Given the nature of historical evidence, we do not expect you will be able to complete every field on the contribution form. The form is intended to give you every opportunity to record what you know, but only the fields marked * are compulsory. Anything else can and should be left blank if you are not certain. Fill in only information that you are confident about – don’t guess or feel that you need to carry out any background research.
Many of the fields have an autocomplete function. That is, as you start typing, suggestions will be offered from the data that already exists within the database. Click on a suggestion to select it or complete what you are typing and press ‘enter’ to reject suggestions.
You may save an entry at any point before submitting it, and return to it later to complete and submit it. Bear in mind, however, that once you have submitted an entry you will not be able to edit it. If you submit an entry with a mistake in it, email arts-listening-experience@open.ac.uk giving your username, the date of submission and the Experience ID number.
If you are using Internet Explorer as your browser, the data entry form is best viewed in Explorer 9 or higher to benefit from its full functionality.
Main Form
Evidence
Use this space to quote the description of the listening experience. Remember to comply with the Copyright guidance.
Source
Use this space to give the title or a description of the source the quotation comes from (e.g. ‘Pictures from Italy’, or ‘Letter from X to Y, 12th May 1842’)
Listeners
Use this space to give any details that you have about the person (or people) who were listening to the music. Enter multiple named listeners separately
Music
Use this space to give any details of the music that was being listened to (if known); for example, ‘Symphony No.5 in C minor, Op. 67’, otherwise a description, e.g., ‘Gypsy ballad’.
Location
Use this space to enter the place where the music was heard, e.g., a theatre, palace, or town/city/region/country. If the place is not recognized by the database, try entering a broader location; e.g., if a theatre is not found, use the name of the town/city/country instead.
What was the listening environment?
Use this space to record the type of environment where the music was heard. Tick as many as apply.
Solitary / In the company of others
Domestic space / Public space
Indoor / Outdoor
On (interchangeable with From/To)
Use this space to give the exact or approximate dates of when the music was heard. Tick Range if the evidence shows that the experience extended a period of time, rather than a particular moment. You can use approximate values, e.g. ‘Mid / May / 19 late’ means ‘sometime in mid May, late 20th century’.
How was the music transmitted?
Use this field to record how the music was transmitted. You can tick multiple boxes if appropriate (e.g. ‘Live’ and ‘Broadcast’ for a radio show performed live).
Live (concert, theatre, park etc.)
Broadcast (radio, TV, podcast etc.)
Playback (vinyl, tape, CD, file etc.)
Additional information / context
Use this space to provide any details that you feel are important but were not accommodated in any of the previous fields.
Source Sub-Form
Title: The given or published title of the source if applicable.
Use this space to give the title or a description of the source the quotation comes from (e.g. ‘Pictures from Italy’, or ‘Letter from X to Y, 12th May 1842’)
Type:--select a source type--
Book
Epistolary (e.g. letter, email)
Diary entry
Memoir/autobiography
Biography
Journalism
Scholarly
Archival manuscript
Official (e.g. government papers)
Reference work
Social media (e.g. blog post, tweet etc.)
Oral history
Other
Published as part of a book/newspaper, etc. (applies to e.g. a letter, diary entries or articles)
Author(s)
Known authors will be automatically suggested as you type.
Publishing information (of book/newspaper etc.)
Title of book/newspaper, etc.
Input the title of the book, newspaper, etc. that this source is a part of.
ISBN
If a published book, please enter its International Standard Book Number (if it has one – ISBNs did not exist prior to 1970). Please use either hyphen separators or no separator at all.
Publisher(s)
Known publishers will be automatically suggested as you type.
Editor(s) / Compiler(s)
Known editors / compilers will be automatically suggested as you type .
Date of publication
Where the day or month is not known or applicable, please leave blank.
Place of publication
Where the source was published, typically a city (e.g. London, Cambridge). If more than one, just give the first.
Volume number
Use this field to enter a volume number if applicable.
Page number(s)
Please enter the page numbers where the evidence was found.
Manuscript number
Use this field to enter a manuscript number if applicable.
Library / Archive
Use this field to enter a library or archive if applicable (e.g. Royal College of Music, Special Collections).
Web resource
Title
Enter the title of the web resource if applicable (e.g. Mass Observation Online).
URL
Use this space to enter the URL of the source if applicable.
Date Accessed
Use this space to enter the date that you accessed the source.
Original Language
For translated works please select the original language if known.
Translator
Known translators will be automatically suggested as you type.
Acknowledgements
Use this space to give an acknowledgment of the owner/holder of the source if they have asked you to do so.
Additional Information
Use this space to provide any details that you feel are important but were not accommodated in any of the previous fields.
Listener Sub-Form
Name:
Use these fields to enter the first name(s) and family name(s) of the listener, if known
Alternate name:
Type a title, e.g., ‘Duke of Wellington’ or a description if the name(s) are not known e.g. ‘A shopkeeper’, ‘A group of soldiers’ etc.
Gender: Male / Female / Mixed Group
Please leave blank if the gender is unknown.
Born
Please leave blank if the DOB is unknown. Approximate dates are allowed (i.e. ‘mid / May / 19 late’ means ‘sometime in mid May, in the late 20th century’).
Died
Please leave blank if the DOD is unknown or tick the box if the listener is known to be alive. Approximate dates are allowed (i.e. ‘mid / May / 19 late’ means ‘sometime in mid May, in the late 20th century’)
Nationality / Ethnicity
Please type a nationality that most closely represents the person's status , or leave blank if unknown.
Socio-Economic Group
Please choose a group that most closely represents the person's status, or leave blank if unknown.
Soldiers & other armed forces
Managers
Professionals
Technicians
Clerks & secretaries
Service & sales
Skilled agricultural, forestry & fishery
Craft & related trades
Plant & machine operators
Elementary occupations
Rulers, chiefs, aristocracy & gentry etc.
Unemployed or retired
Occupation
More than one occupation is acceptable – for example, Charles Ives could be described as ‘composer’ and ‘insurance salesman’.
Religion
Please enter details that best represent their religion. This can be general (‘Christian’, ‘Buddhist’) or specific (‘Evangelical Anglican’; ‘Shi-ite Muslim’). Please leave blank if unknown.
Music Sub-Form
Title: the given title (if any) or a description
Please enter the given title e.g. ‘Symphony No.5 in C minor, Op. 67’, if known, otherwise a description, e.g. ‘Gypsy ballad’.
Composer(s)
Use this field to enter the name(s) of the composer, group or band that composed the musical work (if known). Multiple composers are permitted.
Performer(s)
Use this field to enter the name(s) of the performer, conductor, director, ensemble or band who performed the musical work (if known). Multiple performers are permitted.
What instruments or voices were used?
Terms such as ‘voice’, ‘soprano’, ‘brass’, ‘strings’, etc., are all valid. Multiple instruments are permitted, but please try to be as specific as possible based on the evidence given, without guessing.
What type of music?
Use a broad term such as ‘classical’, ‘jazz’, ‘religious’, ‘popular’, ‘tribal’, or ‘folk’, etc.
Location
Note: this might differ from where it was heard. Use this space to enter the place where the music was performed, e.g., a theatre, palace, or town/city/region/country. If the place is not recognized by the database, try entering a broader location; e.g., if a theatre is not found, use the name of the town/city/country instead.
What was the performance environment?
Use this space to record the type of environment where the music was performed. Tick as many as apply.
Solitary / In the company of others
Domestic space / Public space
Indoor / Outdoor