Abbreviations
|
| ABC |
Australian Broadcasting Commission |
acad. |
academy |
| acc. |
accompanying/accompanied (by)/accompanist |
adv. |
adviser |
| Amer. |
America(n) |
amp. |
amplified |
| arr. |
arranged (by, for)/arrangement (by, of) |
art. dir. |
artistic director |
| ass. |
assistant (to)/assisted (by) |
assoc. |
associate/association |
| attrib. |
attributed (to) |
b |
born |
| b |
bass (vocal or as in bcl, bass clarinet) |
bar. |
baritone |
| bass-bar. |
bass-baritone |
BBC |
British Broadcasting Corporation |
| BBCSO |
BBC Symphony Orchestra |
bc |
basso continue |
| BC |
Before Christ/British Columbia |
Belg. |
Belgium/Belgian |
| bn. |
bassoon |
BNOC |
British National Opera Company |
| Braz. |
Brazil/Brazilian |
Brit. |
Britain/British |
| BWV |
Bach Werke-Verzeichnis |
c. |
circa (Latin = about) |
| ca. |
cor anglais |
Calif. |
California |
| Cath. |
Cathedral |
CB |
Companion of the Order of the Bath |
| CBE |
Commander of the Order of the British Empire |
CBS |
Columbia Broadcasting System |
| CBSO |
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra |
CBTO |
City of Birmingham Touring Opera |
| cel. |
celesta |
CEMA |
Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts |
| cent. |
century |
cf. |
conferatur (Latin = compare) |
| CG |
Covent Garden (Royal Opera House), London |
CH |
Companion of Honour |
| ch. |
chorus |
Ch. Ch. |
Christ Church, Oxford |
| choreog. |
choreography/choreographed (by)/choreographer |
cit. |
citizen |
| cl. |
clarinet |
CMG |
Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George |
| CO |
Chamber Orchestra |
coll. |
college/collection |
| collab. |
collaboration/collaborated (with) |
comp. |
composer/composed (by, in)/composition/competition |
| conc. |
concerto |
cond. |
conductor (of)/conducted (by) |
| Conn. |
Connecticut |
cons. |
conservatory |
| cont. |
contralto/contribution |
counterten. |
countertenor |
| CVO |
Commander of the Royal Victorian Order |
Cz. |
Czechoslovakia(n) |
| d |
died |
D |
Deutsch catalogue number (Schubert works) |
| db. |
double bass |
DBE |
Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire |
| ded. |
dedicated (to) |
Del. |
Delaware |
| dept. |
department |
dir. |
director (of) |
| DMus |
Doctor of Music |
E. |
East |
| ECO |
English Chamber Orchestra |
ed. |
editor/edited (by) |
| edn. |
edition |
elec. |
electronic |
| EMS |
Electronic Music Studio(s) |
EMT |
English Music Theatre |
| Eng. |
England/English |
ENO |
English National Opera |
| ens. |
ensemble |
ENSA |
Entertainments National Service Association |
| EOG |
English Opera Group |
esp. |
especially |
| est. |
established (in, by)/establishment |
Eur. |
Europe(an) |
| fest. |
festival |
Finn. |
Finnish |
| fl. |
floruit (Latin = flourished) |
fl. |
flute |
| Fla. |
Florida |
f.p., f.ps. |
first performance(s)/first performed (by, in) |
| Fr. |
France/French |
GBE |
Knight or Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire |
| GCVO |
Knight or Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order |
gen. |
general |
| gen. man. |
general manager |
Ger. |
German(y) |
| Gr. |
Greece/Greek |
GSMD |
Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London |
| GTO |
Glyndebourne Touring Opera |
gui. |
guitar |
| hn. |
horn (French) |
hon. |
honorary |
| hp. |
harp |
hpd. |
harpsichord |
| Hung. |
Hungary/Hungarian |
Ill. |
Illinois |
| incid. |
incidental (music) |
incl |
include(d)/including |
| Ind. |
Indiana |
insp. |
inspector |
| inst. |
institute |
instr(s). |
instruments/instrumental |
| int. |
international |
IoW |
Isle of Wight |
| IRCAM |
Institut de Recherche et de Co-ordination Acoustique-Musique, Paris |
ISCM |
International Society for Contemporary Music |
| ISM |
Incorporated Society of Musicians (Britain) |
It. |
Italy/Italian |
| K |
Köchel catalogue number (Mozart works) |
kbd. |
keyboard |
| KBE |
Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire |
KCVO |
Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order |
| La. |
Louisiana |
Lat. |
Latin |
| ldr. |
leader |
lect. |
lecturer/lectured |
| lib. |
libretto/library |
LPO |
London Philharmonic Orchestra |
| LSO |
London Symphony Orchestra |
man. |
manager |
| mand. |
mandolin |
man. dir. |
managing director |
| mar. |
marimba |
Mass. |
Massachusetts |
| MBE |
Member of the Order of the British Empire |
Md. |
Maryland |
| Me. |
Maine |
Met |
Metropolitan Opera House, New York |
| mez. |
mezzo-soprano |
Mich. |
Michigan |
| Miss. |
Missouri |
movt(s). |
movement(s) |
| MS(S) |
manuscript(s) |
mus. |
music/musical |
| mus. adv. |
musical adviser |
mus. dir. |
musical director |
| N. |
North |
narr. |
narrator |
| nat. |
national |
NEC |
National Broadcasting Company of America |
| NH |
New Hampshire |
NJ |
New Jersey |
| nr. |
near |
NSM |
Northern School of Music, Manchester |
| NSW |
New South Wales, Australia |
NY |
New York |
| NY Met |
Metropolitan Opera House (or Company), New York |
NYPO |
New York Philharmonic Orchestra |
| NYSO |
New York Symphony Orchestra |
NZ |
New Zealand |
| ob. |
oboe |
obbl. |
obbligato |
| QBE |
Officer of the Order of the British Empire |
OC |
Opera Company |
| OM |
Order of Merit (Member of) |
Op. |
Opus |
| opt. |
optional |
orch. |
orchestra/orchestral/orchestrated (by, for) |
| ORF |
Osterreichische Rundfunk (Austrian Radio) |
org. |
organ/organist |
| ov. |
overture |
Pa. |
Pennsylvania |
| perc. |
percussion(ist) |
perf. |
performer/performed (by) |
| Pf. |
pianoforte |
Phil. |
Philharmonic |
| picc. |
piccolo |
PO |
Philharmonic Orchestra |
| posth. |
posthumous(ly) |
pres. |
president |
| prin. |
principal |
prod. |
produced (by, in)/producer/production |
| prof. |
professor/profession(al) |
prog. |
programme |
| prol. |
prologue |
pub. |
publication |
| pubd. |
published (by, in) |
QEH |
Queen Elizabeth Hall, London |
| RADA |
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art |
RAH |
Royal Albert Hall |
| RAI |
Italian Radio |
RAM |
Royal Academy of Music, London |
| RC |
Roman Catholic |
RCCO |
Royal Canadian College of Organists |
| RCM |
Royal College of Music, London |
RCO |
Royal College of Organists, London |
| rec. |
recorder |
recit. |
reciter |
| reh. |
rehearsal/rehearsed (by) |
res. |
residence/resident |
| rev. |
revised/revision (by, in, for) |
RFH |
Royal Festival Hall, London |
| RI |
Rhode Island |
RLPO |
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra |
| RMA |
Royal Musical Association (Britain) |
RMCM |
Royal Manchester College of Music |
| RNCM |
Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester |
ROH |
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden |
| RPO |
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra |
RSAMD |
Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama |
| RSC |
Royal Shakespeare Company |
RSCM |
Royal School of Church Music, London |
| RSM |
Royal Schools of Music (Britain) |
RSNO |
Royal Scottish National Orchestra (previously SNO) |
| RTE |
Radio Telefis Eireann, Dublin |
Russ. |
Russia(n) |
| S. |
South |
S./San/St/Ste |
Saint |
| SATB |
soprano, alto (contralto), tenor, bass |
sax. |
saxophone |
| sch. |
school |
schol. |
scholarship |
| SCO |
Scottish Chamber Orchestra |
sec. |
secretary |
| SNO |
Scottish National Orchestra (see RSNO) |
SO |
Symphony Orchestra |
| soc. |
society |
sop. |
soprano |
| Sp. |
Spain/Spanish |
spkr. |
speaker |
| SPNM |
Society for the Promotion of New Music |
str(s). |
string(s) |
| str. qt(s). |
string quartet(s) |
suppl. |
supplement |
| SW |
Sadler's Wells (Theatre, Opera, Ballet), London |
Swed. |
Sweden/Swedish |
| sym(s). |
symphony; symphonies |
synth. |
synthesizer |
| tb. |
trombone |
TCL |
Trinity College of Music, London |
| tech. |
technical/technician |
ten. |
tenor |
| Tenn. |
Tennessee |
th. |
theatre |
| timp. |
timpani |
tpt. |
trumpet |
| trans. |
translated (by, for)/translation |
transcr. |
transcribed (by, for)/transcription |
| TV |
television |
UCLA |
University of California at Los Angeles, USA |
| unacc. |
unaccompanied |
univ. |
university |
| USA |
United States of America |
v., vv. |
voice, voices |
| va. |
viola(s) |
var. |
various/variation(s) |
| vc. |
cello(s) |
vers. |
version |
| vib. |
vibraphone |
vn. |
violin(s) |
| W. |
West |
WNO |
Welsh National Opera |
| WoO |
Werk ohne Opuszahl (work without opus number) |
ww. |
woodwind |
| xyl. |
xylophone |
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