I suspect that most people imagine the work of compiling a massive bibliography or catalogue raisonnée as a coldblooded, mechanical activity” says Neal Zaslaw, Herbert Gussman Professor of Music Emeritus, but “I hope to demonstrate that, on the contrary, it can be profoundly intriguing and filled with unanticipated adventures.” In a live, hybrid Chats in the Stacks book talk, Zaslaw will share some of the adventures involved in the creation of his Köchel-Verzeichnis: Thematic Catalog of the Musical Works of W. A. Mozart (Breitkopf and Härtel, 2024) and how as a scholar/editor of a massive reference work more than three decades in the making he managed the possibilities of accuracy and completeness, and determined what should be included or omitted in light of the project's perceived audiences and intended functions  The project was further complicated by the implications of the catalogue’s status as a site of generations-long conflict. That is to say, Zaslaw argues, Mozart, his music, and the myths surrounding them are all contested cultural, political and commercial properties, and the editor of them must strive not only to maintain high standards of inclusion and accuracy, but also to emerge from the process unbowed and unbloodied.

This talk is hosted by Olin Library. Light refreshments will be served. 

To attend virtually please register here: 

https://cornell.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_68CvsSmJTNePjIRl9RI4Sg#/registration