Wikipedia:WikiProject Classical music/Compositions task force

Welcome to the Compositions task force of the Classical music WikiProject! This task force will focus primarily on articles about classical compositions (except operas, which are already sufficiently covered by WikiProject Opera). Major works will be at the forefront.

Participants

To join this task force, simply add the following to the bottom of this list: # ~~~

1. Centy – reply• contribs –
2. ♫ Melodia Chaconne ♫ (talk)
3. ALTON .ıl
4. Jindřichův Smith (talk)
5. --Ravpapa (talk)
6. Wellingtoncat Meow meow - purr purr (talk)
7. ^LaPianísta!

Please remember to also add your name to the main list of participants if you are not already listed there.

Templates

Task force userbox

You can also identify yourself as a participant by changing the WikiProject Classical music userbox as follows:

{{User WPClassical|composition=yes}}

This userbox should appear:

This user is a participant in WikiProject Classical music.

Task force banner

Any article within the Classical music WikiProject which falls under the scope of the Compositions task force should be tagged as such by changing the following to the existing WikiProject Classical music banner as follows:

{{Classical|composition=yes}}

This banner should appear:

Rating articles

All articles should be rated with a class on the assessment scale.

Article guidelines

Title

The title of the article should be selected to maximize the chance that readers of Wikipedia can find it. This means, among other things, that one should follow a uniform titling procedure for each genre. For example, a reader who has already successfully found Mozart's 40th symphony under Symphony No. 40 (Mozart) will expect that Haydn's 103rd symphony should be found under Symphony No. 103 (Haydn).

To find existing precedents for article titling, you can start by looking under Category:Compositions by composer.

Judgment calls will arise in works that have a famous nickname. For example, it would be clearly most useful to readers to label the famous string serenade by Mozart as Eine kleine Nachtmusik, and not Serenade No. 13 in G major for strings (Mozart). In borderline cases, consult other editors on appropriate talk pages before proceeding.

No matter what title you select, be sure to include redirect pages to help readers who search under different titles. For example, the link Serenade No. 13 in G major for strings (Mozart) given immediately above is in fact not a separate article, but a redirect to Eine kleine Nachtmusik.

Infoboxes

Current consensus holds that until an infobox is created with the specific use in articles about works of classical music in mind, they should not be used without first obtaining consensus on the article's talk page.

Opus numbers vs. catalog numbers

The works of many composers are categorized by Opus number. For others, the usual reference is through numbers assigned in quasi-official catalogs of works prepared by musicologists. Below is a partial guide.

• C.P.E. Bach - Wq (Wotquenne) or H (Helm)
• J.S. Bach - BWV (Bachwerkeverzeichnis) (sometimes seen as S, for compiler Wolfgang Schmieder, but avoid this usage in WP articles)
• Bela Bartók - Sz (András Szollosy)
• Ludwig van Beethoven - mostly opus numbers; some minor works by "WoO" number (abbr. for German "Works Without Opus Number")
• Anton Bruckner - WAB (Werkverzeichnis Anton Bruckner)
• Dietrich Buxtehude - BuxWV (Buxtehude-Werke-Verzeichnis)
• George Frideric Handel - HWV (Händel-Werke-Verzeichnis)
• Joseph Haydn - H (Hoboken)
  • Note: The string quartets are normally referred to by opus number.
• Michael Haydn - P (Lothar Perger, but see Category: Symphonies of Michael Haydn)
• Franz Liszt - S (Searle)
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - K or KV (Köchel-Verzeichnis)
• Domenico Scarlatti - K or KP (Kirkpatrick), supplanting the earlier L (Longo)
• Franz Schubert - D ( Deutsch)
• Antonio Soler - R (Rubio)
• George Philipp Telemann - TWV (Telemann Werkverzeichnis)
• Antonio Vivaldi - RV (Ryom Verzeichnis)
• Carl Maria von Weber - J. (Jähns)

Although not as commonly referenced as the foregoing, Jarmil Burghauser's catalogue of works by Antonín Dvořák (B) offers a useful escape from the morass of conflicting opus and work numbers assigned to that composer's music by publishers and others.

Capitalization of musical keys

Key should be capitalized, but "major" and "minor" should be in lower case. For example, C sharp major; D minor.

Structure

All articles should begin a sentence that clearly identifies the piece, with the following suggested format:

[Piece name] is an [work type], [opus number] written by [composer] in [date].

Example: Caractacus is a cantata, Op. 35, written by Edward Elgar in 1898.

After this, a brief account of the piece in the context of the composer's life should be given (composer had just got back from... etc.). Further paragraphs may be used to describe the political, social, historical, and musicological context of the piece (e.g., "At the time the Napoleonic wars were raging in Europe..")

If an oratorio, or other dramatic work, a plot may be given - scene by scene preferably - followed by Dramatis Personæ. Preferably, the piece should have an in-depth musicological analysis hereafter - dynamics, performance quirks, instrumentation, key, etc. Where appropriate, include a listing of the movements.

A paragraph on the legacy and impact of the piece - how it has perhaps altered genres, began new styles, introduced new methods.

Finally, notable recordings and references - with links, so as to allow the reader to buy or obtain further information.

Keep in mind that all pieces are different; this is only a very loose and general guideline. However, one very firm point may be added: if something is not relevant to the piece, don't put it in.

Specifying the musical forces used in a work

Current consensus favours dividing instruments into their families in large works, while preserving a paragraph format.

Section title

For large works, or large articles, it's usually best to describe the forces used under a separate section header (enclosed in "=="). Strong consensus favours titling that section Instrumentation, and not "Orchestration," which usually denotes the composer's use of the instruments. Instrumentation denotes the instruments themselves.

Format

The consensus format for specifying which instruments or voices are used in a work follows the precedents established by professional writers on music, for example in program notes written for concerts. These generally employ a simple paragraph style, listing the instruments in the normal order in which they appear in the full score. Thus a concert program ([1]) for a San Francisco Symphony performance of Schumann's Fourth Symphony specifies the instruments as follows:

The work is scored for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, timpani, and strings.

This can be wikified by simply linking each instrument to its dedicated article, leaving us with:

The work is scored for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, and strings.**

**A note on strings: For orchestral works, the word strings should be linked to the article String section, which details the orchestral string ensemble, rather than String instrument, which deals with chordophones in general and is less helpful in this context. Listing the string instruments separately (i.e. "first and second violins, violas..." etc.) is generally unnecessary, unless the composer has specified numbers or unusual formations.

This simple format is applicable to most works, even most of those calling for larger orchestras, more percussion, and doubling on auxiliary wind instruments. For example:

The symphony is scored for an orchestra consisting of 2 flutes (2nd doubling piccolo), 2 oboes (2nd doubling cor anglais), 2 clarinets (1st doubling E-flat clarinet), 4 bassoons, 4 french horns, 2 trumpets, 2 cornets, 3 trombones, 2 ophicleides (usually replaced by tubas), 2 pairs of timpani, snare drum, cymbals, bass drum, bells in C and G, 2 harps, and strings.

However, for works employing particularly large orchestras, complex wind doublings, large percussion sections, offstage instruments, and the like, it may be useful to expand the above format, dividing the instruments into several (possibly bulleted) paragraphs, according to their respective families (woodwinds, brass, etc). One example of an acceptably expanded description can be found in this article.

Tables, columns, and long multi-level bulleted lists are to be avoided, except perhaps in the most extreme cases. Consult other editors on the article's Talk page to obtain consensus for such arrangements.

Score order

Instruments should be listed in the order they appear in the score, from the top down. Conventionally that order is as follows:

1. Woodwinds (in order: piccolo, flute, oboe, cor anglais, clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, contrabassoon);
2. Brass (horn, trumpet, trombone, tuba);
3. Percussion (timpani, then other percussion – if possible specifying both the instruments played and the number of players; pitched percussion (marimba, etc) is generally listed last);
4. Keyboard/miscellaneous (celesta, harp, piano);
5. voices (soloists, then chorus; often they're placed between violas and cello/bass in the score, but don't follow that in writing);
6. offstage instruments or voices, and finally
7. strings.

One major exception to the score-order rule is in concertos and similar works, where the solo voice or instrument is generally listed first.

Evaluative passages

In general, subjective personal responses to a work (for example, "the deeply touching, elegiac slow movement") should be avoided. If it is deemed appropriate to include such subjective interpretations, find existing source material in which critics present views of this kind, and quote the critics, including a citation of the source. Such quotations give readers an idea of how listeners have responded to a work and do not violate the Wikipedia's policy against original research.

Descriptions based on the score

In general, it is permitted to make factual observations based on examination of the musical score of a work. Such observations should be limited to those which would be agreed upon by virtually anyone with musical training, for instance "the trio section is in F major" or "the finale is in sonata form". Statements that are clearly interpretations, not observations ("the opening four notes of the Fifth Symphony are echoed by similar passages throughout the four movements") should not be inserted by editors, since they violate the policy against original research; though they can be quoted from source material if this is suitably cited.

For borderline cases, first place the proposed revision on the Talk page and get other editors' approval first.

Uses in popular culture

Often articles about works of classical music are sometimes edited along the following lines:

Work X was used in [movie/TV show/electronic game] Y.

Such edits should be discouraged, they are usually of little interest to readers who want to know about the musical work, and would be of greater interest to readers who want to know about the movie, TV show, or electronic game. For instance, viewers of these items often would like to know what music they are hearing.

Unless the use is exceptionally notable, for instance Ride of the Valkyries in Apocalypse Now, in which case the reference should be included into the article rather than a bullet point, contributions of this sort should be politely reverted. It may be useful to encourage the contributor to include the item in the article about the movie, TV show, or electronic game, if this has not already been done. See also: Wikipedia:Avoid trivia sections.

Navigational boxes

It is sometimes useful to create a navigational box at the end of article, which groups together all compositions of a certain type by a certain composer (for example Template:Beethoven symphonies), providing a reader with easy access to similar articles. These boxes should be created in following way, using the same format and colour scheme as the existing boxes:

{{Navbox
|name       = Composer type of composition <!-- For example Schubert violin concertos -->
|state      = uncollapsed
|titlestyle = background:tan; <!-- Tan is the standard colour for navboxes -->
|title      = '''Type of composition''' by '''Composer'''
|list1  = <div>
'''First Article'''{{·}}
'''Middle Articles'''{{·}}
'''Last Article'''
</div>
<small>[[List of compositions by Composer]] <!-- Only include this line if link exists -->
}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Classical composer templates|{{PAGENAME}}]]
</noinclude>

For details on how to code more complicated navboxes, please consult the existing navboxes in Category:Classical composer templates.

Stub template

Any article within the scope of the Compositions task force which also qualifies as a stub as per WP:STUB should be tagged as such by adding the following at the end of the article as appropriate:

{{classical-composition-stub}}

This tag should appear:

Please note that the tag should be removed once the article has been expanded. In addition, please consider rating the article in the project banner on the talk page (see below).

• Go to stub list

Categories of classical works

All articles should be classed in an appropriate subcategory of both Category:Compositions by composer and Category:Compositions by musical form or an appropriate combined category. If the main instrument(s) used is not clear from the musical form, the article should also be classed in a subcategory of Category:Compositions by instrument.

Example 1: Violin Concerto (Mendelssohn) is classed in both Category:Violin concertos and Category:Compositions by Felix Mendelssohn.

Example 2: Horn Concertos (Mozart) is classed in both Category:Concertos by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Category:Horn concertos.

Example 3: String Quartet No. 16 (Beethoven) is only classed in Category:String quartets by Ludwig van Beethoven.

See also

• Wikipedia:Manual of Style (music)
• Wikipedia:Naming conventions