Notes for Notes

The Music Library Association has announced its publication awards for 2007. The Vincent H. Duckles Award for the best book-length bibliography or other research tool in music published in 2007 was presented to David Russell Williams and C. Matthew Balensuela for Music Theory from Boethius to Zarlino: A Bibliography and Guide (Hillsdale, NY: Pendragon Press, 2007). The MLA Publications Awards Committee noted that this “concluding volume in a decades-long effort to survey the landscape of Western music theory . . . gently introduces readers to what might otherwise be unfamiliar and daunting material. The authors summarize the major works of some 120 medieval and Renaissance theorists in language that is both clear and precise, and their helpful lists of secondary literature, assembled from an impressively broad array of sources, are coded to highlight introductory readings. As computerized keyword searching increasingly fragments the research process, the context provided by this volume will prove ever more valuable to non-specialists and scholars alike.” The Eva Judd O’Meara Award for the best review published in Notes in 2007 was awarded to Louis Niebur for his review essay “The BBC Radiophonic Workshop: Recent Reissues of British Electronic Music from 1955–1996.” The review appeared in Notes 63, no. 3 (March 2007): 912–23. The committee stated that “Louis Niebur’s review essay on the Radiophonic Workshop provides a delightfully readable introduction to an influential but little-known chapter of twentieth-century music culture. As the British Broadcasting Corporation’s in-house electronic music studio, the RW met the growing demand for new electro-acoustical sounds by creating thousands of works for television and radio between the years of 1955 and 1996. Through his survey of recent compact disc and DVD reissues, Niebur effectively chronicles the pioneering and farreaching achievements of the Workshop, its largely anonymous composers, and their equipment and techniques. His balanced, descriptive insights inspire the reader to want to know more about the RW, to hear more, and above all, to care about this intriguing piece of electronic music history.” The Richard S. Hill Award for the best article on music librarianship or article of a music-bibliographic nature was awarded to Edward Komara, for his article “Culture Wars, Canonicity, and A Basic Music Library,” which appeared in Notes (vol. 64, no. 2 [December 2007]: 232–47). The committee commented that “Komara examines the debate over the phrase ‘culture wars’ and how the issue of canonicity affects the acquisitions component of A Basic Music Library. In citing musicological works that focus on canonicity and espousing a skeptical view of the multiplicity of canons and ‘musics,’ Komara displays exceptional scholarly facility, and his assertion that ‘basic’ does not have to mean ‘canonic’ is welcome wisdom in an increasingly digital age. The timeliness and focus of this article, coupled with clear, concise, and well-formulated arguments, make it a relevant and convincing read, especially for those who work in the area of collection management.”

Other MLA Awards. The 2009 Dena Epstein Award for Library and Archival Research in American Music was given to two recipients, Lara Housez and Maria Cristina Fava. Ms. Housez is a Ph.D. candidate in musicology at the Eastman School of Music, is completing a dissertation entitled “Becoming Sondheim: From Forum to Company.” Her research examines Sondheim’s career and musical growth during the 1960s—a “dark decade” that eventually resulted in the solidification of Sondheim’s mature musical identity. Though much has already been written about Sondheim, this project explores not what Sondheim did, but how he developed as an artist, drawing on a variety of disparate influences and the experiences of trial and error. Housez will examine primary source material at the Wisconsin Historical Society and the New York Public Library in order to provide a much-needed scholarly approach to this portion of Sondheim’s life. When combined with Housez’s own practical experience with the theater, this research promises to provide a unique important insight into an important American composer. She will use the funding to provide travel money to assist with visits to Wisconsin and New York. Ms. Fava, also a Ph...