History:CSGv2/Recording/Title Proposal

Status: This page describes an active style guideline proposal and is not official.

Proposal number: RFC-82 Champion: BrianFreud Current status: Awaiting NGS implementation for final revision and passage. RFC Trac ticket # 4426

The Classical Style Guidelines:

CSG for Tracks and Recordings:

Track/Recording Title

Official Documentation > Style Guidelines > The Classical Style Guidelines CSG for Releases and Release Groups:  Artist | Title | Language and Script CSG for Tracks and Recordings:  Artist | Title CSG for Works: Artist Title: Work and Opus | Movement | Ornamentation | Special Cases Resources: Work forms | Keys and scales | Roman numerals | Vocal Classifications

Status: Everything below this point is in need of cleanup for CSGv2

Classical track titles should be entered as they are on the liner, following normal MusicBrainz style guidelines, with the exceptions listed here.

If the liner contains any typos, please correct them in the track title.

If the liner misidentifies what work is actually on any track, please then note in a track annotation how the liner identified the work, but correctly identify it in the actual title.

If each track's title is presented in multiple languages, only one should be used, and whichever one is chosen should be used consistently for all tracks.

Tracks should be titled so as to be as informative as possible, per what is on the liner, without over-normalizing the titles such that they no longer represent what is on the liner.

Example:

If the liner presents this:

Concerto for Piano and Orchestra
No. 9 in E flat major K 271
"Jeunehomme"
1. Allegro
2. Andante
3. Rondo: Presto

Then the track titles should be entered as:

1. Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 9 in E-flat major K 271 "Jeunehomme": Allegro
2. Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 9 in E-flat major K 271 "Jeunehomme": Andante
3. Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 9 in E-flat major K 271 "Jeunehomme": Rondo: Presto

and NOT as:

1. Allegro
2. Andante
3. Rondo: Presto

Please note that it is quite common for the outside cover to only include limited identification information due to space limitations. Please check inside the booklet to ensure that you are providing as informative a track title as possible.

Examples of vocal music

Les nuits d'été, op. 7
2. Le spectre de la rose.
Adagio un poco lento e dolce assai

Enter as:
2. Les nuits d'été, Op. 7: 2. Le spectre de la rose. Adagio un poco lento e dolce assai

Same movement on another release:

LES NUITS D'ÉTÉ, OP. 7
2. Le spectre de la rose (Alt)

Enter as:
2. Les nuits d'été, Op. 7: 2. Le spectre de la rose (Alt)

Example for liner with multiple languages

Tři moteta pro smíšený dvojsbor a cappella, op. 110
Drei Motetten for double-chorus a cappella, Op. 110
1. Ich aber bin elend [Já pak ztrápený jsem] (Žalm 69)

Enter as:
1. Drei Motetten for Double-chorus a cappella, Op. 110: 1. Ich aber bin elend

• Note that we do not translate multiple languages within a title into one; both English & German in this example
• Also note that if the release exists in a different language than what's on your cover, you must create a new release; don't change the language on the release that has already been entered into MB

Capitalization

Capitalization should follow standard capitalization for the language, with these exceptions:

• "major" or "minor" should always be lowercased, regardless of what language is used.
• "No." and "Op." should always have the first letter capitalized, regardless of what language is used.
• Opera libretto titles should always follow sentence style, no matter the language.

Abbreviations

AbbreviationStyle should be followed. However, the following should remain abbreviated:

• No.
• Nr.
• Op.
• Composer work list identifiers (WwO, K, BWV, etc.)

Keys

Keys should be properly capitalized and hyphenated for the language, no matter how they appear on the liner. A table with all the keys and their correct capitalization in commonly used languages can be found at the bottom of this page.

Punctuation

Standard ASCII punctuation should always be used for the space , the full-colon :, the semi-colon ;, the hyphen-minus -, single quotation marks ' ', double quotation marks " ", parenthesis ( ), square braces [ ], commas ,, periods ., and all other punctuation.

If French CSG is being used, the additional punctuation spacing rules of CapitalizationStandardFrench also apply.

---

The below needs to be incorporated into the above:

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Vocal music

also illustrating the leave-as-on-liner principle

Les nuits d'été, op. 7
2. Le spectre de la rose.
   Adagio un poco lento e dolce assai

1. Les nuits d'été, Op. 7: 2. Le spectre de la rose. Adagio un poco lento e dolce assai

LES NUITS D'ÉTÉ, OP. 7
2. Le spectre de la rose (Alt)

1. Les nuits d'été, Op. 7: 2. Le spectre de la rose (Alt)

Title duplicated - choose one language

Tři moteta pro smíšený dvojsbor a cappella, op. 110
Drei Motetten for double-chorus a cappella, Op. 110

1. Ich aber bin elend [Já pak ztrápený jsem] (Žalm 69)

1. Drei Motetten for Double-chorus a cappella, Op. 110: 1. Ich aber bin elend
2. Note that we do not translate multiple languages within a title into one; both English & German in this example
3. Also note that if the release exists in a different language than what's on your cover, you must create a new release; don't change the language on the release that has already been entered into MB