Center for the History of Music Theory and Literature
Jacobs School of Music
Indiana University
Bloomington, IN 47405
phone: [812] 855-5471

INTRODUCTION TO THE THESAURUS MUSICARUM LATINARUM AND ITS USE
(July 2009)

The Thesaurus Musicarum Latinarum (TML) is an evolving database that will eventually contain the entire corpus of Latin music theory written during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. It complements but does not duplicate the Thesaurus Linguae Graecae (TLG), Thesaurus Linguae Latinae (TLL), Lexicon musicum Latinum medii aevi (LmL), and similar projects such as the Center for Computer Analysis of Texts (CCAT). Originally developed as the project of a consortium of universities, the TML is maintained by the Center for the History of Music Theory and Literature at Indiana University--Bloomington, in consultation with the TML Project and Editorial Committees. Work on the TML has been partially supported by generous grants from The National Endowment for the Humanities, an independent federal agency.

The Project Committee agreed from the outset on two fundamentals. First, the TML should enable users to locate and retrieve the text of the source, just as it stands and without editorial intrusions. For example, an author attribution appearing in the Coussemaker Scriptores that modern scholarship might consider erroneous would still be retained in the data file (although annotations clarifying attributions and providing other information about the data file will be included in the TML Canon [see below]). The only exceptions to the rule of representing the text exactly as it appears in the source are governed by the "Principles of Orthography" and the "Table of Codes for Noteshapes ..." (described below under the heading "TML Text Files"). Second, the TML should contain every printed edition, even if an earlier edition might seem to have been supplanted by a more modern one. These earlier editions can be excluded from database searches, but their presence in the database enables comparison of editions, among the many other possible uses of the database. The number of editions is large, but as the treatises are fairly short in general, the overall quantity of data at present amounts to approximately 157 megabytes. In the longer range, the TML aims to include as many manuscript sources as possible so that scholars will be able to retrieve not only published material but also readings that appear in the source material itself.

At present, the entire TML database may be viewed and searched online or downloaded to a scholar's personal computer (MS-DOS, Macintosh, or Windows) from two Internet resources. It may also be obtained on a CD-ROM (ordering information is provided from this link). When downloaded to a personal computer or read from the CD-ROM, in a matter of minutes even more sophisticated searching--including proximity and "fuzzy" searches--can be accomplished and displayed through two special programs, UltraFind 2.5.3 (for all Macintosh systems, including Classic under OSX) and Eureka! (for Windows98, NT, 2000, XP, or Vista). UltraFind is available from http://www.ultradesign.com/ultrafind/ultrafind.html for a free 30-day evaluation; registration (US $39.95) is required following the evaluation period. Eureka! is available from this link. The database can also be tailored to the individual's particular interests. Any part of the TML, text and graphics, will run separately or together. With UltraFind or Eureka!, searches of the TML can be endlessly configured: earlier editions of the same treatise can be included or excluded, treatises of specified centuries or a certain special group of texts ranging across many centuries can be marked for search, an individual treatise can be searched, and so on.

The TML can be accessed in two ways: (1) by means of a World Wide Web (hereafter WWW) client connecting to a web server at www.chmtl.indiana.edu (with the TCP/IP number 129.79.43.153); or (2) through the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) at a TML-FTP address (with the host name chmtl.ucs.indiana.edu and the TCP/IP number 129.79.43.153). Both systems will be described later in this Introduction. The TML has been designed for quick and easy access in a large number of ways, most of which should require little, if any, investment in new computer hardware or software.

The steps for using the TML are simple and straightforward (instructions for each step are provided below):

The first four steps are preliminary; it is in the fifth step where the TML reveals its full potential.

TML Web:

The text, graphics, and index files of the TML can be viewed online or retrieved by means of a WWW client. This Internet option is configured in a wide variety of different ways at each site, and it is impossible for an introduction of this sort to attempt to describe the exact process one needs to follow to use the TML Web. You should first inquire from your local specialists how to connect to your "Web home page." Once you know how to do this, you should have no difficulty with the following instructions.

When you connect to your Web home page, you are running a Web client that can link to other types of servers, which are identified by means of a URL (Uniform Resource Locator). The URL indicates the type of server (e.g., http or ftp), the location, and the path to the data. The URL for the TML is:

http://www.chmtl.indiana.edu/tml

If you tell your Web client to load this URL, it will shortly connect to a Copyright Notice, followed by the highlighted link "Continue." Clicking on this will bring up the "TML home page," from which you can in turn connect to a page for searching the TML files (instructions for using the search engine are included on the page) or to the various indexes of files, corresponding to the indexes contained in the TML-FTP. The TML Web indexes, however, are linked to each file and function as bibliographic tables of contents. Within your Web client, you can then search the files of each index (or all the files in all the indexes), view the texts or graphics themselves, and of course save to your personal machine any or all of the files of interest to you.

TML-FTP:

If you prefer to transfer files directly to your personal machine without viewing them on the web and your mainframe or personal computer supports FTP, TML files can be retrieved through the TML-FTP by any subscriber using standard FTP commands.

To start FTP in a browser, type:

After a few moments, an FTP connection will be opened, and you will see either folders or links labeled TML-FTP and SMI-FTP (this depends on your individual computer and the type of system you are running). If you see folders, you can copy any individual files (or entire folders) by dragging them to your disk; if you see links, you can open each individual link and save the file to your disk.

To start FTP in Unix, VMS, or CMS (or in a Telnet session originating from a personal computer), type:

After a few moments, an FTP connection will be opened, and you will be prompted for a User ID. Type "anonymous" (always omit the quotation marks, of course) at this point. When you are asked for a password, type your e-mail address (if you don't have an e-mail address, you can simply type your name). You will then be connected to the FTP directory in read-only mode. Here is a sample session up to this point:

A prompt (either an asterisk or a word or abbreviation [e.g., Command: or ftp>) will appear on the following line.

NOTE: if you are opening a Telnet session on a Macintosh computer running OSX, you should enter (without the quotation marks) "epsv4" at this point; the server will then respond "EPSV/EPRT off." If you do not enter this command, all following commands will fail.

To retrieve any text or graphics files, you must first move to the TML-FTP by typing "cd TML-FTP" (and without the quotation marks, of course) and then to the appropriate subdirectory filelist, which are arranged as various subdirectories of the TML-FTP. To move down to the subdirectory from which you wish to retrieve files, enter, for example, "cd 12TH" ("12TH" is the name of one of the subdirectories; if you wished to retrieve a file from the 14th filelist, you would use "14TH"; from the 9th-11th filelist, "9TH-11TH"; and so on). To move back up to the main TML-FTP directory, enter "cd .." (the two dots tell the system to move up one directory); from this point, you can then move down into another subdirectory.

If you already know which file you wish to request at this point, simply enter the command at the prompt within the appropriate subdirectory; for example, in the 15th subdirectory you might enter: "get ANO5ARS.TEXT"

NOTE: in the TML-FTP, the fn and ft must be separated by a period.

FTP will indicate that it is opening the connection and transferring the file. When it has finished, a new prompt will await instructions. If this was the only file you wished to transfer, you would then enter "close" (some systems may require "disconnect" or "quit"), and at the next prompt, "quit" (some systems may require "exit"). This will return you to the operating system of your machine.

On the other hand, you may need to see a list of all the files contained in one of the subdirectories before you decide which ones to request. This is accomplished by typing (always within the appropriate subdirectory) "dir" at the prompt, which will result in something like this:

Separate "get" commands can then be issued for whichever files you wish to retrieve.

It is most likely that you will want to transfer many or all the TML files. In this case, the "mget" command should be used (in FTP syntax, "mget" means that multiple "get" commands are being issued). Before issuing any mget commands, however, you should first enter the command "interactive" at the prompt, unless you are certain you wish to retrieve every file in the subdirectory. The "interactive" mode, which is normally set as the default for FTP servers, will cause the server to issue a separate confirmation query prior to sending each file, to which you simply respond by typing "y" or "n." If your system responds to the command "interactive" that this is an invalid command, you should then send the command "status," which should cause your system to display the default settings for the FTP transfer; one of these will normally (though not always) state either "Prompt: on" or "Confirm: on." If the status indicates that "prompt" (or "confirm") is off, sending the command "prompt" (or "confirm") will turn the function back on (see sample session below). To test the setting, try sending the command (for example, in the 6th-8th subdirectory) "mget BOEDIM1.*"; in this command, the asterisk functions as a wild card, indicating that the TML-FTP should send all files with the fn BOEDIM1, regardless of the ft. If your system supports the mget option and "interactive" mode is on, this command will cause the TML-FTP to send you the BOEDIM1 text file with all its graphics, each file preceded by a prompt asking for confirmation before it is sent.

If you have determined that your system supports the mget option and you wish to transfer all the files in a given subdirectory, two wild cards should be used in the command: mget *.* This command will cause the TML-FTP to send every file in the subdirectory. If the interactive mode is on, each file will be preceded by a confirmation prompt; otherwise, the files will be sent one after another with no further prompting.

NOTE: SOME SYSTEMS MAY NOT SUPPORT INTERACTIVE MODE.
Here is a sample session, illustrating the use of two wild cards to cause the TML-FTP to send and query every file. This also demonstrates the final commands for closing your FTP session:

NOTE: Most subscribers will find that their FTP systems are set to transfer data as ASCII text. In a few cases (especially at European sites), the data may arrive in some unrecognizable form because the default for the site has been set to something other than ASCII. If in doubt, at the FTP prompt, type "status" and press return; FTP will then display its current settings (if this does not work, typing "type" should cause FTP to respond with "a" [for "ascii"] or "i" [for "binary"]). If the transfer type is something other than ASCII, it can be easily changed. At the FTP prompt (and prior to transferring the files), type "ascii" (some users may need to type "type ascii") and press return. This will set FTP's file transfer type to the form needed for TML files. You can check to be sure the change has been made by once again typing "status" or "type" (and pressing return) at the next FTP prompt.

TML Text Files:

Unlike other types of texts commonly studied by scholars in fields such as classics, literature, or philosophy, Latin music theory includes abundant figures and musical notation for which no ASCII equivalents exist. This material cannot simply be omitted. Musical notation included within sentences is entered as codes in the text file, while full musical examples or figures are scanned and saved in GIF format and keyed to locations within the text files themselves. If the example includes text, this is given in the ASCII file within brackets (e.g., [Berkeley, 86; text: E-la, D-la-sol, C-sol-fa, B-fa-B-mi, A-la-mi-re, G-sol-re-ut, F-fa-ut, E-la-mi, D-la-sol-re, C-sol-fa-ut, D-sol-re, C-fa-ut, B-mi, A-re, Gamma-ut, 5 superacute, 7 acute, 8 graves, Declaracio manus secundum usum]), thereby enabling search engines to locate and display text strings that appear within figures as well as those within the treatise proper. The text, of course, also appears in the graphics file storing the figure, table, or musical example itself.

The treatises in the TML have been entered following specific rules of orthography and notation codes. These will need to be consulted in order to make the fullest use the data files. The tables may be viewed from links on the TML Web; they have also been published in the following article: Thomas J. Mathiesen, "Transmitting Text and Graphics in Online Databases: The Thesaurus Musicarum Latinarum Model," Computing in Musicology 9 (1993-94): 33-48 (the tables appear on pp. 43-47). Copies may also be obtained free of charge by sending us a request, either by e-mail or conventional mail.

Graphics Files:

The graphics files, by their nature, are somewhat more complex. The GIF format has been selected in preference to any other format for several reasons. First, GIF files are quite small, and thus they can be downloaded very quickly, even over a relatively slow dial-up connection. Second, the format can be read on any of the major hardware configurations with simple conversion programs available as free- or shareware. Third, the graphics files can be displayed directly online by WWW clients.

In an effort to make the use of graphics files as convenient as possible, the TML-FTP offers two necessary programs for Macintosh subscribers running systems prior to OSX: "GIFConverter" and "UUTool." Both are stored in binhex encoding to insure that they can be transferred to any remote system without corruption. A number of GIF viewers and UU decoders are also available for Windows. There is no single common program for all these machines, but we will assist any subscriber in recommending viewers and in providing a UU decoder on disk. Please contact the Project Office for information.

Macintosh subscribers (running systems prior to OSX) interested in viewing graphics should first retrieve the following files from the TML-FTP: GIFCON HQX, GIFCODOC HQX, and UUMAC HQX. GIFCON HQX is a binhex-encoded version of the program "GIFConverter," an excellent shareware program by Kevin Mitchell that enables GIF files to be viewed as well as translated into formats that can be used in word processing programs or other contexts; GIFCODOC HQX is the binhex-encoded user's manual for the program; and UUMAC HQX is a binhex-encoded version of the program "UUTool," a simple but essential program that will enable the graphics files to be decoded so they can be viewed with "GIFConverter."

After these three files have been retrieved, they must be decoded with a binhex program. When decoded, GIFCON HQX and UUMAC HQX will become self-extracting archives that contain "GIFConverter" and "UUTool" (together with a short instruction manual for "UUTool"); GIFCODOC will become a Microsoft Word file. The two self-extracting archives will show little icons like filing cabinets; when you double-click on these, your computer will ask you where to save the programs and will then extract the files for you. "GIFConverter" and "UUTool" will then operate like any other Macintosh program. Macintosh subscribers who prefer to be sent these programs on disk may request them from the Project Office.

NOTE: The TML is making "GIFConverter" available to subscribers with the permission of their authors, but the programs are shareware programs. If you decide to use either of them, you must send the authors their very reasonable fees. The programs themselves provide you with full information. "UUTool" is offered free of charge to TML subscribers, with the kind permission of its author, Bernie Wieser.

If you wish to transfer the TML's graphics by means of a WWW client running on your personal computer, you need only select and save them. The programs take care of insuring the settings to enable them to be properly transferred.

Transferring graphics from the TML-FTP is somewhat more complex. The graphics files on the TML-FTP are stored in UU encoded format to insure that they can be transmitted by FTP without being corrupted. UU encoding has been used (rather than binhexing) because it offers greater standardization and can be readily decoded on any hardware platform, including Unix mainframes.

The procedure for retrieving and viewing a graphics file from the TML-FTP is as follows. After the file has been received to a personal computer, it must first be decoded with "UUTool" or a comparable UU decoder. Once the graphics file has been decoded, it can be read by a GIF viewer such as "GIFConverter" (be sure to select the option "Look inside all files" in the "Open ..." dialogue box; then click on the button marked "fix file types for shown files"), and the graphic material will be displayed on the computer's screen.

However viewed or retrieved, the graphics files are in each case coordinated with specific treatises. Thus, the file's fn matches that of the corresponding treatise and the ft is 01GF, 02GF, 03GF, etc. The first experimental graphics file was placed online in mid-September 1991; it contains the mensural notation for the Tractatus figurarum and appears in the 14th Filelist as TRAFIG 01GF. More than 5,000 graphics for the treatises are now available, and CHMTL-L subscribers will be notified as new texts and accompanying graphics go online.

The TML will continue to adapt its treatment of the graphics portion of the database to maintain the broadest and easiest access. Users with graphics capabilities on their machines will be able to search and retrieve text as well as musical notation and figures, while those without graphics capabilities will still always be able to search the text database.

The TML Canon:

A full printed version of the TML Canon was published in 1999:

Thesaurus Musicarum Latinarum: Canon of Data Files. Publications of the Center for the History of Music Theory and Literature, vol. 1. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1999. liv,274 p. ISBN: 0-8032-8233-8 (paperback) $45.00
This edition includes the full text of the TML Introduction, the "Principles of Orthography" and "Table of Codes for Noteshapes ...," and a table of contents for the major series of texts found in the TML, with each treatise within these series keyed to its corresponding version in the TML. Following the prefatory material, the Canon provides for each separate edition a bibliographic record of the name of the author; title of the treatise; incipit; source of the text; the names of the individuals responsible for entering, checking, and approving the data; the name and location of the data file as it appears within the TML; the size of the file; and annotations identifying accompanying graphics (if any) and various other types of pertinent data. The Canon is in turn followed by a full alphabetical index of incipits, keyed to both the Canon itself through author and title and to the database through the name of the data file as it appears within the TML. Copies are available through your bookstore or by direct order from the University of Nebraska Press (conventional mail: 1111 Lincoln Mall, Lincoln, NE 68588-0630; phone: 1-800-755-1105). For online ordering, click here.

Some parts of the TML Canon are available as a HyperCard stack indexing all the treatises in the TML, which may be retrieved from the TML Web (by clicking here) or the TML-FTP (by retrieving the binhex-encoded TMLCANON.FULL). Each entry in the Canon includes the following fields (in this order): the name of the author of the treatise, as given in the source from which the data was taken; the author's given name, if applicable; the title of the treatise; the incipit; the source of the data file; the names of the persons responsible for entering, checking, and approving the data; the filename; the filetype; the filelist; the size of the file in kilobytes; annotations (including specific details on manuscripts, if the file is not derived from a printed source); and the type of source (i.e., manuscript or print).

Please note that the HyperCard stack can only be used by Macintosh users. It must first be decoded before it can run. This will normally be done automatically by web browsers and FTP programs, but if necessary, it can also be done by using the binhex decoding options in StuffIt, CompactPro, or any other binhex decoding program.

Some parts of the TML Canon are also available as a PDF file, which will display an on-screen print of the contents of the HyperCard stack. PDF files can be viewed on any computer with Adobe Acrobat Reader (available for free at http://www.adobe.com/products/reader/) and are also fully searchable. The PDF version of the TML Canon may be retrieved from the TML Web (by clicking here) or the TML-FTP (by retrieving TMLCANON.PDF).

Downloading Files:

If your personal computer is connected directly to the Internet, either through a hardwire, SLIP, or PPP connection, you will most probably have retrieved TML files directly to your individual machine and need not peruse this section, which applies only to users who make use of a modem to effect a dial-up connection to a mainframe (or some similar intervening machine).

After the data files of the TML have been transferred to your local system, they are ready to be read and searched. Although most mainframes do have some sort of searching capabilities within their text viewers or editors and these may be suitable for certain users, the TML assumes that most users will want to download the files to their personal computers in order to take advantage of the search engine described in the next section.

Every mainframe will have a different selection of error-correction protocols available, which help insure that data transferred over telephone lines through low-speed asynchronous connections is not corrupted in the process of transmission. Most mainframes should have at least Kermit and Xmodem. Each communications program and modem addresses these protocols in different ways, and this Introduction cannot substitute for your instruction manuals. There are, however, a few points to keep in mind when you prepare files for searching.

Note: the graphics, TML Canon, and program files, which are encoded with binhex or UU encoding, must be downloaded without any filtering or paragraph conversion.

Searching the TML:

As noted above, the TML files can be searched on the TML Web, and while such searches may be sufficient for many purposes, even more sophisticated searching is possible when the data files of the TML have been transferred to a personal computer. Although the files may be searched or otherwise manipulated using any one of a number of programs, at present the TML recommends UltraFind as the engine to be used for searching the database when it resides on a Macintosh (running any MacOS system, including Classic under OSX). UltraFind is available from http://www.ultradesign.com/ultrafind/ultrafind.html for a free 30-day evaluation; registration (US $39.95) is required following the evaluation period.

UltraFind provides both simple and Boolean structures, as well as retrieving information even in unspecified variant spellings through a thesaurus--an important advantage when searching texts in medieval and Renaissance Latin.

UltraFind provides an online help manual with instructions for its use and configuration, and these instructions need not be repeated here. A few recommendations, however, may be helpful.

After the desired material has been located, any number of further actions are possible: a detailed report may be printed, showing the number of "finds" and their location (in as large or small a context as may be specified); passages located may be readily imported into a word processing document; the entire text of the treatise containing the passage may be opened and printed; and so on.

Eureka!

As the engine to be used for searching the database on a Windows machine (runnning Windows98, NT, 2000, XP, or Vista), the TML at present recommends Eureka!, a program developed by the CHMTL. Persons interested in purchasing a copy of Eureka! should retrieve the order form from the CHMTL by clicking here.

Because Eureka! was developed specifically for use with the full-text databases of the CHMTL, the brief instruction manual included with the program will provide all the necessary information on its use. Like UltraFind, Eureka! allows for complex Boolean searches, including proximity searches; the production of detailed reports showing the number of "finds" and their location (in as large or small a context as may be specified); and nested searches.

Because the TML is composed of ASCII text and GIF graphics, it can be used by any machine with its own search program. This structure also makes it possible to adapt the files to other systems of delivery that may become feasible or popular in the coming decades, such as the CHMTL CD-ROM.

Exchanging Mail with Other Subscribers to the CHMTL-L:

In addition to its use for the announcement of new files in the database, the CHMTL LISTSERV also supports the exchange of mail among subscribers through the CHMTL-L. Questions or other communications that one may wish to share with all subscribers should be sent to:

CHMTL-L@listserv.indiana.edu

Communications sent to this address are immediately forwarded to all other subscribers to the CHMTL-L.

NOTE: Mail intended for distribution to everyone subscribing to the CHMTL-L must be addressed to:

CHMTL-L@listserv.indiana.edu

By contrast, requests to subscribe or unsubscribe must be addressed to:

listserv@listserv.indiana.edu

because these are commands to LISTSERV and not mail for distribution.

All messages distributed by the CHMTL-L are retained in annual logs. These list archives can be readily viewed or searched on the web by connecting to the following URL:
http://listserv.indiana.edu/archives/index.html
This web page lists in alphabetical order all the archives stored at this site. When you select the CHMTL-L from the list, a subsequent page will appear, listing all the CHMTL-L logs by year. Within each year, the messages can be sorted by author, date, or topic; all the messages in all the CHMTL-L logs can also be searched with various options explained on the search pages. Any of the messages in the CHMTL-L logs can be viewed online and saved to an individual machine.

Contributions to the TML:

Text files of treatises are regularly contributed to the project by scholars from around the world, and the TML very much welcomes contributions from individual scholars as well as from the members of its Project and Editorial Committees. Contributions of this sort should be sent to the Project Director, either over the mainframe or by mail. Please do NOT send treatises or other data files for distribution as mail on the list.

If you have any problems with the TML or suggestions for its improvement, please contact the Project Director, Thomas J. Mathiesen (telephone: [812] 855-5471 or 876-3592; INTERNET: mathiese@indiana.edu; mail: Thesaurus Musicarum Latinarum, Center for the History of Music Theory and Literature, School of Music, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405).

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