Musicologist-driven writer identification in early music manuscripts

Recent renewed interest in computational writer identification has resulted in an increased number of publications. In relation to historical musicology its application has so far been limited. One of the obstacles seems to be that the clarity of the images from the scans available for computational analysis is often not sufficient. In this paper, the use of the Hinge feature is proposed to avoid segmentation and staff-line removal for effective feature extraction from low quality scans. The use of an auto encoder in Hinge feature space is suggested as an alternative to staff-line removal by image processing, and their performance is compared. The result of the experiment shows an accuracy of 87 % for the dataset containing 84 writers’ samples, and superiority of our segmentation and staff-line removal free approach. Practical analysis on Bach’s autograph manuscript of the Well-Tempered Clavier II (Additional MS. 35021 in the British Library, London) is also presented and the extensive applicability of our approach is demonstrated.

Sights for Sounds: The Roles of Illuminated Initials in Italian Music Manuscripts

The scholarship on illuminated initials is substantial, yet there is a significant absence of information when discussing the initials found in music manuscripts specifically. In this paper, I endeavor to supplement the current scholarship by focusing my research on music manuscripts produced in Italy between 1250 and 1500 A.D. in order to provide examples of the relationships between image, music, and text in the context of use. I use mainly iconographic research methods, though a considerable amount of background information is reliant on the research of other authors in the field of medieval philosophy and theology. Through my research I have concluded that the use of illuminated initials in medieval Italian music manuscripts enhances the function of the manuscript by providing another layer of understanding which audience members could use to aid them in their meditation, prayer, and in the performance of the music.

The music manuscripts, first editions, and correspondence of Franz Liszt (1811-1886) in the collections of the Music Division, Library of Congress /

Mode of access: Internet.

Manuscritos de música en el archivo del Arzobispado de Buenos Aires

Resumen: La música religiosa del compositor argentino J. P. Esnaola (1808-1878) que ha llegado hasta nosotros se conserva repartida entre dos fondos documentales. Este informe está dedicado a uno de ellos, perteneciente al archivo del Arzobispado de Buenos Aires, donde se guardan obras de Esnaola y del español Manuel Mencía (1731-1805). Se presenta un inventario comentado de los manuscritos musicales del archivo, con un detalle de los copistas intervinientes.

" Adoremus in æternum" &c: a canon for three tenors or sopranos

by Louis Cherubini ; with an accompt for stringed instts or pianoforte ad lib.

Tabulae codicvm manu scriptorum praeter graecos et orientales in Bibliotheca palatina vindobonensi asservatorum /

Cod. 15501-19500: Codicvm musicorvm pars I-II.

Tabvlae codicvm manv scriptorvm praeter graecos et orientales in Bibliotheca palatina vindobonensi asservatorvm.

Mode of access: Internet.

Die Musik-Handschriften der Königl. Ritter-Akademie zu Liegnitz.

Caption title.

Thematischer Katalog der von Thulemeiers̓chen Musikaliensammlung in der Bibliothek des Joachimsthals̓chen Gymnasiums zu Berlin.

"Der ... Katalog ist im Jahre 1860 von einem R. Jacobs angefertigt. Die Verleger und andere Bemerkungen sind vom Unterzeichneten."--Pref. (signed Rob Eitner)

Musical commonplace book : manuscript, [approximately 1790-approximately 1810]

Contains songs, partly from English operas, and instrumental music.

Alceste: tragédie

de Lully.

Ah' quest'amplesso, o cara: scena e duetto nella Cleopatra / manuscript, [approximately 1800]

del Sig:re Sebastiano Nasolini :