[Dixielandjazz] Lou-Easy-An-I-A & Spelling

[Mattias Hallin]

On 13 Jan 2004 Gerard Bielderman wrote:

> /.../ this makes me think of another "problem", probably only interesting
> for discographers:
> If a title is written incorrectly on a sleeve, should one simply copy it or
> does one have to correct it?
> For instance: I ain't gonna give nobody none of MY or THIS jelly roll.
> Or: I found a new baby / I'VE found a new baby.
> Or: Milneburg / Milenberg / Milenburg joys.
> I think the lead should be: how does the (original) sheet music give it?

It seems to me that this problem is the same one that faces compilers of bibliographic references, e.g. someone cataloguing books in a library. To the best of my knowledge the primary rule is to give as TITLE the exact title as it appears on the work in question, whether it's a book or a record or a video tape or whatever. The follow-up rule is to complement the TITLE with a UNIFORM TITLE, i.e. an establish, standardized and controlled form of the title. This does indeed allow you search for and find all instances of a particular title, no matter how it was spelled on the label (and consequentially registered as TITLE).

What source to use for the UNIFORM TITLE is of course another question.

All the best,

/Mattias


*** Mattias Hallin ** Brussels ** Belgium ** <cmhallin at algonet.se> ***
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