Vocal scores header

[steltz]

I'm finding several work pages where "Vocal score" is used as a header for something like lieder. The way I understood it, we talk about a vocal score as opposed to a full score, e.g. orchestral or something larger than voice/piano. If the original "full" score was anyway voice with piano, then the header would be the normal "Scores". Is this right?

[Davydov]

Yes, the header "Vocal Score" should be used for works where the original instrumental parts have been reduced for keyboard accompaniment. So it shouldn't be used for works that were originally written for voices and keyboard.

[steltz]

Thanks, I'll change the ones I find.

[pierre.chepelov]

Thank you both for the question and answer... I've seen the case many times recently, and was wondering about it!

[Carolus]

OK, we should use the "Voice and Piano" for the tab header in such cases (which I've seen on a number). Can we please not use the redundant "Scores", as the level-2 section already states "Scores"? I had been putting in "Vocal Scores" on some of these myself. Many of the level-3 headers (the tabs) which redundantly read "Scores" are leftovers from when the level-2 section was named "Files".

[Davydov]

In the days before we had the tabs, it was necessary to put in some sort of header at the top, so that the contents displayed correctly. But the "General" tab now takes care of that, so there's no longer a need to put "Vocal Scores" or "Voice and Piano", etc. One less thing to worry about

[steltz]

I have often wondered if "General" shouldn't be replaced by "Original instrumentation(s)", because it is more specific, and along the same lines as "Arrangements and Transcriptions", but this is a very minor point.

[Carolus]

General works OK, but (like Steltz) I wonder if "Original Scoring" might not be clearer to the average visitor. That way, it should serve regardless of what the original instrumentation was, and it doesn't confuse the issue with "Original version" and "Revised version" where the composer actually altered the piece itself. (Of course there are plenty of examples out there where the composer's "revised version" is for a revised orchestration, like Stravinsky's 1911 and 1947 versions of Petrushka).