Abbreviations

INSTRUMENTARIUM

acc – accordion
afl – alto flute
Alt – Alto (voice)
alt sax – alto saxophone
Bar – baritone (voice)
bar sax – baritone saxophone
Bass – bass (voice)
Bbar – bass baritone (voice)
bcl – bass clarinet
bell – bell (chimes)
bfl – bass flute
bn – bassoon
br – brass instruments
btbn – bass trombone
car – carillon
cb – double bass
cbcl – contrabass clarinet
cbn – contrabassoon
cel – celesta
ch – mixed chorus
ch(masc)Sop – child (boy) soprano voice
ch(masc)V – child (boy) voice
chbr ens – chamber ensemble
chbr enss – diverse chamber ensembles
chch – child choir
chV – child voice
cl – clarinet
comp – computer
Cten – contratenor (voice)
eh – English horn (cor anglais)
einstr – electronic instruments
ekbd – electronic keyboard
elecs – electronics, live electronics
eorg – electric organ
fem ch – female choir
fem V – female voice; fem Vv - female voices
fl – flute
gl – Glockenspiel
gtr – guitar
high V – high voice
hn – horn
hp – harp
hpd – harpsichord
low fem V – low female voice
low instr – low instrument
low V – low voice
masc ch – male choir
masc V – male voice
masc V rec – male recitant
mar – marimba
Mez – mezzosoprano (voice)
mil orch – military orchestra
mus – musicians
nar – narrator (reciter)
ob – oboe
om – ondes Martenot
orch d’harm – orchestre d’harmonie
org – organ
perc – percussion
perf – performers
pf – piano
pf4h – piano 4 hands
pf prep – prepared piano
picc – flet piccolo
pla – pianola
recit – recitant
sampl – sampler
sax – saxophone
Sop – soprano (voice)
spe – speaker
str – string instruments
str qrt – string quartet
sxh – saxhorn
syn – synthesizer
synt – synthesizer
tba – tuba
tbn – trombone
tech – technicians
ten rec – tenor recorder
timp – timpani
tpt – trumpet
trg – triangle
unkn – unknown
va – viola
vc – cello
vib – vibraphone
vn – violin
Vv – voices
ww – woodwind instruments
ww qnt – wind quintet
xyl – xylophone

/ – alternative instrument/voice/performer, e.g. pf/org – piano or organ

 

 

GENRE/TYPE 

instrumental music:
is – solo instrument
ic – instrumental ensemble (instrumental chamber music)
io – orchestra or solo instrument(s) and orchestra (including concertos)
iob – ballet (orchestral music)

vocal music:
vs – voice solo
vc – vocal ensemble or choir

vocal-instrumental music:
vic – work for vocal-instrumental ensemble, including songs for voice and piano
vio – work for voice(-es) and orchestra or choir and orchestra or solo voices, choir and orchestra
viop – opera or vocal-instrumental stage work
viopb – opera-ballet or ballet with vocal-instrumental parts

e – electronic/tape/live electronic music/musique conrète
or such layers in other music genres or types: [+] e

STATUS of a given musical piece:

i – individual work
m/p – movement(s) of the cycle / part(s) of the collection of works

AFFILIATION (national/cultural/geographic) of a given composer:

P – Polish
F – Francophone (France, Belgium, Switzerland)
A – Anglo-Saxon (British, American, Canadian, Australian etc.)
I – Italian
G  – Germanic (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, etc.)
R  – Russian
O – others

YEAR

Exemplary dates:
1918 – year of composition of a given work
[1902] – year of the first performance/premiere of a given work, only if the date of composition cannot be determined; applies exclusively to the operas or other stage pieces
{1930} – year of the first edition of the score of a given work, only if the date of composition cannot be determined
<1925 – before 1925
1848<  –  after 1848
ca 1840 – circa 1840