Music has always been a part of humankind's life. Prior to the
invention of recording technology, one had to play music
oneself, or have it played. This was not possible without
notes, which, since the 16. century, one could buy already
printed, or - cheaper still - copy them by hand.
Many printed
and hand-written notes have been handed down and are preserved
today in libraries, archives, private collections etc. For the
researcher these sources are valuable documents for learning
which music was preferred and when. The researcher assesses
these documents with the goal of setting down musical history
as precisely as possible. The musician, on the other hand, uses
old notes to perform unknown music in addition the familiar
(Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Haydn etc.).
However, science and practice are preceded by information on
the sources. This is the function of RISM - the International
Inventory of Musical Sources. It has working representatives
in more than 30 countries, whose employees search for and
painstakingly describe printed and hand-written music in the
museums and archives of their country. Findings are supplied to
the central editing office in Frankfurt, where they are EDP-memorized and published as CD-Rom or in internet - partially
also in book form.