How to format metadata for classical repertoire

1. Formatting. Track titles must be complete and correctly formatted.

• If a track features a movement or selection from a larger work like a symphony or concerto, begin the track title with the name of the larger work. This applies even if a track contains a portion of a movement, selection, or excerpt.

• If a work has an assigned catalog number, include the catalog number in the title. Catalog numbers can be found through imslp.org.

• For a piece with up to 20 movement or section numbers, you can use Roman numerals, such as XIV or XX. If a piece contains 21 or more movements or sections, use Arabic numerals in the form No. 1, No. 2, and so on. For example:

  • Keyboard Concerto No. 5 in F Minor, BWV 1056: III. Presto

  • Serenade in G Major, K. 525 “Eine kleine Nachtmusik”: I. Allegro (Excerpt)

  • Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67: I. Allegro con brio

  • Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 27 No. 2 “Moonlight”: I. Adagio sostenuto

  • Die Winterreise, D. 911: No. 24, Der Leiermann

  • 1812 Overture, Op. 49 (Excerpt: Finale)

  • Three Lyric Pieces, Op. 47: No. 1, Summer Song

  • L'isle joyeuse, L. 106

• Use hyphens to indicate multiple sections or movements within one track, for example:

  • String Quartet No. 1 in G Major, K. 80: III. Minuet - Trio

  • Pictures at an Exhibition: Promenade – The Gnome

• Use colons to separate the title of a work from the title of a movement or selection, for example:

  • Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: I. Prelude

  • Requiem, Op. 48: In paradisum

• Use quotation marks to indicate the common nickname of a work, such as:

  Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 36 “Enigma”: Var. IX. Nimrod

2. Recording Dates. If the track title contains the recording date, use the following format: the main track title, followed by the word “Recorded” and the year recorded in parentheses. For example:

• Mozart: Die Zauberflöte, K. 620: Overture (Recorded 1954)

3. Consistency. Track titles should be treated consistently. If an album includes information for one title, the information should be included for all other titles. For example:

• The following group of tracks are consistently formatted:

  Piano Concerto in G Major, M. 83: I. Allegramente

  Piano Concerto in G Major, M. 83: II. Adagio

  Piano Concerto in G Major, M. 83: III. Presto

  The following group of tracks are not consistently formatted:

  Piano Concerto in G, M. 83: I. Allegramente

  Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in G Major, M. 83: 2. Adagio

  Concerto in G, M. 83: Presto

• The following group of tracks are consistently formatted:

  Orchestral Suite No. 1 in C Major, BWV 1066

  Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B Minor, BWV 1067

  Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1068

  The following group of tracks are not consistently formatted:

  Orchestral Suite No. 1 in C Major, BWV 1066

  Suite for Orchestra in B Minor, BWV 1067

  Suite pour orchestre n°3 en Ré Majeur, bwv 1068

4. Versions, Arrangements, and Transcriptions. If a work has been altered from the original composition, this must be noted at the end of the title. For example, “Gianni Schicchi: O mio babbino caro (Arr. for Piano).”

1. Formatting. The track title for a selection from an opera should start with the name of the opera, followed by a colon, followed by the selection title. For recordings of a complete opera, include act and scene information after the opera title but before the colon and selection title. One-act operas which are through-composed are excluded from this rule. For example:

Opera Selection Titles:

• Don Giovanni, K. 527: Il mio tesoro

• La traviata: Libiamo, libiamo… (“Brindisi”)

• Tosca: Vissi d’arte

Complete Opera Titles:

• Falstaff, Act III Scene 2: Un poco di pausa

• Falstaff, Act III Scene 2: Ogni sorta di gente dozzinale

• Falstaff, Act III Scene 2: Tutto nel mondo è burla

2. Consistency. Track titles should be treated consistently. For example, if an album of opera selections includes character information for one title, the information should be included for all other titles. For example:

• La bohème, Act II: Quando m'en vo (Musetta)

• Turandot, Act III: Nessun dorma (Calaf)

• The Magic Flute, K. 620, Act II: O Isis und Osiris (Sarastro und Chor)

• A Midsummer Night's Dream, Op. 64: Now until the Break of Day (Oberon, Tytania, Puck, Fairies)