Some exciting new resources

The Music Library has some exciting new items I would like to share with you.

First of all, we just received a catalog of pamphlets of villancicos (a type of devotional song in Spanish as a vernacular language), co-authored by NIU music history professor Janet Hathaway. It is Pliegos de villancicos en la Hispanic Society of America y la New York Public Library, by Álvaro Torrente and Janet Hathaway. It can be found at call no. MUX ML136.A1 T675 2007.

Earlier this year, the Australian Baroque Brass visited the NIU School of Music and put on a concert in Boutell Memorial Concert Hall. This group, under the artistic direction of John Foster, performed spectacularly. Highlighting our resident talent, they were joined by NIU trumpet professor Mark Ponzo on the baroque trumpet. I am pleased to announce that the Music Library has acquired their compact disc recording, Music of a Golden Age. Ask for this at the Music Library service desk. It is under call no. MUB CDisc. M5 .M875 2006.

Scholars of early music will be pleased to learn that the Music Library has acquired The Byrd Edition, or the complete works of William Byrd, edited by Philip Brett. These scholarly editions will be shelved in Music Library Sets, under call number MUS M3 .B993 1976.

Also, on the topic of musical sets, we have recently acquired the Richard Strauss Edition, containing the complete stage works and orchestral works of Richard Strauss. These are also shelved in Music Library Sets, at MUS M3.1.S7725 S4 1996.

New acquisitions

Students and scholars of Baroque music, here is some good news! The Music Library has acquired volumes 3-7 of the Instrumental Works of Marin Marais, edited by John Hsu (New York: The Broude Trust, 1996-2002). The Music Library previously held the first two volumes only. These are shelved under call no. MUS M3.1 .M375. This will be an important addition to our collection of scholarly editions of Baroque music.

Researchers of the music and lives of Gustav and Alma Mahler will be pleased to learn of the addition of the second edition of Susan M. Filler's Gustav and Alma Mahler: A Research and Information Guide (New York: Routledge, 2008) to the Music Library reference collection. It is shelved under call no. MUR ML134.M34 F54 2008

For those who would like insight into the life of Sergey Prokofiev, we have an excellent new resource: Sergey Prokofiev Diaries, 1915-1923: Behind the Mask, translated and annotated by Anthony Phillips (Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 2008). These years chronicle a period of extensive travel in the composer's life, including an extended period in the United States. The book can be found under call no. MUX ML410.P865 A3 2008.

Finally, I couldn't resist mentioning the acquisition of The Ethnomusicologists' Cookbook: Complete Meals from Around the World, by Sean Williams (New York: Routledge, 2006). It is not too often that a music library gets to collect cookbooks, so this is a real treat! The collections of recipes come with "recommended listening" lists and reading lists "for further information." What fun! Look for this under MUX ML3799 .E785 2006.