A method for referential identification and indexing of pictorial sources containing musical instruments has been outlined: The method, which is based upon the date of origin of the source, has been used on a developing basis during the past three years. The Index, acting as a “pictorial reference”, should play a significant role in overcoming the obstacles, past and present, that have impeded musical research. The structure of the method is also such that it can easily be adopted in other fields of research.
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