Composers Forum tapes, continued

We've completed transferring the information from the card file index of the Composers Forum tape reels to a spreadsheet. Using that sheet, we've now gone back to the shelf, and determined that there are several reels that still need indexing, starting from the 1970s, when the card file index was apparently abandoned.

So, our next step is to go through the physical reels on the shelf, and record any information that we can from the reels themselves. We spot-checked several reels a couple weeks ago, and some had folded programs contained in the reel boxes. We're hoping that this will be true for as many reels as possible, as otherwise we won't have more information than the date and composers names, which are generally on the outside of the box.

After this information is collected, we'll have as complete an electronic index as we can construct for now. Further information may be gathered at the point of digitization.

One interesting feature of these tapes which has emerged is that Virgil Thomson is said to have served as moderator for many of the composer discussions documented by these tapes. This adds an additional layer of historical interest to these reels, and contributes to a snapshot of the musical culture of that time.