Description
This paper presents a case study addressing how researchers can confront archival silences and echoes through critical reflection on cataloguing methodologies. Focusing on the typology of thematic and non-thematic catalogues, it builds upon the model of Ludwig von Köchel and 20th-century scholarship by King, Brook, and Viano. Early catalogues of Greek composers (Kalomiris, Mitropoulos) marked the first efforts to align archival source study with global music historiography. Challenges arose when attempting to catalogue a composer’s complete œuvre, exposing gaps (silences) or distortions (echoes) between archival material, catalogue structure, and historiography. Key methodological questions concerned the definition of descriptive fields and the systematisation of works beyond opus-based or chronological models. Drawing from the compilation of catalogues for Dragatakis, Kalogridou, and Sofianopulo, this paper proposes a flexible model that both systematises content and adapts to archival realities—serving as a research tool and pedagogical aid for early-career scholars confronting the complexities of musical archives.
