This volume has posed numerous editorial challenges with respect to the transliteration of Russian text, the multiple linguistic adaptations of proper names and of musical titles, and the use of dates from the Julian and Gregorian calendars. We overall have chosen to adopt the transliteration system of the Library of Congress in notes and bibliography, although with patronymics omitted. In the main text we have used commonly accepted spellings of certain names (e.g., Stravinsky, not Stravinskii), titles, and terminology for ease of reading. Many émigrés adopted new names or adapted the transliteration of their names; Sergei became Serge for some men, for example, while others retained a transliteration of the original. We have presented the names in their most familiar versions, except in quotations and in bibliographical references, in which names remain as they appear in their sources. The work that is the subject of this volume exists in parallel linguistic traditions, as the French titles of sections, or so-called pictures, of the work have been translated differently in different countries and editions (e.g., “Dance of the Earth” or “Dancing Out of the Earth”). We have not regularized this but instead have allowed authors to choose their preference.
The Julian calendar (still that of the Russian Orthodox Church) was used throughout Russia until 1918. We do not alter dates in texts written under the “Old Style” calendar. However, when dealing with historical events and with correspondence in published collections, we generally include both the Julian dates and their Gregorian (i.e., “New Style”) equivalents.
A final note: in labeling measures in The Rite, we designate rehearsal numbers followed by measures within the rehearsal grouping. For example R-3 represents Rehearsal no. 3 in the score, while R-3:1–2 indicates the measure concurrent with R-3 and the one that follows.