A. Criteria, Background Information

1. For this project, whose goal is to present as vast a spectrum of new music as possible, there are only three criteria: (1) The composer must have lived after the year 2000, the year in which the project started; (2) The composer must write principally 'classical music' as opposed to 'popular music' of any sort; and (3) The composer must be at least 18 years of age.

2. Composers who are deceased but lived after the year 2000 are eligible. Similarly, all composers who pass away after being included in the project remain in the project.

3. Composers from all countries are eligible for an entry, but the focus of the project is to give visitors the opportunity to explore composers from countries other than those found in North America and Western Europe, both of which are already very well represented, both in this database and elsewhere.

4. No discrimination is made in terms of a composer's 'success' or 'popularity' as opposed to 'obscurity'. Composers who are not famous are often not famous due to a lack of skill, but rather other factors; conversely, composers who are famous are often famous because of good fortune and not necessarily the merits of their music. Thus, for this database, no judgment of a composer's music is made or implied and no endorsements should be considered. All composers are equally eligible for inclusion.

5. This project is regularly evolving, but does not pretend to be complete. Please consider it a constant work-in-progress. At the moment, some countries may be less represented than they should be, but it is only because we have yet to find enough contacts there to provide us with information. Obviously, more composers will be added with time.

B. Concerning the Biography

1. All entries, i.e. pages written by Dan Albertson (marked with an asterisk [*]) and not simply links to a composer's website, contain a biography with details about a composer's education, awards, select performances, teaching positions, contact information, a list of works, and a discography, which is optional. According to the composer's wishes, some of this information may be omitted and/or unavailable, but not the education, contact information or list of works.

2. Titles of respect (Mr., Ms., Dr., Prof.) are used in the text, as well as abbreviated degrees (BMus, BA, DMus, DFA, MFA, PhD, etc.). However, titles are used only for the person in question, not their teachers or anyone else mentioned in the document. For women, no distinction is made between Ms. and Mrs.; only Ms. is used.

3. The contact information section lists addresses (e-mail, street, telephone, cellular phone, fax, or otherwise) for the composer, his publisher or his agent. All numbers outside of Canada and the USA (country code 1) are prefaced with a '+', then the country code and number. Natives of these countries should know not to dial the country code, but to instead dial a 0 (in most but not all cases) and if necessary, omit the area code.

4. Most biographies are given in this order: introduction, education, awards, other positions, teaching positions, publishers. Other paragraphs may be added or omitted as necessary.

5. Composers who are listed in the database are linked when they are mentioned within documents. Only the first mention of their names is linked, however.

C. Editorial Conventions

1. Although many sources now call it simply a 'horn', in this database, the (perhaps antiquated, but nonetheless easier to differentiate) term 'French horn' is used.

2. Although often called a 'contrabass', 'string bass' or simply 'bass', in this database, the term 'double bass' is always used to describe this instrument, in order to avoid potential confusion between it and the vocal range 'bass'. The term 'contrabass' is used, however, to denote an instrument of exceptionally low range, such as the contrabass trombone.

3. Similarly, the term 'bass guitar' is also used throughout, as opposed to 'electric bass', 'electric double bass', 'electric bass guitar', etc.

4. Although many instruments have conflicting plurals, for my database, the general system of adding an '-s' is used, with one exception: 'cello' becomes 'celli'; 'soprano' does not become 'soprani'. When foreign instruments are mentioned, they are generally given in the singular, even if there is more than one of them, because either their original language has no plural or because the plural ends in something other than '-s'. For example, '3 pipa' or '2 rebab'.

5. Only modern names of cities, countries, schools, etc. are listed. Thus, there are no composers from 'Yugoslavia', but instead from 'Serbia & Montenegro'; no composers from 'Leningrad', but instead from 'St. Petersburg'; etc.

6. In countries that do not use the Roman alphabet, the issue of transliteration inevitably becomes a problem. I follow a composer's preference, not strict rules concerning transliteration, so it is possible to have Russians named both Dmitry and Dmitri or both Sergey and Sergei, for example.

7. Major cities are given in their international names, if different than their native names, in almost all cases; thus, it is 'Cologne', not 'Köln', and 'Moscow', not 'Moskva'. However, if the name is part of any organization or other title, it will not be converted; for instance: 'Kölner Gesellschaft' or 'Muzyka Moskva'. When a native name is spelt the same both in that country and abroad, but uses an accent that is often omitted, it is retained, such as 'São Paulo' or 'Düsseldorf'.

8. Except when listing specific names of choruses, the terms 'chorus' and 'choruses' are used throughout the database, as opposed to 'choir' and 'choirs'. This is only for consistency, because both terms are equally legitimate.

9. Schools whose names are in Western European languages are given in their native names, with only a few exceptions. Schools from other nations may be given in their native names or in translations, according to general usage.

10. Unlike many reference works, here discrimination is made between the surname prefixes 'Mac-' and 'Mc-'. Names beginning with 'Mac-' appear between 'Mab-' and 'Mad-', whereas names beginning with 'Mc-' are between 'Mb-' and 'Md-'.

11. In most cases, a composer's country of birth is omitted in the opening parenthetical statement listing birth data, even if the city is not widely-known. For instance, a composer from Ukraine is assumed to have been born in Ukraine unless otherwise noted.

D. Concerning the Work List

1. In a work list, the dates given always refer to a work's dates of composition rather than the date of its first performance, unless otherwise noted. Within each section, the compositions are listed from the earliest to the most recent and pieces with no date provided go to the end of each section. This general principle of earliest to most recent is found in all areas of the project. For specific dates, the month-day-year style is used (i.e. January 1, 2005).

2. Works in work lists where dates are omitted and/or unavailable are listed alphabetically, not chronologically.

3. Work lists are either complete or select, according to the composer's preference. All work lists are marked either 'select' or 'complete,' although a marking of 'complete' does not necessarily mean that every one of the composer's works is listed, but rather that the majority of the composer's works is listed.

4. Categorized work lists are always arranged in the following order: stage, orchestral, chamber music, choral, vocal, piano, organ, harpsichord, electroacoustic, multimedia/performance, didactic music, and film scores, with an occasional additional category. Some composers prefer for their works to be listed chronologically in lieu of categories, so that their works are generally divided by era.

5. Instrumentation is generally given in the standard order of winds, brass, plucked instruments, keyboards, percussion, and strings, but for chamber pieces, the keyboard and percussion sections are placed after the strings, not between the plucked instruments and strings. There are exceptions, however, such as when there is a limited number of players, between one and five, and a larger group of four or more players, such a string quartet. In such a case, the listing would be written as 'piano, percussion, string quartet', for instance. Also, although the bass guitar is a plucked instrument, it is listed after the cello in my listings, because it is often a replacement for the double bass.

6. When a work exists in more than one version and the versions are in different categories, the works are always cross-referenced in both categories.

7. All instrumentations are in full; nothing is implied. Thus, a work called 'Sonata, violin' really is for violin, without piano, and a work for 'mixed chorus' has no instruments. Accordingly, the terms 'a cappella', 'solo', 'unaccompanied', etc. are not used, unless they are a part of the work's title.

8. The only instrumental grouping used is 'string quartet'. 'Brass quintet', 'string trio', 'wind quintet', etc. are not used, but instead are listed in full: 'French horn, 2 trumpets, trombone, tuba', 'violin, viola, cello', 'flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon', etc. This allows me to note doublings and/or variations in instrumentation and to avoid unnecessary confusion. For example, a 'clarinet quintet' these days is as likely to be for '5 clarinets' as it is for the classical notion of 'clarinet, string quartet', so that the term is unclear.

9. Titles are always given as the composer wrote them, so that there may be inconsistencies with other formats in this database. For instance, I accent the term 'étude', but many composers do not.

10. All titles in Western European languages are given in their original languages, with no translations provided; titles in other languages are often given in the original and in an English translation or simply in an English translation.

11. Two important signs are used in the work list. '(+)' means that one player uses more than one instrument: 'flute (+ piccolo)', for instance. '/' means that a player may replace the specified instrument with a similar one: 'piano/celesta', for instance.

12. Unless otherwise noted, all instruments are played by the number of people implied. '2 clarinets' means 2 clarinettists, '5 percussion' means 5 percussionists and 'percussion' means 1 percussionist. In the case of percussion instruments, sometimes there is confusion. The terms 'crotales' and 'tubular bells' are plural, but a set requires only one player, so that one player is implied; '2 tubular bells' means that two players are needed on two sets, unless otherwise mentioned. Similarly, '5 woodblocks' means that there are 5 players on woodblocks or '7 steel drums' means that there are 7 players on steel drums. If this is not the case, the variants are noted, such as '5 woodblocks (1 player)' or '7 steel drums (3 players)'.

13. Instruments should be considered as being normal in pitch unless otherwise noted. A 'clarinet' is thus in B-flat and a 'trumpet' in C; any variations will be noted ('E-flat clarinet', 'A-clarinet', 'B-flat trumpet', etc.). Differences in size are also noted for all applicable instruments, mostly winds and brass (soprano, sopranino, alto, tenor, bass, contrabass, sub-contrabass, etc.).

14. Instruments not likely to be widely known outside their country of origin are given a brief parenthetical explanation. For example: 'baglama (Turkish lute)'. Instruments used in many countries are given simply a description, such as 'suling (bamboo flute)'.

15. Any adjectives used to denote a change to an instrument (such as 'amplified', 'microtonal' or 'youth') apply only to the instrument which it precedes. Thus, in a work for 'amplified flute, guitar', only the flute is amplified.

16. Works are listed according to their date of completion, not the date when they were started. Thus, a work from 1996-99 would appear between works from 1998 and 2000, not between works from 1995 and 1997.

17. Stage works generally include information about number of acts and name of librettist (if opera or music theatre work; for the latter, the term 'text' is generally used instead of 'libretto') or number of acts, name of scenario writer and/or choreographer (if ballet). If incidental music is listed, the name of the playwright is mentioned; titles of plays are given in the language of the playwright, not the composer. Other stage works may contain some or none of this information depending on their scope.

18. Although the term 'actor' is now unisex in many usages, here it refers only to a male actor. Female actors are called 'actresses' to make the differentiation clearer.

19. Instrumental listings for stage works using actors, dancers, mimes, etc. are in the following order: voices, actors, dancers, mimes, choruses, instruments.

20. In the orchestral, choral and vocal categories, the following terms are used: 'small orchestra' (less than 30 players), 'orchestra' (30-60 players) and 'large orchestra' (more than 60 players). Of course, the total number of players may vary, especially in the string section, so if a specific number is given, it is the desired number of total players. Thus, works for 'orchestra' could potentially be played a 'large orchestra', if the string section were expanded, but are generally played by, or are intended to be played by, an 'orchestra'. In the orchestral category, if no designation is given (for example: 'Symphony No. 2, 2004'), it is for 'orchestra'.

21. In general, 12 players is the minimum number of players required for a 'small orchestra', which I define as being a 'single orchestra' of one (occasionally two) of each wind, brass and string instrument, possibly also with harp, piano, percussion, etc. No more than three of these instruments may be missing to receive this classification. However, if the piece is for a large amount of one or two groups of instruments, such as '13 brass, 5 percussion', it could be considered a 'small orchestra', according to the composer's preference.

22. The terms 'chamber orchestra' and 'chamber ensemble' are not used. 'Small orchestra' and 'ensemble' are used instead and as often as possible, the instruments of an ensemble are given in detail, because the listing 'ensemble' is very vague.

23. As often as possible, texts used in a piece are given in parentheses after the title. The term 'vocalise' is used to describe a work without a text; it should not be considered a description of the work in the sense that the term is occasionally used.

24. For choral and vocal works, the text is sung in the original language unless a translator is mentioned in brackets. If the name of the translator is unknown, the language of translation will be mentioned instead. For instance: '(text by Vladimir Mayakovsky [English translation])'.

25. According to a composer's preference, choral and vocal works may instead be listed in the orchestral category if the focus is the orchestra (as in a symphony, for instance).

26. If a choral or vocal work is sung in both its original language and another language, the term 'also' is used. For instance, '(text by Vladimir Mayakovsky [also German translation])'.

27. In the choral category, the following terms are used: 'female chorus', 'mixed chorus' and 'male chorus' for adult choruses and 'girls' chorus', 'youth chorus' and 'boys' chorus' for choruses consisting of children.

28. The term 'speaker' is used for a person who speaks a text in a piece, as opposed to 'narrator', 'reciter', etc. If either gender may speak this part in a work, 'speaker' is used; for gender-specific parts, 'female speaker' and 'male speaker' are used.

29. Similarly, 'voice' is used if a vocal part may be sung by any voice, as opposed to 'female voice' or 'male voice'.

30. Religious works with specific titles (such as Agnus Dei, Mass, Stabat Mater, etc.) use the liturgical texts of the same name unless otherwise noted. Also, works whose titles and texts imply a language, such as Latin for Stabat Mater or Hebrew for Kol Nidre, are sung in that language unless otherwise noted. Thus, Biblical texts are in English if the title is in English, in German if the title is in German, in Latin if the title is in Latin, etc., unless otherwise noted. Lastly, choral works by a Japanese or Russian composer, for instance, are not likely to be given in their original title, but it should still be assumed that the texts are sung in Japanese and Russian.

31. Choral and vocal works list voices first, then instruments.

32. As with choral and vocal works with orchestra, works with tape or CD may be included in either the electroacoustic category or another suitable category, again according to the composer's preference. Generally, however, works with both live and taped elements and works with live musicians and live electronics are included in a category other than electroacoustic. A work for 'violin, live electronics' would thus most likely appear in chamber music. When possible, the specifics of a tape are mentioned (for example, '2-track tape', '4-track tape', etc.).

33. For multimedia works including films or slides or projections thereof, the artists responsible for such elements, if anyone in particular, are mentioned whenever possible.

E. Concerning the Discography

1. Every effort is made to include the names of a composer's works appearing on a recording, the names of the performers, the name of the label, the catalogue number, and the year of release, but sometimes a few details are missing.

2. Unless otherwise noted, all recordings are in CD format. Other formats are noted in parentheses at the end of a listing: '(LP)', '(cassette)' or '(DVD)', for instance.

3. For discographies in which the years of release are unavailable, the recordings are listed alphabetically by label. If a composer has more than one recording on the same label, the recordings are listed from the lowest catalogue number to the highest, which generally reflects some sense of chronological order. Very rarely, specific years are unknown, but the composer remembers the order of release, so that undated recordings are not listed alphabetically, but instead basically chronologically.

4. In a listing in which numerous formats are included and no years are given, LPs will be listed first, then cassettes, then CDs, then DVDs, each in alphabetical order by label.

F. Concerning External Links

1. Many composers are represented not by an entry, but instead by a link to their personal homepage. All websites must contain a biography, contact information and a list of works and must not be more than three years outdated. Dated information is less likely to be useful to readers, but because the sites are not run by myself, the content may become outdated after I have approved the site for a link. Due to this adequacy of information required in all sites, composers are represented by only one link.

2. Many external links are to publishers' sites about their composers. Quite often, composers change publishers at some point during their careers. Preference is always given to the publisher of that composer's most recent music, except when the new publisher has only a few scores and not the majority of the composer's oeuvre. In most but not all cases, the linked publisher's site will also mention the composer's previous publisher or publishers.

3. Although all linked sites have been verified, their content belongs to their owners and not to the Living Composers Project. The Living Composers Project is not responsible for their content. Any questions about personal websites should be directed to the composers themselves.

4. All sites are in English, or have an extant English version; those that are not are marked as such, for instance '(German only)' or '(mostly in Spanish)'.

5. Sites which feature English biographical information may or may not have an English work list, but this is not noted, because instrumental listings are easily recognizable even in other languages.

6. If a link becomes 'broken', all attempts will be made to find the new address. If a new address for the composer is not found, he or she will be temporarily removed from the database. Visitors are encouraged to report broken links to the webmaster.

G. Concerning the Country Indices

1. Composers are generally listed according to the place of their birth and/or their place of residency and/or their place of work, according to their preference and/or citizenship status; ethnicity and heritage are not factors. Every composer's case is unique. For instance: many composers are born in a country, but live there for only a short amount of time and are not of that nationality; many composers work in two countries, or immigrate from one country to another, so a dual listing is necessary; some composers are citizens of one country, but do not live there, and would nonetheless like a dual listing to reflect their dual citizenship; etc.

2. In these listings, the composer's country is omitted, unless he or she is listed under more than one country. In the Italy index, for instance, an Italian composer's link will not be labeled as '(Italy)'.

3. Distinct regions of a country that are not independent, for example Hong Kong and Macao in China or Scotland and Wales in the UK, are not listed separately. These composers are listed under China and the UK, respectively.

H. Concerning the A-Z Pages

1. Composers are listed according to surname. Composers from Asian nations are generally listed in Eastern order (surname personal name), with no comma, but exceptions are made according to a composer's preference. Many Japanese composers and composers who have immigrated from Asia, for instance, spell their names with a comma.

2. Composers with prefixes in their names or multipart names are also listed according to their preference. 'De Klerk' may appear under D or K and 'Van Allen' may equally appear under V or A; such instances are not cross-referenced, so visitors are advised to explore all possibilities when searching amongst the A-Z pages.

3. In all but a few cases, a composer's year of birth is also listed, in order to make it easier for visitors to find composers from a particular generation.

4. Accents in surnames are not factors in the alphabetical listing. However, accents are used throughout the database, as needed, but only those that are easily available on most computers (i.e. those not requiring a change of 'encoding' or other settings).

(Last updated on September 19, 2004)