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[WolfWalker]

Do you just use their names like bach or his full name?

[Listener]

I use only last names for most composers and add an initial or first name when it is needed to distinguish several composers

     Mozart         = W.A.
     Mozart,L.
     Strauss, Josef
     Strauss, Johann
     Strauss, Johann Jr.

     Bach           = J.S.
     Bach,JC
     Bach,CPE

I also use a full name when I would not remember just the last name

     Lanner, Josef

Once I use a Composer name, I can pick it from a drop-down list in the tag window.  That helps me standardize and avoids mis-spellings.

For performers, I use just the last name if it is unique.  For a concerto, I list the soloist, then the conductor and then the orchestra.

    Rubinstein
    Fleisher_Szell_Cleveland Orchestra

I use a last name first style for work names

   Concerto, Piano No. 19
   Quartet, String Op. 2 No. 2

I tag movements with a number and a single word when possible

   1 - Allegro
   4 - Rondo

This limited info is adequate to identify the movement currently playing and to help identify a file if there is a screw-up.  It is much quicker to type in than a long movement name.

I'm primarily using tag info to find music files I want to play.  I don't try to make the library database a complete reference.  So I picked standard forms for tag material that suit my needs.  I'd suggest that you think about what you want to do with your library database and make choices that fit your needs.

Bill

[Frobozz]

The main thing with the tagging for classical music is to be consistent in style and format.  I used the classical style guide over at MusicBrainz as a starting point.  I followed (mostly) their style for album titles and track titles.

For Artist I use the last name of the composer in the same style as Listener.  If there are more than one composer with the same last name I'll add an initial.  Then in the Composer filed I put the full name of the composer along with birth and death dates.

The Conductor field gets the conductor and orchestra.  For something like a Bach organ piece I use the Conductor field for the name of the organist.  I may go back and clean that up later and use a special field for soloists rather than abusing the Conductor field.

I use the last name of the composer in the Artist field because most portable MP3 players and other media players use the Artist field for sorting and identifying pieces.  So I go with the flow and use the Artist field for composer, but only the last name of the composer.