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About the Maine Music Box |
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| About the Maine Music Box Project Collections Partnership Instructional Channel Project Staff User Information Technical Information Maine Music Box Collections Five collections of music manuscript scores and sheet music, about 22,641 titles, were selected for digitization and inclusion in the pilot project. Four collections are from the Bagaduce Music Library and one from the Bangor Public Library. These collections are either unique or rare, of historical importance, and in their fragile print condition only available to a limited number of researchers. By digitizing these collections the libraries are making access for the music teaching community to these rich collections easier and instantaneous. With important early works deteriorating quickly because of poor paper quality, digitization is the only way to economically store the volume of scores and preserve them for future generations. Vocal, Popular Sheet Music Collection consists of over 16,500 pieces of popular American music representing the many vocal styles from the late nineteenth through the twentieth century. Vocal, Popular Sheet Music Collection (Bagaduce Music Lending Library)consists of over 16,500 pieces of popular American music representing the many vocal styles from the late nineteenth through the twentieth century. While the collection spans the years 1865 to 1990, the strength of the collection is in music published between 1920 and late 1990. The collection has been cataloged and organized under 26 topics that describe different aspects of American life: romanticlove, broken hearts; transportationcars, boats, railroads; the seaships, harbors, lighthouses; patrioticwar, elections, peace; geographical placesrivers, mountains, countries; humor; holidays, stars of musical theater and film; period musicblues, jazz, ragtime, waltzes, marches. These songs, together with the illustrated, color sheet music covers (engravings, lithographs, photographs) are a valuable resource for the history, social life and popular culture of America. Parlor Salon Collection (Bagaduce Music Lending Library) consists of 3, 569 scores organized in three unique collections: Vocal Parlor/Salon, Piano Parlor/Salon and Violin Parlor/Salon. This music was composed, published and widely played from the mid-19th century (pre Civil War) until approximately World War I. It was performed in homes (parlors) and salons in intimate circles all over the world. This genre of music is generally unavailable to the public, and only a few pieces have survived in private collections. Like the Vocal, Popular Sheet Music Collection (see above) this collection also reflects American society, culture and history. The collection is also an important resource for music history, serving to help students develop a better understanding of the progression of the art of composition and the mastery of the then traditional musical instruments. Music for Two Pianos Eight Hands (Bagaduce Music Lending Library) consists of 223 rare scores that are out-of-print and/or out-of-copyright. These pieces are almost entirely arrangements of orchestral and chamber ensemble works. The scores are highly sought-after by teachers, and students value them as a vehicle for learning ensemble techniques, as there is little opportunity to practice them otherwise. The music is also in great demand by amateur musicians who enjoy playing major instrumental works. Maine Collection (Bagaduce Music Lending Library) consists of over 2,200 pieces ranging from 1845-1997 and includes keyboard, choral, vocal and instrumental music. It is the largest known collection of music by Maine composers or about Maine. The collection originated at the Maine State Library and was donated to the Bagaduce Library. A rich tool for developing Maine ties in the school music curriculum, this collection is also of significance to scholars of Maine's history. Haywood Jones Collection (Bangor Public Library) consists of 28 original manuscript scores of primarily marches and school songs, composed by Haywood Jones for local high school bands in Bangor and New England. Jones was an amateur musician and composer whose popular marches and school songs continue to be played by bands throughout the region and nationally. The "town band" is a New England tradition and one that still thrives in Maine's communities. The preservation of these scores is important to the social history of the region, and access to them would benefit a broad community of users. Partnership Instructional Channel The Maine Music Box includes images of musical scores, lyrics, midi sound files and other files. The materials are useful for instruction in music and many other fields (art, literature and social studies, to name a few). Project Staff User Information Browsers Listening to Music A computer generated MIDI file requires an MP3 compatible player to listen to associated MIDI files. Most Web browsers come bundled with an mp3 player, but others players are available as free downloads. See Quicktime or RealOne. Music published after 1933 is not in the public domain. Associated images, sound files or lyrics do not display for music published after 1933. What is Scorch and how do I use it? The project's Curriculum Advisory Board selected scores that have been saved to the "Scorch" format. Files saved in Scorch format are created using Sibelius software. A Scorch file is interactive: it allows users to view the Scorch formatted score within a web page and listen to the score as a cursor follows the sound played back. There are also options to change the key, tempo and instrumentation of the score. Scorch Plugin: Some scores may provide a link to a "Scorch" file which requires a compatible plug in order to listen and interact with the associated file. You can obtain the Scorch Plugin using the link below. Scorch downloads and installs automatically on Internet Explorer for Windows. If you have other web browsers installed on your computer and would like to use Scorch, you may need to download and install the Scorch installer: http://www.sibelius.com/products/scorch. On Macintosh computers running System 8.6 to 9.2, the Scorch plugin is only compatible with the Opera browser, which may be downloaded from the link below. Under Mac OS X, however, Scorch works with all the major web browsers, including Internet Explorer 5.1, Netscape 6, Opera 5, and OmniWeb 4.1.
Tips on Searching the Database
Tips on Browsing the Database Use the Browse By options to browse the music database by a particular collection, by subject (forms and instrumentation and /or topic. Use Browse or Search Sheet Music Cover Art to browse topics of sheet music cover art. The search option retrieves names and subjects associated with the cover art. Music published after 1933 is not in the public domain. There will be no associated images, sound files or lyrics display for music published after 1933. Viewing Images To view a larger image of the cover art or music to an item, click on the thumbnail image for the cover. These images will be automatically resized to fit the browser window. Alternatively, links to the pages of score display at the top of the enlarged cover image. These images will not be resized, and may display larger than the browser window, requiring scrolling. If your search results list a text record and thumbnail image only for a particular title, and the associated image, sound and text files do not display: The music was published after 1933, and is not in the public domain. Image, sound and text files are not included for music published after 1933. Use and Reproduction Images of music in this database are only available for music that is in the public domain, published prior to 1933. The materials in the database have been made available for use in research, teaching and private study. For these purposes users may reproduce (print, make photocopies, or download) materials from this web site without prior permission, on condition that you provide proper attribution of the source in all copies. Copyright and Citation Privacy Policy Certain pages on this site may ask for contact information. These may include contact forms, logins or feedback pages. The information collected by this site is used only for the educational aims of the site, to respond to visitor inquiries and to facilitate instructional functions. Information is not shared with or sold to any third party for any reason, and is not made available to other departments of the University of Maine without the express written permission of the person whose information is involved. Sensitive Materials This site includes historical materials that may contain offensive language or negative stereotypes reflecting the culture or language of a particular period or place. These items are presented as part of the historical record and do not reflect the values and beliefs of the University of Maine, Fogler Library, the Bagaduce Music Lending Library, the Bangor Public Library, or the Institute of Museums and Libraries who provided funding in part for the project. Obtaining the actual sheet music The sheet music collection is housed at the Bagaduce Music Lending Library. Contact the Library for information on borrowing music from the collection. Technical Information System Design, Indexing and Processing
Web Interface The web interface provides for Keyword, Name, Subject, Art and Lyric searches as well as browsing by LC Subject (MARC 650), Local Subject (MARC 653) and Art Subject (MARC 650 Indicator 2 = 7), and Collection (based on BML catalog number MARC 001), Browsing is handled using the appropriate subject table because browse terms are not user-entered, but rather displayed in lists drawn from the database. Consequently user spelling is not a concern for retrieval.
Lyrics are received in text format separate from the MARC records or images. They are processed by a lyric loader database hosted in MS-Access. After checking for primary key conflicts and other problems, lyrics are stamped with load date and batch number. A VBA program then examines lyric records for each piece of music and assigns a display sequence for the entire set of lyrics. The web scripts, to determine display order, use this sequence. The lyrics are then added to the SQL Server database through an ODBC connection. Because names and words in lyrics are transcribed literally from the originals, they may not match modern spellings. For example, one piece lists “Words by William Shakspere” on the cover. For this reason, all searching is done using full-text queries against the full text indexes rather then literal queries against data in tables. The full-text indexer is capable of matching “Shakespeare” to “Shakspere” while a normal database query would fail to match this record. Metadata Inventory Control System Data Delivery and Storage The system will require an estimated 3.63 terabytes of storage, the largest block being the TIFF archival files, which require 2.36 terabytes, followed by the bitmap files, which require an estimated 1.5 terabytes. Access images (jpeg and thumbnails) require 23 GB. The current system has 1.5 terabytes of storage. TIFF files are moved to another server, copied to DVD, and then stored on tape for the duration of the project. Bitmap files (used to create sound files) are removed from the server and stored on tape temporarily, once the associated sound file is created. Preservation Copies TIFF files are copied from an external drive shipment to the DVD burning workstation, organized in DVD folders, a directory listing text file is created for each DVD, and the DVD is burned. Each DVD holds a maximum of 4.35 GB. Labels are printed for the DVD and its jewel case, each DVD is tested by selecting seven files at random to verify the quality of the burned image and contents before shipment to the Bagaduce Music Lending Library. The inventory database is updated with the DVD production date. An estimated 800 DVDs will be needed to create the project's archival/preservation copies. Creating Associated Sound Files System Hardware Commercial Digitization A contract was signed with VTLS for delivery of image and text files: bitmap, TIFF, JPEG, thumbnail, MARC (ten tags), lyrics, and administrative metadata. File specifications are as follows: Site design The first task in designing the site was to find ways to express visually what the Maine Music Box is and what it provides to its audience. The next was to identify page functions and menu requirements. Finally, pages were constructed to fulfill these design requirements and the demands of site functionality, while keeping the code behind the pages simple and direct for long-term ease of maintenance. The simplicity and universality of the design makes it extensible to other areas in the future. The logo for Maine Music Box uses three kinds of symbols to create an emblem that expresses the project. The treble clef is a universally-recognized symbol of music which suffers from over-use as an image; the challenge was to avoid clichÈ while incorporating the grace and musical significance of the symbol. This was managed by making the clef translucent over a cluster of colored squares, so it seems to be arising from them, with the color predominating. The idea of the squares is drawn from the digital imaging that is fundamental to the musical and visual experience of the site. The colors are not exactly rainbow colors, but cover the spectrum completely. The bright but harmonious hues are a visual metaphor for the musical richness found on the site. The richness of color of the logo necessitated a subdued context. Drawing on the logo colors for menu buttons would have diminished the power of the logo image by competing with it, and would have created too "loud" a color environment for visitor comfort. The lightness of feel of the pages is due to the subdued blues fading to white in menus and page elements. The colors of the logo are subtly echoed, but never overwhelm the purpose of the pages, which is to find music, listen, and study. Menus are simple and direct, and "breadcrumb" menus just above the page content keep visitors informed of where they are in the sometimes complex process of searching and evaluating. The pages were created as HTML pages, and transformed by the site programmer into Active Server Pages (ASP) for search and display functionality. Cascading style sheets (CSS) are used for presentation purposes as much as possible. |
