The term “music library” resists clear definition. It may refer either to the type, location, content, or purpose of a collection of music, or a combination of these, and inherent within it therefore are a plethora of historical and cultural manifestations. Musical items were already collected in Greco-Roman antiquity, but only in the Middle Ages did written records of liturgical chants acquire a firm place in the libraries of monasteries, cathedral schools, Latin schools, and universities, as musical notation developed and became a crucial instrument in Christian cul…
Music library(847 words)
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Rathert, Wolfgang, “Music library”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 02 October 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_SIM_024385>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20200128
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