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What is a Primary Source?

Primary sources include creative works of composers, authors and performers as well as first-hand accounts of events. In music, primary sources include: scores (especially manuscripts and early printed editions); personal writings (e.g., diaries, letters, memoirs); images (film footage of performances and photographs); interviews and oral histories; printed accounts (e.g., performance reviews, concert programs); and musical instruments. 

Image: Page from the Chansonnier de Jean de Montchenu.

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