I have a love/hate relationship with primary sources.
On the one hand, I love getting a glimpse into the lives of the people I research and gaining a better understanding of what their perspectives were.
On the other hand, I want to tear my hair out trying to find them.
On the one hand, I think primary sources provide valuable insight that is especially important for the fictional primary source assignment, especially in finding a writing style or voice.
On the other hand, I’m going crazy trying to find them.
On the one hand, I enjoy the treasure hunt and looking through records to find what I need.
On the other hand, I’ve started having nightmares with Gallica as the main antagonist.
(…Okay, not really. That was a joke.)
In all seriousness, I am having a lot more trouble than usual finding primary sources for this paper. So far, I have only managed to find one review of the premiere of La valse – even though I know the premiere date, venue, composer, title, performer, and concert series. In the past, I have found a whole lot more with a whole lot less information. Sometimes, I know what source I am looking for, and I still struggle to find it! That has never been a problem before.
That said, the one review I found is interesting, and I think I’m getting close with another source. There are just a lot of newspapers or newspaper derivatives/special editions with the same name and it’s driving me crazy!
Honestly, I’m not all that worried about finding sources, I’m just annoyed by how long it is taking. La valse is a famous piece; it’s not as though I’m searching for something all that obscure. Anyway, I should get back to looking; I think I’ve almost found something…
*crossing my fingers*
*knocking on wood*
*selling my soul*
(If you need me, I’ll be in the depths of the Gallica/Catalyst cyberspace. Come looking if you don’t hear from me within the week…)