Your Librarian and Your Orchestra: Just How Do the Players Get the Music?

When I was asked to contribute to this online series, I thought about what it is that I actually do! Then I went to “my” musicians and asked them what they expect out of a librarian. It is easy enough for a librarian to say that the main job is to have the right music on the right desk at the right time. Many factors can impact a performance, but the librarian’s role is to make sure that the printed music enables the performer to do his/her best job.

In all of my years as both a music student and a professional musician, no one ever told me that there was such a thing as a professional orchestra librarian. True, music always appeared on (and disappeared from) my music stand, and occasionally I was told how I could procure a part in advance of the first rehearsal, but for the most part, the marking of the music was left to those of us at the rehearsal. So it came as a pleasant surprise when an orchestra hired me and then told me that the librarian would be in touch about the music.

So, how does this person meet the needs of the playing musician? I believe this can be summed up in four ways.

1. First and foremost of all, a librarian is also a musician. Our musical training and experience is on a par with yours. We can see the music you see, hear what you hear, and be empathetic about the condition and availability of the music. We do our best to enhance the musical product. After all, we are only one degree of separation from you and the printed part, and we take pride in knowing that our work permits your fine performance.

2. The librarian is also the informational hub of the organization. Instrumentations, timings, edition information, unusual staging requirements, and performance history information are usually generated by the library for each piece on every program. We work closely with the conductors, artists, stage crew, and orchestra staff to ensure that all performance details have been communicated.

3. The physical preparation of the music is the most time-consuming part of the librarian’s job and can include many steps. Proofreading new parts, inserting cuts and/or edits, marking the bowings for the string players, repairing tears or missing corners, transposing, and “fixing” page turns are just some of the tasks that your librarian does before you even see the piece. All of this takes place after the piece has been researched and obtained. Oftentimes musicians have the misconception that all a librarian does is pull the piece from the file, put it into a folder, and then put the folder on the stand. Rare is a concert that allows us to do just that!

4. Areas that are now receiving much more attention in performing libraries include organizing and maintaining the collections (scores and parts, chamber collections, solo materials, audition materials, and chorus materials), preservation techniques, answering research or reference inquiries, and even data collection and compilation! All of these behind-the-scene library details have an impact, however indirect, on your performance.

Our activities are, of course, part of a service-oriented approach. MOLA, the professional organization of orchestra librarians, has an active membership that is always willing to share its expertise and experiences with other librarians. We are servicing you so that you can service the audience. As much as music is an ethereal (even otherworldly) experience, it demands tangible preparation techniques. This is where your librarian comes in to play. We hope that your experience with our offerings leads you to say, “Wow – they knew exactly what I needed for this piece! I could not have done it without them!”

Marcia Farabee is the Principal Librarian of the National Symphony Orchestra and the Chair of MOLA’s (Major Orchestra Librarians’ Association) Publisher Joint Committee.