These materials will help the musician in decoding and interpreting unfamiliar notation. Most notable are Elaine Gould’s Behind Bars: The Definitive Guide to Music Notation and Kurt Stone’s Music Notation in the Twentieth Century: A Practical Guidebook, which are comprehensive manuals explaining proper notation practice, both illustrated with many musical examples. For graphic aspects of notation, the books by Risatti and Thomsett are designed like dictionaries to assist in identifying notation symbols and defining their performance practice.
Böhm, László. Modern Music Notation: A Reference and Textbook. New York: G. Schirmer, 1961.
Cope, David. “Contemporary Notation in Music.” The Instrumentalist 30, no. 10 (May 1976): 28–32.
Gould, Elaine. Behind Bars: The Definitive Guide to Music Notation. London: Faber Music, 2011.
Karkoschka, Erhard. Notation in New Music: A Critical Guide to Interpretation and Realization. New York: Praeger, 1972.
Livingston, Larry. “Band Music: A New Horizon.” The Instrumentalist 28, no. 10 (May 1974): 82–87.
“The Music Notation Project: Exploring Alternative Music Notation Systems.” http://musicnotation.org.
Read, Gardner. 20th-Century Microtonal Notation. Contributions to the Study of Music and Dance, 18. New York: Greenwood Press, 1990.
———. Compendium of Modern Instrumental Techniques. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1993. [An expansion and update of the author’s Contemporary Instrumental Techniques. New York: Schirmer Books, 1976.]
———. Modern Rhythmic Notation. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1978.
———. Music Notation: A Manual of Modern Practice. 2nd ed. New York: Taplinger, 1969.
———. Pictographic Score Notation: A Compendium. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1998.
———. Source Book of Proposed Music Notation Reforms. Music Reference Collection, 11. New York: Greenwood Press, 1987.
———. Thesaurus of Orchestral Devices. New York: Pitman, 1953. Reprint, New York: Greenwood Press, 1977.
Risatti, Howard. New Music Vocabulary: A Guide to Notational Signs for Contemporary Music. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1975.
Sauer, Theresa. Notations 21. New York: Mark Batty Publisher, 2009.
Stone, Kurt. Music Notation in the Twentieth Century: A Practical Guidebook. New York: W. W. Norton, 1980.
Thomsett, Michael C. Musical Terms, Symbols, and Theory: An Illustrated Dictionary. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1989. Reprint, 2012.
These materials are helpful to music teachers who need concise explanations of the logic and function of notation in order to explain it to their students. Some items will be suitable as resources for the students themselves to use in their personal study.
Broido, Arnold, and Daniel Dorff. “Standard Music Notation Practice.” Rev. ed. New York: Music Publishers Association, 1993. Available online at http://www.mpa.org/sites/mpa.org/files/standard-practice-engraving.pdf.
Dolmetsch Online. “Music Dictionary: Musical Symbols.” http://www.dolmetsch.com/musicalsymbols.htm. [An online dictionary illustrating music notation symbols with definitions.]
Gerou, Tom, and Linda Lusk. Essential Dictionary of Music Notation. Los Angeles: Alfred Publishing, 1996. Republished in a larger format as Essentials of Music Notation: A Practical Dictionary. [Van Nuys, CA]: Alfred Publishing, 2009.
Indiana University, Jacobs School of Music. “Music Notation Style Guide.” http://www.music.indiana.edu/departments/academic/composition/style-guide.
McGrain, Mark. Music Notation: Theory and Technique for Music Notation. Boston: Berklee Press, 1966. Reprint, 1986.
O’Brien, James P. “Teach the Principles of Notation, Not Just the Symbols.” Music Educators Journal 60, no. 9 (May 1974): 38–42.
“The Method Behind the Music: Basic Musical Notation.” http://method-behind-the-music.com/theory/notation.
The composer and copyist must make their music easy to read and interpret while ensuring it is formatted efficiently for the player to use. The books by Steven Powell and Ted Ross explain how to make the music look as if it was professionally printed. The MOLA brochure and the book by Nicholl and Grudzinski explain the proper layout and physical appearance of performance materials. Stone and Read’s books also include chapters on preparing scores and parts. Girsberger and Lake’s Insights and Essays on the Music Performance Library includes articles on the related issues of music copying, editing, and proofreading.
Brandt, Carl, and Clinton Roemer. Standardized Chord Symbol Notation: A Uniform System for the Music Profession. Sherman Oaks, CA: Roerick Music, 1976.
Coulon, Jean-Pierre. “Repository of Music-Notation Mistakes.” http://imslp.org/wiki/Repository_of_music-notation_mistakes_(Coulon,_Jean-Pierre).
Girsberger, Russ, and Laurie Lake, eds. Insights and Essays on the Music Performance Library. Galesville, MD: Meredith Music Publications, 2012.
International Music Score Library Project. “IMSLP: Typesetting Guidelines.” http://imslp.org/wiki/IMSLP:Typesetting_Guidelines.
Major Orchestra Librarians’ Association (MOLA). “Music Preparation Guidelines for Orchestral Music.” N.p.: Major Orchestra Librarians’ Association, 2006. Available online at http://mola-inc.org/m/articles/browse/category/MOLA+publications.
Nicholl, Matthew, and Richard Grudzinski. Music Notation: Preparing Scores and Parts. Boston: Berklee Press, 2007.
NPC Imaging. http://www.npcimaging.com. [Sales of notation books and software with information on music engraving, copying, and notation.]
Powell, Steven. Music Engraving Today: The Art and Practice of Digital Notesetting. 2nd ed. New York: Brichtmark Music, 2007.
Read, Gardner. “Manuscript Techniques.” In Music Notation: A Manual of Modern Practice. 2nd ed., 419–450. New York: Taplinger, 1969.
Roemer, Clinton. The Art of Music Copying: The Preparation of Music for Performance. 2nd ed. Sherman Oaks, CA: Roerick Music, 1985.
Rosenthal, Carl A. Practical Guide to Music Notation for Composers, Arrangers and Editors. New York: MCA Music, 1967.
Ross, Ted. The Art of Music Engraving and Processing: A Complete Manual, Reference and Text Book on Preparing Music for Reproduction and Print. 2nd ed. Miami, FL: Charles Hansen, 1970. A CD-ROM edition is published by NPC Imaging (http://www.npcimaging.com).
Stone, Kurt. “Scores and Parts.” In Music Notation in the Twentieth Century: A Practical Guidebook, 158–183. New York: W. W. Norton, 1980.
There is no standardized system for notating percussion instruments or their performance techniques. Consequently, percussionists must interpret a variety of differently shaped note-heads and graphic symbols, often labeled with inconsistent names, spellings, and playing techniques. Samuel Solomon’s book indicates both the correct notation and the proper playing technique through photos and musical examples. Reginald Smith Brindle focuses on notation used in modern works. Also be sure to examine the relevant chapters in Stone and Read for additional repertoire examples.
Brindle, Reginald Smith. Contemporary Percussion. Rev. ed. London: Oxford University Press, 1991.
Cirone, Anthony J. On Musical Interpretation in Percussion Performance: A Study of Notation and Musicianship. Galesville, MD: Meredith Music Publications, 2008.
Knaack, Donald. “Modern Notation: It’s Nothing to be Afraid Of.” Modern Percussionist 1, no. 1 (December 1984–February 1985): 56–57.
Kotoński, Włodzimierz. Schlaginstrumente im modernen Orchester. Mainz: B. Schott’s Söhne, 1968.
McCarty, Frank. “Notational Standards for Percussion: A Report on the Ghent Conference.” The Instrumentalist 29, no. 11 (June 1975): 53–55.
———. “Symbols for Percussion Notation.” Percussionist [Percussive Notes Research Edition] 18, no. 1 (Fall 1980): 8–19.
Meyer, Ramon. “The Notation and Interpretation of Rolls.” The Instrumentalist 22, no. 5 (December 1967): 68–69.
Papastefan, John. “Timpani Roll Notation: Observations and Clarifications.” Percussive Notes 20, no. 1 (Fall 1981): 69–71.
Read, Gardner. “Percussion Notation.” In Music Notation: A Manual of Modern Practice. 2nd ed., 361–380. New York: Taplinger, 1969.
Reed, H. Owen, Joel T. Leach, and Deanna Hudgins. Scoring for Percussion and the Instruments of the Percussion Section. Van Nuys, CA: Alfred Music, 2010.
Solomon, Samuel Z. How to Write for Percussion: A Comprehensive Guide to Percussion Composition. New York: Samuel Solomon (www.szsolomon.com), 2002.
Stone, Kurt. “Percussion.” In Music Notation in the Twentieth Century: A Practical Guidebook, 205–225. New York: W. W. Norton, 1980.
Udow, Michael W. “Visual Correspondence Between Notation Systems and Instrument Configurations.” Percussionist [Percussive Notes Research Edition] 18, no. 2 (Winter 1981): 15–29.
Weinberg, Norman. Guide to Standardized Drumset Notation. Lawton, OK: Percussive Arts Society, 1998.
Zeltsman, Nancy. “Memo to Composers: Brief Guidelines on Composing/Notating for Marimba.” http://www.nancyzeltsman.com/memo-to-composers.html.
Because music notation is fluid and malleable, there is a continuing conversation about its appearance, functionality, and interpretation. Roberto Poli’s The Secret Life of Musical Notation presents new ways of looking at notation through traditional performance practice. Warfield’s Writings on Contemporary Music Notation is a bibliography of materials published between 1950 and 1975. Books by László Böhm, Erhard Karkoschka, and Theresa Sauer demonstrate various approaches to less traditional notation practices. Daniel Spreadbury’s blog explains the many details involved in the development of his new music notation software.
Böhm, László. Modern Music Notation: A Reference and Textbook. New York: G. Schirmer, 1961.
Boretz, Benjamin, and Edward T. Cone. Perspectives on Notation and Performance. New York: W. W. Norton, 1976.
Cope, David. New Music Notation. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Publishing, 1976.
Cole, Hugo. Sounds and Signs: Aspects of Musical Notation. London, New York: Oxford University Press, 1974.
Creston, Paul. Rational Metric Notation: The Mathematical Basis of Meters, Symbols, and Note-Values. Hicksville, NY: Exposition Press, 1979.
G. Henle Verlag. “Music Engraving.” http://www.henleusa.com/en/the-publishing-house/music-engraving/index.html. [Videos demonstrating the procedure of metal plate engraving.]
Karkoschka, Erhard. Notation in New Music: A Critical Guide to Interpretation and Realization. New York: Praeger, 1972.
Poli, Roberto. The Secret Life of Musical Notation: Defying Interpretive Traditions. Milwaukee, WI: Amadeus Press, 2010.
Sauer, Theresa. Notations 21. New York: Mark Batty Publisher, 2009.
Spreadbury, Daniel. “Making Notes.” http://blog.steinberg.net.
Upitis, Rena Brigit. Can I Play You My Song?: The Compositions and Invented Notations of Children. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1992.
Warfield, Gerald. Writings on Contemporary Music Notation. MLA Index and Bibliography Series, 16. Ann Arbor, MI: Music Library Association, 1976.