instrument should be grouped together, e.g. "2hn" (not "bass hn and alto hn"), and any instruments that are
marked ad lib. or 'optional' should be omitted.

The sequence of instruments within each tag must follow the sequence in the table above.

Orchestral ensembles

Use "orch" for a mixed ensemble of winds and strings (with more than one string player per part), with or without percussion; only
include individual instruments in the tag if they are designated as soloists throughout (see Concertos below). So a small classical
orchestra with one oboe, 2 horns and strings would still be "orch".
The term "band" has a different meaning in different countries, so we avoid it here, and instead use these tags:

"ww br" = wind ensemble (consisting of woodwind and brass instruments only)
"ww br perc" = wind band (woodwind, brass and percussion instruments)
"ww" = woodwind ensemble (no percussion or brass)
"br" = brass ensemble (no woodwinds or percussion)
"br perc" = brass band (no woodwinds)

For an orchestra made up entirely of traditional Chinese instruments, use "cho".

Concertos

Normally the name of the solo instrument(s) comes before the ensemble. For example

"pf orch" = solo piano with orchestra

"vn orch" = solo violin with orchestra
"vc str" = solo cello and string ensemble
"hn orch" = solo horn with orchestra
"vn vc pf orch" = solo violin, cello and piano with orchestra
"2hp, perc" = 2 harps with percussion
"2ob str" = 2 solo oboes with strings

Note that for a concerto grosso, where individual instruments in an orchestra take their turns as soloists, the tag would still be "orch".

Chamber/Instrumental works

For small-scale works, where solo instruments are performing together as individuals instead of part of a group, all the instruments
should be listed individually:

"2vn va vc" = 2 violins, viola and cello (the standard string quartet combination)
"fl vn va vc" = flute, violin, viola and cello
"vn vc pf" = violin, cello and piano
"hn 2crt tba" = horn, 2 cornets, tuba
"ob 2hn 2vn va pf" = oboe, 2 horns, 2 violins, viola and piano
"cl bn 2vn va vc db" = clarinet, bassoon, 2 violins, viola, cello and double bass
"fl 2vn va vc 2hpd" = flute, 2 violins, viola, cello and 2 harpsichords

Many baroque pieces include a part for "basso continuo" or "continuo" which can be played by unspecified combinations of instruments.
This should be treated as a single instrument abbreviated to "bc" and placed at the end of the tag (e.g. "2vn va bc").

If it is unclear whether a work is intended for solo string instruments or for string ensemble, then both possibilities should be
tagged.

Choral Works

Use the abbreviation "ch" for any chorus consisting of both male and female performers. Otherwise you should choose the appropriate
term from the list below:

Instrument or family Abbreviation Notes

Male chorus (men only) mch

Female chorus (women only) fch

Children's chorus (boys and/or girls only) cch

Unison chorus uch

Mixed chorus (male and female) ch

The chorus should always be listed before any accompaniment, like this:

"fch 2hn pf" = female chorus, 2 horns and piano

"cch orch" = "children's chorus with orchestra"

However, if a piano accompaniment is intended for rehearsal only, the piano part should not be included in the tag. Instead, mention in
the "Misc. note" for that specific edition that there is a piano part for rehearsal only.
If it is unclear whether a work is intended for solo voices or for a chorus, then both possibilities should be tagged.

Vocal Works

Choose from the following terms for works involving solo voices (singular / plural):

Instrument or family Abbreviation Notes

Voice v use when the range of a single voice is not known or not specified

use when the ranges of multiple solo voices are not known or not
Voices vv (double v)
specified

(e.g. "2eq") use when the range of two or more solo voices are
Equal voices eq
equal but unspecified

Child's Voice/Children's Voices cv

Soprano/Sopranos sop

Mezzo-Soprano/Mezzo-Sopranos mez

Alto/Altos alt

Haute-contre alt
Countertenor alt

Tenor/Tenors ten

Baritone/Baritones bar

Bass Baritone/Bass Baritones bbar

Bass/Basses bass do not confuse with the instrumental double bass (db)

for spoken dialogue parts only (e.g. Prokofiev's Peter and the
Narrator nar
Wolf)

If the range of a solo voice part is not specified then use either v (singular voice) or vv (2 or more voices) as required. Examples include:

"2sop mez bar" = 2 sopranos, mezzo-soprano and baritone

"2mez 2bbar" = 2 mezzo-sopranos and 2 bass-baritones
"sop alt ten bass" = solo soprano, alto, tenor and bass voices
"4vv" = 4 unspecified solo voices

List the solo voices before any choruses or accompaniment

"4vv ch orch" = 4 voices, chorus, orchestra

"2sop fch pf" = 2 sopranos, female chorus, piano
"mez bar orch" = mezzo-soprano and baritone soloists with orchestra

In the case of operas and operettas with many characters and solo parts it is not necessary to count the number of solo vocal parts. Just
use "vv" for "voices

operas ; vv ch orch

Although most operas and operettas are written for the above combination, there are significant exceptions, so make no assumptions!

Language tags are usually required for vocal works (see below)

Special Cases
Alternative Instrumentation

Some works include alternative parts for solo instruments approved by the composer, like the Viola or Violin Concerto No.2 by Anton
Stamitz, where the solo instrument can be a violin, viola, or viola d'amore. In such cases more than one tag should be used, e.g.:

concertos ; vn str ; va str ; vda str

Occasionally a work can exist in two different forms, particularly where a piece for piano was later orchestrated by the composer, like
Holst's suite The Planets (originally written for piano duet, but better known in the composer's orchestral version). This would be tagged
as both:

suites ; pf4h ; orch

Open Scores/Unspecified Instruments

In renaissance (and some later) works, each individual voice of a polyphonic composition may be assigned a separate staff, which may
only be labelled "soprano" or "canto" (if labelled at all), even though they are intended to be played on instruments rather than sung. This
is known as "open scoring", and we have special tags to deal with this situation. For example:

open 2sop bass (= for 2 treble parts and 1 bass part)

open alt 2ten (= for alto and 2 tenor parts)

... which would respectively appear in the categories:

For open instrumentation (2 treble, bass)

For open instrumentation (alto, 2 tenor)

For ease of use we retain the "sop alt ten bass" ranges in the tags, but the tag for "sop" would be converted to "treble" in the category
description.

Where we only have clefs, without any indications of ranges, the following guide should be used:

Preferred
Clef Usual part name, or applicable voice range
voice

G2 Treble, also Triplum: these days usually sung by female Sopranos sop
C1 Canto/Cantus, or Discantus, Superius: Soprano sop

C2 Medius/Mean (also Cantus, Altus occasionally): might be more of a Mezzo-Soprano (Mez) sop (or alt)

C3 Alto/Altus/Contratenor [altus] (also Tenor occasionally): usually sung by female Contraltos alt

C4 Tenor/Tenore: usually sung by male Tenors ten

C5 = F3 "low" Tenor or "high" Bassus: would be more of a Baritone (bar) ten (or bass)

F4 Basso/Bassus [= Contratenor bassus]: Bass bass

F5 Bassus, usually a basso profundo: Bass bass

If some instruments are specified, but not others, then everything in the tag preceding the "open" would be treated as a normal
instrument

"sop open 2sop alt bass" = soprano voice with 4 unspecified instruments (2 of which are treble, 1 alto and 1 bass)

If all else fails, and if it's not possible to identify the instrumentation at all, then use:

open (= for 1 unspecified instrument)

2open (= for 2 unspecified instruments)
3open (= for 3 unspecified instruments), etc.

Undetermined instrumentation

If the instrumentation of the original work cannot be determined (because IMSLP has only arrangements, and not the original score), then
the tag und may be used. This will place the work into the special category Works with undetermined instrumentation, from which they
can be removed when the original instrumentation is ascertained.

remove ad

Languages
An extra tag is used to indicate the language of a vocal or literary work. This should consist of the standard 2-letter codes, some of the
most common of which are shown below:

Language Abbreviation Notes

Afrikaans af

Albanian sq
Anglo-Saxon ang

Arabic ar

Aragonese an

Aramaic arc
Armenian hy

Australian (aboriginal) aus

Azerbaijani az

Basque eu
Bulgarian bg

Catalan ca

Cherokee chr

Chinese zh
Church Slavonic cu

Croatian hr

Czech cz

Danish da
Dutch nl

Efik efi

English en

Esan ish
Esperanto eo

Estonian et

Farsi (Persian) fa

Finnish fi
French fr

Gaelic (Irish) ge

Gaelic (Scottish) gd

Galician glg
Georgian ka

German de

Greek (Ancient) grc

Greek (Modern) el
Haitian Creole ht

Hawaiian haw

Hebrew he

Hindi hi
Hungarian hu

Icelandic is

Indonesian id

Irish (Gaelic) ge
Italian it

Japanese ja

Latin la

Latvian lv
Lithuanian lt

Macedonian mk

Maltese mt
 Maori mi

Neapolitan nap

Norwegian no

Occitan oc
Persian (Farsi) fa

Polish pl

Portuguese pt

Romanian ro
Russian ru

Sanskrit sa

Scots (Gaelic) sc use for the Germanic language spoken in the lowlands of Scotland

use for the Celtic language spoken in the Scottish highlands and
Scottish (Gaelic) gd
islands
Serbian sr

Slovak sk

Slovene sl

Spanish es
Swahili sw

Swedish sv

Tagalog tl

Telugu te
Turkish tr

Ukrainian uk

Venetian ve

Vietnamese vi
Welsh cy

Yiddish yi

Zulu zu

< Return to the Categorization Project homepage

Content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License Page visited 1,070 times Powered by MediaWiki Switch back to classic
skin