therefore, one cannot readily decide upon the correct language of a term unless one knows if it is distinctive or generic and whether there are the requisite cognates. Generic titles, however, may be in either English-if the term is cognate in English, French, German, and Italian-or in the original language-if the term is not cognate in each of these four languages (subject to the exceptions noted in Rule 25.29A1). For distinctive titles, the composer's original title is used.

While some of these terms may be treated as types of composition if they are so used by enough composeres (e.g., piece), others may not (e.g., cantilena).Ĭhoice of language presents further complications. Some titles that appear to be generic are not defined in reference sources as types of composition, e.g., piece, divertissement, cantilena. Conversely, many distinctive titles are obviously so, e.g., 'Nozze di Figaro,' 'Appalachian Spring.' But just as obviously, many titles are ambiguous and difficult to categorize. Many titles are obviously types of composition, e.g., names of musical forms or genres (sonata, symphony, concerto), tempo designations (adagio, allegro), and standard combinations of instruments (trio, quartet). Catalogers would no longer construct uniform titles without first knowing whether the basic title element was distinctive or generic. The question of what constitutes the name of a 'type of musical composition' (referred to in this preface as a 'generic title' became especially important to music catalogers with the advent of AACR2 and its provisions that (except when necessary to resolve conflicts) distinctive titles would not be qualified by medium, numeral, or key, and that generic titles would be indicated in the plural if the composer has written more than one of a type.

Report of the Working Group on Types of Compositions The following list is taken from: Music Library Association. Types of Compositions - Types of Compostions Table of Contents Types of Compositions: A-L - Types of Compositions: M-S - Types of Compositions: T-Z Types of Compositions: Introduction

List of types of musical compositions