Just announced today: A significant improvement for all who are interested in research at the Music department of the Bibliothèque nationale de France. 560, 538 card catalogue records dating from the 16th century to 1991 are now searchable via the Library’s online catalogue: http://catalogue.bnf.fr. Online access just became a lot easier!

Here are more details from Laurence Decobert of the BnF:

“The ressources described – manuscript and printed music, treatises, methods, critical works, archives, programs, newspaper cuttings – entered the Library between the 16th century and 1991. They enable to study a definite work – from its conception to its reception – as well as researches on French musical life, edition and diffusion of sheet music, organology, performer’s work and social condition of musicians.

“Readers will find, among other ressources, the rich collection of canon Sébastien de Brossard (1655-1730), rare musical editions and treatises of the 15th and 16th century, the quite complete production of 19th musical French edition as well as working libraries of composers, performers or musicologists.

“This project will be presented at the next IAML Conference in Vienna by Sophie Renaudin, in charge of this retroconversion.”