Instrument distribution and music notation search for enhancing bibliographic music score retrieval

Because of the unique characteristics of music scores, searching bibliographical music collections using traditional library systems can be a challenge. In this paper, we present two specific search functionalities added to the Swiss RISM data-base and describe how they improve the user experience. The first is a search functionality for instrument and vocal part distribution that leverages coded information available in the MarcXML records of the database. It enables scores for precise ensemble distribution to be retrieved. The second is a search functionality of music notation excerpts transcribed from the beginning of the pieces, known as music incipits. The incipit search is achieved using a well-known music information retrieval (MIR) tool, Themefinder. A novelty of our implementation is that it can operate at three different levels (pitch, duration and metric), singularly or combined, and that it is performed through a specifically-developed intuitive graphical interface for note input and parameter selection. The two additions illustrate why it is important to take into consideration the particularities of music scores when designing a search system and how MIR tools can be beneficially integrated into existing heterogeneous bibliographic score collections.