Recording key for musical works (RDA 6.17)

Music Cataloging at Yale [1] ♪ Preferred titles [2]

See also The names of keys in French, German, Italian, and Spanish [3]

Record the key if one or more of the following conditions applies:
     ° it is commonly identified in reference sources
     ° it appears in the composer's original title or the title proper of the first manifestation
     ° it is apparent from the resource described (unless it is known to be transposed in the resource).

Best practices for music cataloging [4]: If giving key as a component of an access point, routinely also give key in a 384 [5] field. For other works, give key separately in a 384 field if readily ascertainable.

Best practices for music cataloging [4]: Follow the same criteria for recording the mode ("major" or "minor") as for recording the pitch center; that is, if pitch center is given or apparent, but mode is not, record only the pitch center. Record the symbols ♯ and ♭ rather than the words "sharp" and "flat."