Catalogue of musical sources of the Austrian National Library Vienna (cod. 1-15500) - Dr. Constantin Schneider, Vienna 1928
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Preliminary note (report by C. Schneider 1928)
This catalogue [OeNB Series nova 46902-46912] is the first version of the detailed catalogue of all musical sources in the manuscript collections of the National Library. It consists of short de-scriptions as a means of locating pieces.
A later version will contain the critical work, comparisons, references to publications, editions and specialised literature.
The term “Musicalia” is used in the broadest sense and the material is split into five categories (labelled I-V) in order to facilitate access. (cf. SCHNEIDER, Constantin: Zur Organisation der mu-sikalischen Quellen- und Denkmälerkunde, in: Zeitschrift für Musikwissenschaft 5 (1927). Further sub-categories are labelled with letters. Every title is categorised I-V to aid the search.
The categories are listed below:
| I | Notation | |
| a | Accentuation signs or ecphonetic signs | |
| b | Neumes (without staves, including Daseian and letter notation) | |
| c | Early staff notation, gothic notation and square notation (staff notations) | |
| d | Tablatures | |
| e | Mensural notation | |
| f | Modern notation (with bar lines) |
With the help of these marks it is also possible to combine categories.
For example “Ice” means a choral notation with elements of mensural notation.
A "p" (polyphonic) in brackets next to the marks shows, that the work is for two or more parts.
With every vocal work the complete text is displayed, with works comprising entirely of notation the beginning and the end is displayed, with works comprising partly of notation the text is always given, and sometimes the beginning and end of the notated music.
Furthermore a sign is given in the form of a fraction, with the number of text lines as numerator and the number of music lines as the denominator. This is an aid to the identification of fragments spread over several books.
| II | Entire treatises on music |
| (II) | Fragments of these (I) or individual chapters of books not exclusively dedicated to music |
| III | Iconographic material, containing illustrations of musical instruments, musicians and dancers, furthermore portraits of known musicians, scenery designs and costumes. The page numbers are stated, as are the positions of each item in larger or detailed pictures. If the context of the musical scene seems clear, it is mentioned as well. |
| Further specialised indications are: | |
| IIIa | Illustration of dancers with characterisation of type of dance (jumping dance, walking dance or circle dance) |
| IIIb | Portraits of musicians |
| IIId | Theatrical sources |
| IV | Texts without notation, that have been or could have been set to music. Liturgical texts are not included here. The following are included: - non-liturgical-sacred texts (e.g. Easter plays) - texts of German hymns - texts of secular songs of all kinds - texts of musical-dramatic works of all kinds (festivals feasts, operas, oratorios etc.) |
| V | Material concerning musical culture, position of music in intellectual history, finally letters and biographic materials of musicians, music theorists, poets etc. |
Further special signs are located beside the manuscripts shelf marks:
| A | Autograph |
| T | the content of the item is shown in the Tabulae |
| S | provenance of Salzburg (not always correct!) |
As the inventory mainly came from the manuscripts themselves and not from the “Tabulae”, many more manuscripts have now been observed than previously. So those without the label “T” contain musical manuscripts that have not yet been explored. Any material that is to be reproduced must include this catalogue reference. In its formulation, creation and compilation this catalogue is the first to incorporate one of the largest existing manuscript collections in a consistent way, with regard to the article mentioned at the beginning.
9.3.1928 - Dr. Constantin Schneider
Summary:
From looking through all manuscripts of the OeNB (cod. 1-15500) SCHNEIDER came to the following result (musical manuscripts, separated in the aforementioned main categories):
| category | Sum |
| I. | 649 |
| II. | 90 |
| III. | 430 |
| IV. | 541 |
| V. | 265 |
| Total | 1975 musical manuscripts in 1619 different volumes |