How to Submit a Proposal

The Editorial Committee of Musica Britannica accepts proposals for new additions to the series at any time. Proposals are considered at the Committee’s meetings, which take place every January, April and October. 

Formal proposals should be sent to the Secretary, Chris Scobie, by email (secretary@musicabritannica.org.uk). 

Prospective editors are encouraged to discuss potential proposals with the General Editor, Dr Peter Lynan (peter.lynan@btinternet.com) before deciding whether to submit a formal proposal. Any such discussion should not be taken as an indication that a proposal would or would not be successful. Decisions to accept or decline will be made only after consideration of a formal proposal by the Editorial Committee and Trustees. 

Requirements for a new volume proposal 

The checklist given below comprises the minimum information that the Trustees and Editorial Committee need in order to assess a proposal for a new volume. It is not exhaustive, and for some proposals additional information may be required, depending on the nature of the edition. Editors should include any additional information that they think may help the committee to assess the proposal. 

Proposals should normally be encompassed within about 20 A4 pages, including sample extracts of the edition itself. If you think your proposal needs to be longer, please discuss this with the General Editor before submitting it. 

 

Checklist of requirements for a new proposal 

  1. List the works to be included.  

  2. Make a case for the inclusion of the proposed edition in the series. If the proposal is for an anthology, state the selection criteria for the works listed.  

  3. Describe the scoring of each of the works proposed. This is particularly important in the case of large orchestral works in which the scoring may vary considerably over the course of a piece. 

  4. Estimate of the length of the proposed volume, including letterpress. Where possible, use MB volumes of similar repertory to estimate page extent. If it is not possible to estimate page extent, please use some other convenient measure to determine the approximate length of the volume. For example, for an edition consisting of just one or two large works, it may be helpful to state the number of bars in individual movements. An estimate of extent will help the Trustees to assess costs. 

  5. List existing editions of the proposed works, and whether they are currently available in print or online. Include original editions that are freely available, for example on IMSLP. 

  6. State whether, to your knowledge, performing material (other than for your own edition) already exists, where relevant, and whether it is readily available. 

  7. Publication right: please complete the separate questionnaire and send it with your proposal. This will help the committee to assess the publication right status for the music proposed. 

  8. Copyright: state whether any of the proposed music is by composers or authors who are subject to copyright restrictions. If so, there will be issues related to licensing and royalties to be taken into account. It is important that you give as much information as possible about the copyright status of works proposed. 

  9. List the number of images and facsimile reproductions you would propose to include within the introductory material (if any), and provide a rationale for their inclusion in the volume. 

  10. Summarize the sources and any particular editorial problems anticipated. Where multiple primary sources survive for one or more of the works to be included in the proposed edition, explain your proposed approach and on what basis you have identified your copy text(s).   

  11. Include one or two sample extracts of the proposed edition. These should be chosen not only to give a flavour of the music itself, but also to show the proposed editorial method. Include a short statement of the editorial method, and a textual commentary for each extract. Editors are strongly encouraged to consult recent MB volumes containing similar repertory and, where possible, to use them as a model when preparing samples. At this stage, however, it is not necessary for the editorial method and textual commentary to conform to the editorial style of MB editions strictly, which in any case varies to a degree between volumes: the committee will be more concerned at this stage with the integrity of the edition than with matters of presentation.  

  12. State the expected submission date. It is important to be realistic about the time you think it will take to complete work on the edition. If the proposal is accepted, the committee will appoint a moderator, who will monitor and report progress to the committee regularly. 

  13. List any sources of funding known to you which might be approached to support publication of the edition: for example, university departmental funding, grant-giving organisations. 

  14. Outline any ideas and plans you may have that would help in the marketing of the edition, including performances and/or recordings of the repertory. 

  15. New editors or editors who have not previously prepared an edition for MB are asked to summarize their editorial experience and to give examples of any editions they have made.