Music archives organization: a conceptual framework

Abstract

Music is the art of producing sound. As any artistic expression developedby man, music leaves a footprint, which could either be a paper or electronic-based document or a recording, but always, in any case, a musical document.Music archives, then, have emerged for the proper organization of thesedocuments, which should not be seen as something new since their origins canbe traced from the composition of the first musical works in ancient times, throughthe Middle Ages to our own times. Nowadays, the organization of documentshas gained prominence due to the development of archivistics as a excellenttool in the process of information dissemination for the society of knowledge.The proper organization, conservation and dissemination of the musical heritageof a society, region or country become more relevant in a globalized worldaiming to go beyond frontiers and cultures. Music is a significant element of thecultural identity of a society, and knowing how to properly gather and preservethis heritage through an adequate archivistic methodology becomes more andmore important every day.