User:Iadmc/Manual of Style (music)

This is not the Manual of Style for music. This is a userspace copy of that guide for the purposes of auditing.

For the present MoS, click

Music articles vary in their intended audience. Some articles are written for the widest audience of general readers. Others, especially those on technical subjects (e.g., Metric modulation) are intended for readers with specialized knowledge. Whenever possible, aim for a broad audience.

See WikiProject Music terminology for details of terminology.

Equivalent terms in different varieties of English

An article in Wikipedia should use one national variety of English consistently. This principle applies to music terminology: use musical terms from the variety of English in which the article is written. Consider showing alternative terms from other English varieties in parentheses on their first appearance. Example: "The first

Accidentals

Use either the words or the symbols as explained below.

Words - The use of words to indicate accidentals is always acceptable but must follow the recognised standards (see

Symbols - The {{music}} template^{[NB 1]} is available for all accidentals (as well as several other symbols used in music scores). As a general rule, use of the template is recommended over use of the Unicode characters (such as ♭, ♯ and ♮ found under symbols in the insert bar) and HTML entities because the template is designed to render correctly on all systems.

• Avoid b, #, x and X
  • b, x and X are the symbols for the letters of the alphabet only and # is the symbol for the number sign (often called a "hash"). None of these are to be used for accidentals, especially b and #.^{[NB 2]}
  • Also, do not use two sharp signs in a row (♯♯, ♯♯) for a double-sharp () as this usage is not recognised by musicians or theorists.

• Usage:

Accidental	Unicode	Template	Template parameters	Avoid
Flat	♭	♭	{{music|flat}}	b
Sharp	♯	♯	{{music|sharp}}	#
Natural	♮	♮	{{music|natural}}
Double flat			{{music|doubleflat}}	bb[NB 3]
Double sharp			{{music|doublesharp}}	##, ♯♯, ♯♯, x, X
Half flat	♭ (Adds HTML: <s>♭</s>)		{{music|flat stroke}} {{music|halfflat}}
Half sharp			{{music|halfsharp}}

Examples:

• Key signature:
  • Right: E-flat major
  • Right: E♭ major
  • Wrong: Eb major
• D major triad:
  • Right: D, F♯, A
  • Right: D, F sharp, A
  • Wrong: D, F#, A
• D♯ major triad:
  • Right: D♯, F, A♯
  • Right: D sharp, F double-sharp, A sharp
  • Wrong: D#, Fx, A#
  • Wrong: D#, F##, A#
  • Wrong: D♯, F♯♯, A♯

Chords, progressions, and figured bass

Conventional

• 2–5–1
• Sp–D–T

When part of a chord progression, chords should be spaced equally if they take an equal portion of the progression's duration. Vertical lines may indicate bar divisions:

iii7-VI7 | ii7-V7 | I   ||

or, in C:

e7-A7 | d7-G7 | C   ||

Rather than lowercase letters to indicate minor, uppercase letters followed by a lowercase "m" may be used:

• in C: Dm-G-C

The

For inversions and the degree sign superscript and subscript may be done thus:

• vii^o , I₆ .

which looks like:

• vii^o, I₆.

Superscript and subscript may be combined, as in figured bass, in math markup, <math>C_4^6</math> = ${\displaystyle C_{4}^{6}}$, see

Generic titles are those that are not specific to one musical work, e.g., the names of musical forms such as concerto, overture, quartet, sonata, suite, symphony. Titles of liturgical works (such as agnus dei, kyrie, mass, requiem, etc.) are considered generic titles, as well. Generic titles are in roman face.

• Piano Concerto No. 5
• Sixth Symphony
• Requiem

True titles are titles specific to a single work. These are titles given by the composer, much as an author would title a novel. True titles are italicized, irrespective of which language they are in.

• From me flows what you call time
• Pelléas et Mélisande

When true titles are mixed with generic titles, as is often the case in overtures and suites, only the true title is italicized. The generic portion of the title remains in roman type, and should always be in English even if the true portion of the title is in a foreign language.

• Overture to The Bartered Bride
• L'Arlésienne Suite No. 1

There are a few rare instances where a work has what appears to be a generic title but is actually a true title. Generally, if a symphony is referred to by name and not also numbered, the title is actually a true title given by the composer. These should be in italics as well.

• Symphonie fantastique
• Copland's Dance Symphony
• Beethoven's Battle Symphony

Often, works whose official title is generic are also known by a nickname or common title. There are five acceptable methods for specifying the nickname after the generic title:

1. In parentheses and quotation marks. For example: Symphony No. 9 ("From the New World")
2. In parentheses and italics. For example: Symphony No. 9 (From the New World)
3. In parentheses. For example: Symphony No. 9 (From the New World)
4. In quotation marks set off by a comma. For example: Symphony No. 9, "From the New World"
5. In italics set off by a comma. For example: Symphony No. 9, From the New World

There are three acceptable methods for referring to a work by nickname alone:

1. In quotation marks. For example: "New World" Symphony
2. In italics. For example: New World Symphony (note that Symphony remains in roman type)
3. In roman type. For example: New World Symphony

Any of these methods may be used; however, usage should be consistent within an article.

Song titles are enclosed in quotes. True titles of song cycles are italicized. Foreign language song titles remain in roman type.

• "Wenn ich in deine Augen seh' " from Dichterliebe

Generic