Notes for Notes

The Music Library Association announced its publication and research awards at the 2013 meeting in San José, California. The Vincent H. Duckles Award for the best book-length bibliography or other research tool in music is awarded to Jerry McBride for his book Douglas Moore: A Bio-Bibliography (A-R Editions). This exhaustive work incorporates a large amount of research from diverse sources and goes well beyond the typical length of a bio-bibliography. The biography section contains thoughtful prose that illustrates the “intellectual journey” McBride undertook and his obvious interest in Moore as a person and composer. Sections of the bibliography include writings by and about Moore as well as articles and reviews of specific pieces. Also included are alphabetical, chronological, and classified works lists, and an extensive index. McBride states that he hopes “[this book] will encourage more research into [Moore’s] life and works and further performances of his music,” and indeed this book should be the starting point for anyone beginning research into Douglas Moore or his music. The Richard S. Hill Award for the best article of music librarianship or best article of a music-bibliographic nature is awarded to James L. Zychowicz for his article, “Gustav Mahler’s Second Century: Achievements in Scholarship and Challenges for Research,” Notes 67, no. 3 (March 2011): 457–82. It has been observed that Richard S. Hill maintained high standards for his own work in the area of music bibliography as he recognized “the value of adequate tools” for music research. Zychowicz indeed has met this standard and has provided an essential guide to the exploration of Mahler, his music, and his times. He observes that the “developments in research on Mahler and his music from the early twentieth century to the early twenty-first century may be seen to map directly to the changes that have taken place in the approaches and standards of musicology itself.” Consequently, he takes a historiographical approach in his review of the literature, exploring a vast range of research tools including biographies, letters, critical editions, and musical analyses. Further, and in light of these changes, he offers salient advice regarding the challenges of, and future direction for, Mahler research. For students, performers, scholars, and aficionados, especially those without access to this author’s annotated Mahler bibliography appearing in Oxford Bibliographies Online, this article serves as an excellent point of departure for exploring the body of literature that has emerged over the past century. The Eva Judd [End Page 78] O’Meara Award for the best review published in Notes was given to Lance W. Brunner for his review of Inside the Offertory: Aspects of Chronology and Transmission by Rebecca Maloy (Oxford University Press, 2010) published in Notes 68, no. 2 (December 2011): 332–34. A quote from the winner of the O’Meara Award about the book he reviewed says the following: “Many of the questions Rebecca Maloy grapples with do not have definite answers, but the way she works with them and wonders about them is so inviting….” The same could well be said of Lance W. Brunner’s review. While revealing and debunking old research by respected scholars who have become household names in musicology in a most sensitive and respectful manner, Brunner reveals and applauds Maloy’s research, holding it in acclaim as both a critical edition and an in-depth study of the medieval Offertory that “will stand as a monument of chant scholarship.” Brunner’s review is so clear and well written that even an individual with merely a bare-bones grasp and appreciation for the genre will understand Brunner’s explanations and analysis of the content, style, and features of this book.

Research Awards: The Walter Gerboth Award for members of MLA who are in the first five years of their professional careers to assist research in progress was award to Jessica Nay for her work on developing a catalog of the works of Ferdinand Praeger. The Carol June Bradley Award supporting historical research in music librarianship was awarded to John Beckwith and Robin Elliott for Mapping Canada’s Music: Selected Writings of Helmut Kallmann. Edited by Beckwith and Elliott, Mapping Canada’s...