Identify what each date belongs to
The composition date concerns the music as a work. The recording date concerns a particular performance. The broadcast date concerns when a channel transmits that recording. Keep all three labels rather than treating the latest date as a replacement for the others.
An old composition can have a recent performance, and a recent broadcast can use an older recording. Neither makes the work or the recording incorrectly identified.
Use an actual programme example
Classica’s cited U.S.schedule describes Mahler’s Songs of a Wayfarer with an 1884–1885composition period and a performance recorded in 2012, within a 2026 schedule. Those details illustrate three distinct time contexts. They are not a Canadian start-time or availability promise.
If recommending the item, retain the performer, ensemble and venue alongside the recording year. The work’s date alone does not identify the interpretation someone will hear.
Do not call an archive recording a current concert
A channel’s current logo and live transmission do not make the original event live. If you want a current event, look for an explicitly identified live programme and its actual date. If you want a particular historical performance, the older recording date is useful rather than a defect.
A later upload or guide update can also leave the performance unchanged. Look for an expressly identified new recording or edition before claiming that the musical content itself has been updated.
Keep an accurate watchlist
Write the composer and work, then the performers and recording year, then the scheduled date for your actual route. That structure makes another performance of the same work easier to distinguish.
If metadata appears wrong, report the specific date field and evidence. A composition date, concert year and television date are not interchangeable corrections. The practical goal is to find the recording you mean and plan the actual transmission without confusing three legitimate dates into one supposed error.
A three-line note can preserve the distinction: work written, performance recorded, programme transmitted. Add the source beside each line. If one date is not stated, leave it blank rather than copying a nearby year that belongs to another layer of the listing.
Related questions
Does today’s broadcast mean today’s concert?
No. Check the recording context.
Does an old composition mean an old recording?
No. A work can have many performances across time.
Sources and scope
Scope notes distinguish published documentation, supplied information and editorial methods. They do not report a hands-on service test.
- Classica U.S.schedule example, November 3, 2026 — Dated primary example of composition/performance dates and arrangements; no Canadian start-time or catalogue claim.
