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The Chamber Chorus Music Library

History

Although the Chamber Chorus has enjoyed a long history of more than forty-five years, its library is a relatively new asset.  In the early years of the organization, singers were asked to purchase their own copies, obviating the need for costly investment.  However this expediency inevitably deprived the Chamber Chorus of its own comprehensive library, and such a deficiency hampered the programming of concerts once the practice of singers purchasing music fell into disuse.  Gradually the Chorus acquired a miscellany of copies, incomplete sets designed to complement music loaned from other sources.  Following several rudimentary catalogs, in the early 1990s Artistic Director Philip Barnes directed the Board's attention and funding to a radical expansion of the library and the compilation of a detailed inventory.

Contents

The library consists of over 3000 different items, ranging from anonymous medieval chants to new works, some still in manuscript.  Many of the works originate outside of the United States and some are irreplaceable, especially those unpublished works written specifically for the Chorus.  Some works have been edited and newly typeset by computer, but the great majority are printed commercially.

The Chorus Archive

The Music Library also houses a collection of programs, reviews and correspondence, covering more than forty-five years of artistic activity.  We are trying to expand this, and anyone with access to such material elsewhere is encouraged to contact the Chorus so that a more complete picture of the history of the Chorus can be compiled.

Catalog

The catalog, created on a Macintosh computer, contains fourteen fields which cover most of the pertinent archival and planning information.  The fields include the full name and nationality of the composer, the name and origin of the text, the title and first line of the work, its dedicatee and season or occasion, a chronology of performances, the work's voicing, the publisher and relevant catalog number, the last published copyright and the number of copies in the library.  Although no printed copies of the entire catalog are available, upon request the Chorus would be pleased to make available bibliographical information on individual works.

Acquisitions

The library acquires new pieces through four different methods:

1. The Artistic Director purchases them for specific performances through the Chorus's music suppliers: M-R Music of Olivette, Missouri, and St. George's Music Shop of Norwich, England.
2. The Artistic Director makes occasional general purchases of individual copies or incomplete sets when available at sale prices; thus sets are gradually accumulated for future performances.
3. The Chorus purchases copyright permission from the appropriate publisher to photocopy a work otherwise unobtainable.
4. The Chorus receives grants or donations for specific purchases (the most recent being from the The National Endowment for the Arts in 2001 to support the second concert of the Chorus's 46th season).

The Chorus is always interested in acquiring music from other ensembles or institutions, should it become available.

Replacing Lost or Damaged Music Scores

Since the library represents the Chorus's single most important material asset, it is essential that it be maintained efficiently and that lost or damaged copies be replaced immediately.  Consequently, singers who are responsible for the damage or loss will be charged for the replacement.  See Information for Performers for more details.

Library Personnel

The library was re-constituted by the Artistic Director, Philip Barnes, who maintains it with the help of several volunteers, and in particular the Librarian Roberta Hmiel.

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