If you’re like me, you’ll probably never read this bit....
The best, and only way, of learning how to use PRELUDE and discovering what it can do for you is by using it - if you want to know what a button does, click it!
For those with slightly more patience, this document provides some instructions. I recommend that even those eager to get going read the first three sections, Golden Rules, Why all the files? and Navigation.
If possible, Stretch the window so that the line below appears on just one line.
Here are 3 Golden rules to ensuring PRELUDE doesn’t cause you any headaches:
1. Always have at least one record in a file: Prelude may act strangely when there are no records in a file. So make sure you enter at least one of your discs before deleting all the pre-entered records.
2. Be careful when deleting records: Think before deleting records. Deleting a composer will also delete all the works by that composer and all the recordings you have of those works. This is necesary to ensure the integrity of the records in all the other files.
3. Don’t move files around : Changing the names or relative position of the files will cause problems. Always ensure that the “Files” folder is in the same folder as the “Prelude” document. The documents that are in the “Files” folder initially, must stay there.
2. Why all the Files?
In the beginning there was a composer.
This composer composed a work.
With the help of artists and a conductor the work was recorded.
This recording was then issued on a disc.
The first important file ComposersArtistsConductors is for people. This is where information is stored about Composers, Artists (those that play instruments or sing) and Conductors. It is possible for a person to be just one or all three.
Examples include: Ludwig van Beethoven - composer; Pierre Boulez - composer and conductor; Daniel Barenboim - pianist and conductor.
Pieces by these composers are kept in the Works file. You can specify the movements of a work.
Examples include: Beethoven’s Piano sonata no.23 in F min. (appassionata), Op.57; Beethoven’s Symphony no.6 in F (pastoral), Op.68
Recordings of these works are listed in the Recordings file. You can enter movement playing times.
Examples include: Beethoven’s Piano sonata no.23 in F min. (Appassionata), Op.57 - Gilels (1973, Analogue); Beethoven’s Symphony no.6 in F (pastoral), Op.68 - NDR Symphony Orchestra, Wand (1992, Digital)
The Discs file lists Compact Discs, LP’s, etc. in your collection. Besides specifying recordings on a disc, you can include information specific to the disc (catalogue number, record company, etc.)
For example: Beethoven - Symphonies nos. 5 and 7, VPO, Carlos Kleiber (1975,76 Analogue), Deutsche Grammophon 472 7364-2, Playing time 1:12:08
In addition to these files there is another, Sets, that you may find useful. This is where you specify which works make up a ‘set’.
Examples include: Beethoven - Symphonies nos. 1-9; Bartók - String quartets nos. 1-6; Vivaldi - The four seasons (this is actually made up of 4 distinct works)
Having PRELUDE set up this way allows it to overcome the shortcomings of many other databases - for example, it allows you to have a particular recording on more than one disc. This could be useful if you have duplicates on LP and CD, or if you own a sampler disc with excerpts from many recordings and consequently buy a disc of the full recording.
Some of the data-entry procedures may seem a bit long-winded, but spending a little time entering details pays off when you see the power and accuracy of cross-referencing files with a single click. For example, if you are viewing a work in the Works file, e.g. Beethoven’s Symphony no.5, and then click on the ‘Discs’ tab at the top of the screen, PRELUDE will automatically list all the discs containing that work (either the whole work or excerpts). Alternatively, if you are viewing a set, e.g. Beethoven’s symphonies 1-9, and click the ‘Recordings’ tab, PRELUDE will list all the recordings of these symphonies you have.
3. Navigation
Within a file
Across the bottom of most screens are 10 buttons.
Navigating between files
Across the top of the screen are file tabs. Clicking on them will take you to related records in that file. The coloured tab marks your current location.
If no related records exist, you will usually get a prompt saying so and offering three choices:-
1. Continue - Just lists all the records in the other file
2. Cancel - Leaves you where you are
3. Create New - Creates a new record in the destination file.
If the tabs are grayed, the buttons have been disabled.
4. Main Menu
When you start-up PRELUDE, the first screen you’ll come to is the Main Menu. This gives six choices:-
Composers - takes you to the people file and lists all the composers.
Artists - takes you to the people file and lists all the artists.
Conductors - take you to the people file and list the conductors.
Works - takes you to the works file and lists them all.
Recordings - takes you to the recordings file and lists them all.
Discs - takes you to the discs file and lists them all.
As well as this there are smaller buttons at the bottom of the screen:-
Preferences - PRELUDE automatically sorts records (see below for an explanation of the sorting order). This can take a long time for many records, especially in the ‘Recordings’ and ‘Discs’ files where sorting is based on Composer name and Work, which have to be referenced from other files. To save you unnecessary boredom, you can specify the largest number of records to be automatically be sorted.
File Cleaning - File cleaning allows you to save a copy empty of records (a clone), then import the sorted records from the original file into the new one, all with one click. This serves two purposes
1. It can reduce the file size by removing unused space that can build up within a file after lots of use.
2. By importing the records in a sorted order, the creation order of these records will be the same as the correct sort order. This means that the records will appear correctly sorted when viewing them from within another file (in a portal).
Be warned, however - this procedure can take ages!
Registration - Details on how to register you copy of PRELUDE can be found here.
Close - This button closes PRELUDE and all its related files. This means you can easily close PRELUDE without quitting FileMaker Pro.
Quit - This button closes PRELUDE and quits FileMaker Pro.
5. Composers, Artists and Conductors
This is the file where information is stored on people. To enter a new person, just click the ‘New’ button. This takes you to ‘Edit’ mode where you can type the information. Fields are:-
Surname - The person’s surname e.g.. Bach
First Names - Any first names e.g.. Johann Sebastian.
Year of Birth - The persons year of birth e.g.. 1685
Year of death - The persons year of death. If they are still alive, just leave blank. e.g. 1750
Nationality - The person’s nationality e.g. German
Composer - Check this box if the person is a composer
Conductor - Check this box if the person is a conductor
Instrument/VoiceRange - If the person is a musician, choose the instrument they play (e.g. piano) or their voice range (e.g. Mezzo-soprano)
Cataloging abbreviations (for composers only) - Enter any letter abbreviations used to represent different cataloging systems. Most composers have their works distinguished by the Opus number which relates to how the works were published. However some composer’s works have been catalogued by scholars and letters are used to distinguish which cataloging system is being referred to.
For example: JS Bach - BWV; WA Mozart - K; Vivaldi - RV, M, P, R, F.
Picture - if you have access to a scanner, or can obtain pictures from another source, you can load them into the file by clicking ‘Import’. ‘Clear’ deletes the picture.
Information - Information about the person.
Navigation between files
While composers, artists and conductors are all stored in one file, PRELUDE pretends they are stored in three different files. This allows for more convenient movement between files. Navigation between files behaves very similarly for all the files, however there may be some unexpected behaviour, especially when moving within the people file. I won’t list the behaviour of every option from every file, but for if you’re moving from ‘Composers’ or ‘Artists’ to another file, below is a list of what happens.
If you are in the Composers ‘file’
Discs - Lists all the discs which feature works by the selected composer. If there are none, it will prompt you to ‘Continue’ (just lists all the disc on file), ‘Cancel’ (leaves you where you are), or ‘Create new’ (creates a new disc featuring a work by that composer. You will be asked to select a work and enter recording details).
Recordings - Lists all the recordings of works by the selected composer. If there are none, it will prompt you to ‘Continue’ (just lists all the recordings on file), ‘Cancel’ (leaves you where you are), or ‘Create new’ (creates a new recording of a work by that composer. You will be asked to select a work and enter recording details).
Sets - Lists all the sets containing works by the selected composer. If there are none you’ll get the usual prompt to ‘Continue’, ‘Cancel’ or ‘Create New’ (unless there are no works by that composer on file either, in which case you’ll be prompted to create a new work)
Works - Lists all the works by the selected composer, or usual prompts if there are none.
Composers - Finds and lists all the composers on file.
Artists - If the currently selected composer is also an artist (i.e. plays an instrument or sings) then you’ll be moved to the Artists ‘file’. The currently found records will remain unaltered. Otherwise all artists are listed.
Conductors - If the currently selected composer is also a conductor then you’ll be moved to the Conductors ‘file’. The currently found records will remain unaltered. Otherwise all conductors are listed.
If you are in the Artists ‘file’
Discs - Lists all the discs which feature performances by the selected artist. This is done by searching discs for recordings containing performers matching the surname of the selected artists. If there are none, it will prompt you to ‘Continue’ (just lists all the disc on file), ‘Cancel’ (leaves you where you are), or ‘Create new’ (creates a new disc featuring a recording with that performer. You will be asked to select a work and enter recording details).
Recordings - Lists all the recordings which feature performances by the selected artist. This is done by searching recordings containing performers matching the surname of the selected artists. If there are none, it will prompt you to ‘Continue’ (just lists all the recordings on file), ‘Cancel’ (leaves you where you are), or ‘Create new’ (creates a recording with that performer. You will be asked to select a work and enter recording details).
Sets - If the selected artist is also a composer, it follows the procedure above (from the composer file). Otherwise, a message appears stating ‘Because this person is not a composer, sets containing works written by them cannot be found’.
Works - If the selected artist is also a composer, it follows the procedure above (from the composer file). Otherwise, a message appears stating ‘Because this person is not a composer, works written by them cannot be found’.
Composers - If the currently selected artist is also a composer then you’ll just be moved to the Composer ‘file’. The currently found records will remain unaltered. Otherwise all composers are listed.
Artists - Finds and lists all the artists on file.
Conductors - If the currently selected artist is also a conductor then you’ll just be moved to the Conductors ‘file’. The currently found records will remain unaltered. Otherwise all conductors are listed.
The Conductors ‘file’ works identically to the Artists ‘file’. Clicking on ‘Artists’ or ‘Conductors’ from Discs, Recordings, Sets or Works brings up the full listing of artists or conductors respectively.
6. Works
This is the file where information is stored on works written by composers who are in the composers file. To enter a new work, just click the ‘New’ button. This takes you to ‘Edit’ mode where you can type the information. Fields are:-
Composer - The composer of the work. Choose the composer from the pop-up list and the click ‘Select’. When choosing a composer, you can quickly jump to the right name by typing the first few letters of the surname. If the composer doesn’t appear in this list, click ‘New’ which will prompt you to fill in details of the composer, much as if you were entering a new composer in the Composers file. To change the composer of a piece, choose the new composer from the list (or choose ‘New’) and then click ‘Select’. If you don’t click ‘Select’ the composer will remain unchanged. Note however that you can’t change the composer of a work once it is on a set or if a recording of it has been entered.
Work - To allow more powerful searching facilities and to save some typing, the work field is broken down into 7 smaller fields. The best way to explain them is by example. To enter Beethoven’s Symphony no.6 you would enter it as follows:
Fields 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Work Symphony no. 6 in F major ( pastoral ) , Op . 68
The underlined parts are entered in the field numbered above. Cataloging abbreviations from the Composers file come in here. To save typing ‘BWV’ for Bach over and over again these letters are listed below the ‘Op’ field - clicking on them will enter them. If any of the fields are not appropriate (for example, not very many works have some comment or name like ‘pastoral’) just leave the field blank (‘Op’ is auto-entered. You can leave it, even if you don’t enter the Opus number). The names of most baroque and classical works follow this format. You’ll probably only fill in the first field for many modern pieces which abandon key signatures and the likes.
Category - The categories used are the same as those used in the Gramophone Catalogue. i.e.
I Orchestral
II Chamber
III Instrumental
IV Vocal and Choral
V Stage Works
Year - The year of composition of the work.
Movements - List the movements of a work.
Information - Information about the work.
7. Sets
This is the file where you can group works from the ‘Works’ file into sets. Example are shown near the top of this document. To enter a new set, just click the ‘New’ button. This takes you to ‘Edit’ mode where you can type the information. Fields are:-
Set Name - The name you choose to identify the set e.g. Beethoven - Symphonies 1-9; Bach - Brandenburg concertos nos. 1-6, BWV 1046/51
Works in Set - To add a work to a set in edit mode, select the composer of the work from the pop-up list (as usual, typing the first few letters of the surname will cause the list to jump to that composer) and then click on the appropriate work from the list on the right. After this, the work will appear in the list on the left (the works in the set). You can only add works that are in the ‘Works’ file (to add a work that is not on file to a set, you must first enter it in the Works file).
It may be debatable what constitutes a work and what should be regarded as a set - The general rule I follow, is that if something is catalogued distinct opus number it is a Work. This means, for example that Bach’s ‘The well tempered clavier Book I’ is a set comprising of 24 works, each of these works having two movements, a prelude and a fugue. Another debatable example might be Vivaldi’s ‘The four season’. I’ve entered it as a set of four individual works. However, this doesn’t always hold up - I have Beethoven string quartets nos. 1-6 entered as a set of 6 works, even though they were published under 1 Opus number (Op.18). Do what you like!
Note: unlike all the other files, the ‘Replace’ facility becomes ‘Add’ in the Sets file. Instead of being able to replace the information in a field of the currently found records, you are instead prompted to select a work to ‘Add’ to all the currently found records.
Sets are very useful for two main reasons:
1. You can search for recordings or discs containing any of the works in a set by simply clicking the appropriate file tab.
2. You can add many recordings to a disc in one go by choosing to ‘Add set’ within the discs file. This allows you to enter a recording for every work in the set but you only have to type in the recording details once, almost as if they were a single work - PRELUDE does the rest. You are then prompted to choose a set. Once you’ve selected a set you enter recording details that are common to all the works in that set. Say, for instance, you wanted to create a disc of Beethoven’s piano sonatas by Brendel. If you click ‘New’ to create a new disc record, fill in any details such as catalogue number and record company, and then choose ‘Add set’. You then select ‘Ludwig Van Beethoven - Piano sonatas nos. 1-32’ from the list of sets. Then you would enter ‘Brendel’ in the performers field and then click ‘Done’. Prelude would then enter 32 new records in the Recordings file, one for each work. You’d then be taken back to Discs - the newly entered recordings are listed on your disc. If you already had a recording of a Beethoven piano sonata by Brendel on file, PRELUDE would alert you of this and ask you whether it was the same recording as the one you were adding. Further instructions on entering recordings and discs can be found below.
8. Recordings
This is the file where information is stored on recordings of works that are in the Works file. To enter a new recording, just click the ‘New’ button. This prompts you to select a work from the Works file or create a new one. Once you have selected a work PRELUDE will check to see if you already have a recording of this work. If so you will be asked to make sure the recording you are entering is not already on file. Either way you’ll end up in ‘Edit’ mode where you can type the recordings information. Fields are:-
Composer & Work - As selected on creation. If you want to change the work, click ‘Select Work’. Unfortunately, if the recording is on disc you can’t change the work.
Performers and Soloists - The names of performers and soloists on the recording.
Choir - The name of any choirs singing on the recording.
Orchestra - The orchestra playing on the recording.
Conductor - The conductor of the recording.
Year - The year the recording was made.
Information - Information about the recording.
On Edit Page 2
Movement timings - You can enter the playing times of movements of the recording. The movements listed are those specified for the work in the Works file. You can edit these from within the works file by clicking ‘Define Movements’.
Total Playing Time - The total playing time of this recording. Click the ‘+’ sign to automatically add up all the individual movement time. Override this by typing in the time.
You can add many recordings in one go by choosing to ‘Add set’. This allows you to enter a recording for every work in the set but you only have to type in the recordings details once - PRELUDE does the rest. See the ‘Sets’ section above for some more help on entering recordings of sets.
9. Discs
This is where you store information about discs in your collection. To enter a new disc, just click the ‘New’ button. This takes you to ‘Edit’ mode where you can type the information and select the recordings on the disc. Fields are:-
Disc Title - Enter a name that, in list mode, will tell you what’s on the disc without having to list the recordings. e.g.. Isaac Stern - A life in Music or Beethoven - Symphonies 1-9 Karajan (‘63)
Information - Information about the disc. For people with large collection that are catalogued and filed away, this field could be used for storing reference codes so that you can find the disc you’re after from your cabinet(s).
Catalogue Number - The disc catalogue number
Record Company - Record company (self-explanatory)
No. of Discs - The number of discs in a boxed sets.
Format - Is it a Compact Disc, LP, Cassette, DAT etc.
Playing Time - The total playing time of the disc (or discs if its a boxed set)
Recordings on Disc - This is where you list the recording on the disc. There are 5 buttons to manipulate the list:
1. Add - Add a recording to the list. You will be prompted to select a work. If recordings of this work are on file you will be asked whether any listed are the same as the one you are adding to the disc. If so click on the appropriate one and it will be added to the disc; otherwise, or if no recordings of this work are on file, you enter a new recording of this work by filling out the recording details. ‘Cancel’ will take you back to the disc leaving it untouched, ‘Done’ will add that recording to the list on the disc.
2. Edit - Edit the details of a recording in the list. Select the recording with the mouse and click ‘Edit’. This allows you to edit the recording information while keeping your place in the discs file, so that once you are done, you are brought back to the disc. ‘Cancel’ will leave the recording details as they were (except changes you may have made to the movements and their timings - these will stay altered), ‘Done’ returns you to the disc.
3. Duplicate - Select a recording already on the disc and click ‘Duplicate’ to duplicate it. You can change the recording details and the selected work and the click ‘Done’ to return to the disc. ‘Cancel’ will undo any changes to the disc.
4. Add Set - To add a set of works to a disc (such as Beethoven - Symphonies nos. 1-9) click add set. You are prompted to select the set from the list (you must create the set in the Sets file before doing this, if it doesn’t already exist) and from then on, pretend it is one work you are adding. ‘Cancel’ returns you to the disc, which isn’t changed. You enter the recording information (e.g. Karajan conducting the BPO, 1963) and click ‘Done’. PRELUDE will, in this example, add 9 new recordings to the recordings file, and these will appear listed on the disc. Should a recording of any one or more of these works matching the recording information - BPO, Karajan, ’63 already exist, you will be asked to distinguish whether it’s the same recording as the one you are entering.
5. Excerpt only - If a recording on the disc is not of the whole work, but only of a movement or two, or is perhaps just an excerpt or highlights of a work, this can be specified by clicking ‘Excerpt only’. ‘Done’ will return you to the disc edit screen.
To delete a recording from the list, highlight it and then click the delete button. If the recording doesn’t appear on any other discs, you will be asked if you would like to delete it from the recordings file as well.
If only one or two recordings are on a disc, then both are shown in list mode. If there are more than two recordings on a disc, then only the first is shown and the word ‘concert’ to show there are more. This follows the convention used in the Gramophone Catalogue.
10. Sorting
The sorting order used when PRELUDE automatically sorts records is as follows:
Composers, Artists and Conductors
by Surname
by First names
Works
by Composer as above
by Category, in the order listed above (see Works)
by Work name
Sets
by the first work in the set as above
Recordings
by Work as above
by Conductor
by Performer
by Year
Discs
by the first recording on the disc as above
11. Searching
Extensive cross-reference searching is provided in search layouts. It is fairly self-explanatory, except you must remember that if, for example, you are in the Recordings file, you are searching for recordings that match the criteria you enter. So, you could search, say, for recordings of chamber works by composers whose surnames start with ‘b’.
The file tabs at the top of the window work differently in search mode. If you were in search mode in the Discs file and then clicked on the Works tab, you would move to search mode in the works file to search for works rather than discs.
You may find the behaviour of searches slighlty strange when you are searching for discs or sets. Records in both these files are made up of many records from other files (sets are made up of many works and discs are made up of many recordings). If you were searching for discs and the selection criteria you entered was
Composer surname = ‘Bach’
Composer firstnames = ‘Antonio’
instead of searching for discs that contain works by someone called ‘Antonio Bach’ it would search for discs containg a work by someone called ‘Antonio’ and someone whose surname is ‘Bach’. It doesn’t worry if it’s not the same piece. So in this example, if you had a disc that contained a recording of a work by Bach and one by Vivaldi, this disc would be selected by the search.
