Historical Ornamentation Sources Catalog: A New Resource for Researchers and Performers

Javier Lupiáñez

Thursday, January 16, 2025

We have received the following from Javier Lupiáñez (Director and General Editor, Historical Ornamentation Sources):

The development of digital technologies has opened up a vast virtual world of knowledge. From a simple smartphone, anyone can access the RISM Database, locate musical sources, use numerous tools to learn more about them, and in many cases, even download the sheet music they need. The digitization and cataloging of musical sources, along with their accessibility, have revolutionized musicological research. This innovation inspired me to create a project that I believe will be invaluable to researchers, performers, and enthusiasts alike.

For over a decade, I have dedicated myself to musicological research and performance, focusing on improvisation and ornamentation in the 18th century. Over the years, I accumulated a wealth of information: ornamented versions of compositions, manuscripts with cadenzas added by performers, treatises discussing improvisation, and more. This information was scattered across handwritten notes, text files, and spreadsheets. Like many, I found this disorganized trove increasingly difficult to manage.

To address this, I began organizing these sources into a personal catalog. As I structured the materials, I realized the value of sharing this resource with the wider community. The idea of a collaborative, ever-growing catalog took shape, and in November 2024, the Historical Ornamentation Sources Catalog was launched.

Two Main Sections of the Catalog

The website is divided into two primary sections:
Primary Sources Catalog: A collection of musical sources for ornamentation and improvisation spanning from the 14th to the early 20th centuries. It includes detailed information and links to sheet music, related catalogs, and other resources.

Secondary Sources Catalog: A repository of articles, books, musical editions, and other resources focused on ornamentation in Early Music.

Organization of Primary Sources

To ensure practicality, the primary sources are categorized as follows:

• Cadenzas: Individual or collected cadenzas.
  • Cadenzas for two, three, or four instruments.
  • Inserted cadenzas: Added later to compositions, often identified by specific markings like fermatas.
  • Original cadenzas: Likely composed at the same time as the piece.
  • Pedal cadenzas: Cadenzas written over a sustained pedal note.
  • Other types of cadenzas.

• Ornamented Works: Compositions that exist in both simplified and ornamented versions.

• Preludes: Individual preludes or collections.

• Treatises and Methods: Manuals, theoretical works, dictionaries, and more.

• Prefaces: Guidelines on ornamentation found in prefaces, such as Purcell’s “Rules of Graces” in A Choice Collection of Lessons for the Harpsichord or Spinnet.

• Miscellaneous: Other related sources.

The catalog also allows searches by composer, ornamentation author, dates, instruments, and geographic origin. For example, with just a few clicks, you can explore French violin cadenzas from 1700–1750: View example search.

Each entry provides detailed metadata, including the work’s composer, ornamentation author, creation date, location, and links to related resources, such as RISM or institutions hosting digital copies of the scores.

Collaboration and Growth

Collaboration is at the heart of this project. I developed tools to make contributions simple. Using online forms, anyone can submit information about new sources or propose updates to existing entries. Regular catalog updates, which include new additions and improvements, will be shared through a newsletter to keep users informed.

Since its public launch, the catalog has already attracted 3,900 visitors, with 194 new sources contributed. It currently features almost 2,000 primary sources for ornamentation, spanning from the 13th century to the early 20th century. And the catalog continues to grow daily.

Explore the catalog here: Historical Ornamentation Sources Catalog.

This project aims to support the global music community by making resources accessible, fostering collaboration, and inspiring new discoveries in the field of historical ornamentation and improvisation.

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Category: Electronic resources

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