Against Abridgment

Abstract

Primary sources can be messy pedagogical tools, intermingling anecdote with fact, extraneous detail with germane content. Students accustomed to gleaning information from textbooks—which present organized histories—may struggle with sources written for purposes other than the straightforward presentation of knowledge. Historic sources sometimes conceal their relevance with archaic phrases, off-topic asides, and misleading, biased, or inaccurate statements and that is why they are often abridged in modern editions. Through cropping and ellipsing, a messy primary source can be pared down to its most relevant information. But abridging is an essential skill for the study of music history. Presenting snippets from primary sources not only absolves students of the difficult but important task of abridging texts themselves, but also prevents them from indulging in the mundane details of historical life that can make the past seem less distant. Assigning readings from digitized historical texts can help achieve these goals.