The term music editor may refer to one of several occupations. In publishing, a music editor is a person who prepares music manuscripts for publication. The use of music editors began at the onset of music publishing in Europe in the late 15th century. In film-making, a music editor is an occupation in which a person assists the music composer in the music recording process, and makes edits to the recorded music track to fit the film's cinematography. In journalism, a music editor refers to a news-editor who oversees the news content in relation to the subject of music.
Music editors in publication
In publishing, a music editor is an occupation in which a person prepares music manuscripts for publication. This includes proofreading and correcting errors in submitted scores, and may include additional work in adjusting music arrangements, orchestrations, and even sometimes re-composing passages. Music editors may also have input in determining what music is published by a publishing company, and sometimes are members of acquisition committees within a publishing company in which they make value judgments of a work's suitability for publication in relation to music quality, music style, and marketability.
Music publishing firms utilize a variety of types of music editors which may be internal to the publishing company itself, or attached to a larger publishing house which contracts with smaller music publishing firms. Many working music editors also work professionally as music arrangers or composers. Most music editors specialize within a particular area of music, such as piano music, choral music, orchestral music, or jazz. Working music editors typically have a university degree in music with a strong background in music theory, music history, and performance practices. One of the earliest known music editors was the Venetian Dominican friar Petrus Castellanus (1440–1552) who worked in that capacity for the publisher Ottaviano Petrucci in the first half of the 16th century. The Italian composer Francesco de Layolle was another early known music editor; working in that capacity for the Lyon, France based publisher Jacques Moderne.