The Oxford Dictionary of Music

Book Description

The Oxford Dictionary of Music is the indispensable guide for all music lovers and performers, both amateur and professional. It brings together an unrivalled collection of entries - 12,500 in all - covering musical subjects of all kinds in an authoritative and accessible way. There are entries on composers, performers, conductors, musical terms and forms, instruments, works, venues, and a host of other topics. There are 5,000 entries on composers, most with worklists that have now been brought right up to date. The entries on conductors and performers, which include contemporary musicians in all fields: John Mark Ainsley, Daniel Barenboim, Kathleen Battle, Marilyn Horne, Sumi Jo, Trevor Pinnock, Simon Rattle, Bryn Terfel, Michael Tilson Thomas, have also been updated. There are entries on directors and critics, producers and designers of international repute from across the centuries, on writers and scholars, and on musical journals and other publications. There are entries on individual works, including operas and ballets, on orchestras and companies from around the world, and on famous opera houses, concert-halls, and musical festivals, including Salzburg and Edinburgh. Musical terms and styles such as musique concrete, chromaticism, and tutti, and forms ranging from operatic, vocal, and film scores, to song cycles, chamber, hymns, barbershop, and oratorios are covered, as are general themes such as musicology, acoustics, and absolute pitch, and historical periods such as the Byzantine era. Finally come instruments from the familiar - strings, wind, and brass - to the less familiar - aeolian harp, bamboula and sackbut.

Customer Reviews:

Great book if you've got the money.......2007-05-09

I have both the Harvard Dictionary of Music and the Oxford Dictionary of Music. The Oxford seems to focus on bios while the Harvard on terms. Both focus more on serious music than popular music. If you are are looking for brief biographical sketches than this is a great book. The good thing about this book is they will list the more rare composers (and many of them) along with the more well known ones. There are terms listed, perhaps more than enough for you, and you may find terms which the Harvard Dictionary excluded. This book is also more sturdy than the Harvard dictionary, with thicker pages. To sumarize, if you want a book with bios, get the oxford, if you want one with terms, get the harvard. If you want to get a cheaper book on terms, then get the Oxford Dictionary of Musical Terms.

Indespensible - if used as intended.......2002-07-19

I have had this book (The Dictionary) on my shelf for a number of years now (as a softcover). And before the current edition (1994), I owned the older edition.

My interest is mainly 20th century serious music, and jazz. Unlike the "Oxford Companion to Music", the Dictionary covers 20th century relatively well. Many obscure composers are listed who are not listed in other books, for example Lebrecht's "Complete Companion to 20th Century Music". As such the Dictionary indispensable for me. The information is more factual (and less opinionated) than Lebrecht's. I particularly like the alphabetic arrangement which allows me to quickly look up someone whose music I have discovered by change, or whose name was mentioned in an article or whatever. The listing of works by each composer is reasonably complete, particularly for well-know composers.

Of course the Dictionary covers more than composers or even 20th century composers. It covers artists (performers and conductors), major works, musical terms and forms, organisations, instruments, venues, etc. And entries are cross-referenced, as one would expect. The Dictionary contains very few illustrations.

There are 12,500 entries in the second edition, so one would not expect a huge depth. You will often need to know more. However, the Dictionary is a comprehensive, detailed, reliable reference work on music, and as such a good starting point for most topics.

A Real Disappointment.......2001-10-05

As a person who has taught literally thousands of students the joys of music, I'm always searching for a better music dictionary to recommend to my students and colleagues. I know I'd want a dictionary with enough diagrams to show the various music symbols and what they mean. I would want a book which also includes some biographical data as well. But here is where this book totally and I mean completely misses the mark. The vast part of the text is nothing more than a short to medium biography of just about every musician/composer you might (or might not) wish to learn about. The book should have been entitled, "Oxford BIOGRAPHICAL Dictionary of Music". As for notation? Forget it. Symbols? (such as what do note "accents" look like? Forget that, too. What about the parts of a harpsichord (for example). Well, no diagrams at all and a mere overview too complicated for the layman. In fact, there are NO diagrams in the entire work.
I certainly would get more out of a 'pocket' music dictionary than I would out of this. Better yet, try "The Harvard Dictionary of Music" which is considerably better. As much as I love the United Kingdom (I studied there)--I'd much rather defer to Harvard on this one!

Pick this one instead of the Harvard.......2000-05-03

For people buying their first music dictionary or trying to decide between the two leaders (Harvard and Oxford), this is the one to get. While both contain a wealth of information, you will find the Oxford to be superior to Harvard. Not only are there more entries, but Oxford also contains more up-to-date information. You don't buy a book like this every day, so spend a couple extra bucks and pick Oxford.

The Oxford Dictionary of Musical Terms (Oxford Paperback Reference)

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The Oxford Dictionary of Musical Terms (Oxford Paperback Reference)

Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0198606982

Book Description

Printed music and writing about music involve the use of complex systems of notation and a wealth of technical terms in several languages. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Musical Terms provides clear, succinct, definitions of a comprehensive range of the musical terms, in English and other European languages, that are likely to be encountered in Western music, including in jazz and popular musical genres. Over 2,500 A-Z entries range across a spectrum of subjects, among them: rhythm, metre, forms, genres, pitch, scales, chords, harmony and counterpoint, notational systems, composition and analysis, performance practice, tempo, expression, musical periods, artistic movements, computer applications, acoustics, and many more. Entries provide etymologies, and are fully cross-referenced. Some are illustrated with music examples and tables. An appendix lists all composers mentioned in the Dictionary, with their dates. It is an ideal book for students and teachers of music - it covers all the terms required in the SMAB musical theory exams - as well as for professional musicians, those learning to play musical instruments, and members of choirs, and musical groups. It will also be a useful quick reference book for concert-goers, CD-collectors, and radio listeners.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music (Oxford Paperback Reference)

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A Must HAVE for music students...
Very handy and most useful for any musician or general lover of music
An indispensible guide
Amazon Shopper
Indispensable desk reference tool

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music (Oxford Paperback Reference)

Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Essential Dictionary of Music: Definitions, Composers, Theory, Instrument & Vocal Ranges : The Most Practical and Useful Music Dictionary for Students ... (The Essential Dictionary Series)
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The Oxford Companion to Music
The Hal Leonard Pocket Music Dictionary

ASIN: 0198608845

Book Description

Derived from the full Oxford Dictionary of Music, this is the most authoritative dictionary of music available in paperback. Up-to-date and clearly written, it is a rich mine of information for lovers of music of all periods and styles. The dictionary includes over 10,000 entries on musical terms from allegro to zingaro, and on musical works from Madame Butterfly to The Mikado, as well as composers, librettists, musicians, singers, and orchestras.

Customer Reviews:

A Must HAVE for music students..........2006-09-09

My daughter is a music major, and I used to teach private lessons. This is a great book for a quick reference guide to theory terminology, and is a must have for anyone taking a music class of any sort, but an absolute necessity for those in music theory courses. A great, and as the name states, concise compellation of just about any term you'll ever need to know!

Very handy and most useful for any musician or general lover of music.......2005-12-29

Music has often been described as the universal language, but the terms a musician has to read on the printed page of the score are specific words in various languages. If we only had to deal with the basic piano or forte of diminuendo or other basic terms it would not be a problem. However, there are thousands and thousands of more obscure terms that deal with performance, types of instruments (and their component parts), composers, works of various types, and so forth. That is why a well-executed hand sized book like this is so valuable. You can keep it on your piano in easy reach when you turn the page and haven't a clue what Debussy or Beethoven or some other composer left there for you to decipher.

It is true that this dictionary does not have a pronunciation guide, but that is simply because these words are said differently in different places and since it has to be "concise" the choice would be to have half as many terms and pronunciations (and the problem of picking among many possible ways of saying the words) or leaving out the pronunciations and having many more terms. I am glad they picked the latter.

There are a few illustrations, and they are well chosen but sparse.

Highly recommended. Every musician or general lover of music is better off with this book or one like it kept nearby.

An indispensible guide.......2003-04-24

A comprehensive, well-organized volume that covers composers, compositions, periods and styles, terminology (though I must agree with another reviewer--this really needs a pronunciation guide for some of the more difficult names and terms), instruments, vocalists, cultural context, and more. Major composers get more attention, with longer bios and more detailed entries, though the entries for some of the more notable people (such as George Gershwin) come up a little short in detailing their impact and significance. I purchased this book about a year ago, when I found myself becoming more interested in classical music, and it has proven to be extremely handy in identifying major pieces, performers, and composers. A must-have for music majors and libraries (both college and public) and for individual reference, and as an added bonus, is a godsend for those of us who do crossword puzzles.

Amazon Shopper.......2001-01-31

The Oxford Music Dictionary is in some ways useful, but as the title depicts, one would assume that a "dictionary" would contain pronunciations, but this book does not. Its good to know what sfortzando and fortissimo means, but can you say them? Given that every book has some downfall or another, I felt this should be titled "The Oxford Collection of Musical Terms," with the exclusion of "dictionary."

Indispensable desk reference tool.......1999-11-29

As the maintainer of the Classical Archives, I use this reference every single day. Its contents has been most judiciously selected to permit searches on composers, musical forms, terms, instruments, orchestras and performers. Each composer's entry offers a work-list which provides an excellent perspective. An invaluable tool indeed.

The New Oxford Companion to Music: Volume 1: A-J Volume 2: L-Z

Average customer rating:

The Most Desirable Edition of This Book
A must for musicians and lovers of music out there!

The New Oxford Companion to Music: Volume 1: A-J Volume 2: L-Z

Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Oxford Companion to Music

ASIN: 0193113163

Book Description

This complete encyclopedia encompasses music of all kinds from ancient times to the present day. Written by a team of 90 expert contributors, these 6,600 articles cover composers, and individual works; musical instruments; opera; music of different countries; Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque,
Classical, Romantic, Jazz, and popular music; definitions of musical terms; rudiments and theory of music; and standard forms and genres.

Customer Reviews:

The Most Desirable Edition of This Book.......2005-01-17

I've been comparing The New Oxford Companion to Music, ed. Denis Arnold (1983; 2 volumes, 2,017 pages) with the latest edition: The Oxford Companion to Music, ed. Alison Latham (2002; 1,434 pages). In the estimable series of Oxford Companions you can usually expect the new edition to supersede and replace the old one. In this case, however, it's not that simple. A glance at the above reveals that the new edition, in one volume, is some 583 pages shorter than the preceding edition, in two volumes. Losing almost 600 pages of 2,000 represents a very substantial loss of material.

Moreover, when we examine the two editions, we discover that the 1983 edition is lavishly, indeed beautifully, illustrated ("1,100 halftone illustrations and line drawings, 405 music examples"). None of the illustrations are in color, but there is an abundance of well-chosen, functional, illuminating photos, portraits, paintings, manuscripts, figures, line drawings, plates, tables, musical examples. The new edition of 2002, alas, has virtually eschewed illustration: almost all of the illustrations of the 1983 edition have been scrapped. We get a comparative handful of musical examples and figures, but just about everything else has been eliminated; even the greatest composers aren't represented by a single likeness, whereas in the 1983 edition even lesser composers get a photo or portrait. If for example you want to understand what an accordion is, there is no substitute for a picture of one. The 1983 edition has a 4-page entry on "accordion," with photos of four different types (including a musician playing one), plus 2 explanatory diagrams. The 2002 edition has a page-length entry with no illustrative material at all. I find this a significant loss, a significant cheapening of the book, and a significant diminution in the pleasure of using it. It's revealing that Alison Latham, the 2002 editor, refers to the "wealth of illustrative material" as one of the assets of Denis Arnold's 1983 edition, but makes no mention of the fact that she has thrown out almost all of it.

But that's not all. If for example we look up "organ" in the 1983 edition, we find a truly comprehensive 20-page entry, with 20 illustrations (plates, figures, tables, drawings, photos). In the 2002 edition we find a 6-page entry with 8 figures; this represents a radical abridgment of the earlier article.

Could "organ" be an unhappy fluke? No, unfortunately it's not. I looked up "trumpet," "violin," and "piano," and found the same result in each case: a truly drastic loss of material, both text and illustration, in the new edition.

If you look up any of the hundred standard repertory operas in the 1983 edition, you find the basic facts about composer, librettist, and premiere, plus a synopsis of the action, and often an apt illustration and "Further Reading" suggestions. If you look up any of the same operas in the 2002 edition, you find a very short entry (Carmen, for example, gets three lines; Tristan und Isolde gets two lines) giving the basic facts about composer, librettist, premiere--no synopsis, no illustration, no reading list.

So you can see why the 2002 edition of this book was received with reservation, indeed with downright disappointment, by those who were familiar with the 1983 edition. Why would Oxford UP have made such Draconian changes? Well, the governing perception seems to have been that the 1983 edition, lavishly illustrated and in two volumes, had outgrown its purpose and over-reached its market. Evidently many found the two-volume format cumbersome and too expensive. The 2002 edition, by eliminating almost all of the illustrations and reducing the size to a single volume, has cheapened and abridged the book, rendered it much less attractive, and in many areas reduced its usefulness, but has made it handier and more affordable.

Does the 2002 edition have no redeeming qualities, then, but cheapness and one-volume convenience? Indeed it does have its virtues. For one, it's up-to-date. A blurb on its dustcover breathlessly claims, "Now, thirty years after the last edition, this invaluable companion is back in a completely new edition"--a barefaced falsehood: the period between the two editions was 19 years, not 30. But the new edition benefits from the scholarship of the last two decades; many new and updated articles ("over 1,000 new entries") reflect the perspective of 2002. Many articles conclude with mini-bibliographies (in both editions), and these are inevitably more current and useful in the 2002 edition.

Perhaps the most valuable feature of the new edition is the inclusion for the first time of entries not just for composers but for distinguished performing musicians. In the 1983 (and earlier) edition, there were no entries for conductors, singers, instrumentalists. In the 2002 edition you'll find entries for Toscanini, Walter, Furtwangler, Caruso, Melba, Ponselle, Melchior, Flagstad, Callas, Heifetz, Casals, Artur Rubinstein, Horowitz, Segovia, Dennis Brain, and many others. This change was overdue and certainly enhances the usefulness of the book. Many of the "over 1,000 new entries" in the 2002 edition are in this category. "Space limitations have restricted these [entries] to artists who are no longer alive and who had significant influence on composition or performance." These entries are also limited to classical musicians.

In some cases the perspective of 2002 has warranted an expanded version of a composer entry in the 1983 edition. For example, Orff, Moussorgsky, and Scriabin all get expanded treatments (but lose their portraits) in the new edition.

So, what to do; which Companion to choose? My solution is obvious but perhaps not very helpful: if you love music and like good reference books, get both. I believe the Alison Latham 2002 edition should be viewed as an updated supplement to the more substantial and lavish 1983 edition, not as a replacement. Denis Arnold's 1983 two-volume edition was the first complete revision since the original 1938 Oxford Companion to Music, edited (and largely written) by Percy Scholes; it is not perfect, but I think it represents the high-water mark of the three editions. If you have only the spartan 2002 edition, be aware that you are missing much of value and beauty in the 1983 edition. (Unfortunately I'm not the only one who has noticed that the 2002 edition is no replacement for the 1983 edition: if you check prices for used copies of the 1983 edition in the USA, you'll find that they are high.) If you own both editions, you can enjoy the best of both worlds. If I could own only one, I'd keep the 1983.

A must for musicians and lovers of music out there!.......2001-02-28

This set of two books has everything. From Beethoven's Sonatas, to who was Beethoven, to what's a Sonata and many many others. Pumped up with 2000 pages of music knowlledge, this Encyclopedia of Music, is a must for every musician as well as anyone who is a lover of music. It's great and it certainly helped me for the preparations of my studies in the area of Music. I give it 5 stars, how could I do otherwise ?

The Oxford Companion to Musical Instruments

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The Oxford Companion to Musical Instruments
Anthony Baines
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0193113341

Book Description

Musical instruments, from the simplest pipes and drums to those of the utmost complexity, have formed an integral part of the cultures of all peoples of the world from the beginning of time. Their range and diversity have inspired the skill and genius of maker, composer, and player. This book celebrates that achievement and examines in a single A-Z sequence the astonishing variety of acoustic instruments throughout the ages. Each entry provides a concise description of the instrument itself, its construction, development, and playing techniques, together with details of its sound and use within the orchestra or, for ethnomusicological instruments, within rites of passage. Musical examples highlight these points, and the whole text is beautifully illustrated with over two hundred photographs and figures. General articles cover instruments by period, continent, family, and other common groupings, such as orchestra and brass band, while there is wide coverage of related topics, including pitch, chord symbols, forgeries, and oddities.

Average customer rating:

Musicology Encyclopedia + Composer Biographies
Better or Worse than its Predecessor?
Excellent reference for those who love classical music

The Oxford Companion to Music

Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Norton/Grove Concise Encyclopedia of Music

ASIN: 0198662122

Book Description

The Oxford Companion to Music is one of the most famous music reference works of all time. This invaluable Companion now reappears in a completely new edition. Over a million words in length, it is the biggest, most authoritative, and most up to date single-volume music reference book available. The new edition draws on both the classic Oxford Companion to Music by Percy Scholes, first published in 1938, and the two-volume New Oxford Companion to Music, edited by Denis Arnold (1983), but is thoroughly revised and reimagined for the 21st century. Alison Latham has assembled a distinguished team of over 120 international contributors, bringing their distinctive voices to an exceptionally broad sweep of musical subjects ranging from composers, performers, conductors, individual works, instruments and notation, and forms and genres, to music scholarship and aesthetics, music education, broadcasting and publishing, all aspects of music theory, and performance practice, as well as jazz, popular music, and dance. Entries range from brief definitions to in-depth essays on subjects such as politics, religion, psychology, and computers. This is a comprehensive, authoritative, and accessible source of information on all aspects of Western music.

Customer Reviews:

Musicology Encyclopedia + Composer Biographies.......2005-10-28

This updated (2002) Oxford Companion is probably the best choice if you are looking for a serious reference for the many aspects of musicology AND in-depth biographies of the major and minor composers. This guide gives about 2-4 full pages of text to "the big guys" like Bach, Beethoven and Liszt and only 1-3 paragraphs to the less influential composers like Biber or Locatelli. But this will probably not be enough to fully satisfy the more serious student's interest (the multi-volume New Grove Dictionary is the place to go then). The OCM also gives a few pages each to describing the major eras of music (Renaissance, Baroque etc). Its descriptions of musical terms (like what is allegro, a sarabande dance, a hurdy gurdy etc) are written in straightforward language but are usually not excessively descriptive. However, some topics get quite a thorough treatment - such as the many aspects of harmony and sound - so the OCM is certainly not any "lightweight" reference. Of course, it all reads in the tone of an encyclopedia and thus does not really make captivating reading for the non-music major. Other guides to classical music are better at introducing musicology to the newby, such as the NPR Encyclopedia or David Dubal's compelling "Essential Cannon of Classical Music."

But, if you are a more serious music student or listener with a greater interest for in-depth musicology (and already have enough references on the lives of the composers), then the Harvard Music Dictionary is probably the top choice. It is pure musicology (with the composer biographies in a separate, companion volume). As a result of such focus, the Harvard Dictionary has more space for more detailed treatment of each music topic. It is slightly more technical in nature (superb graphs, charts) and academic in its writing compared to the Oxford Companion. But, either one is excellent and can be had on Amazon marketplace used for about 1/3 the list price.

Better or Worse than its Predecessor? .......2005-01-17

I've been comparing The Oxford Companion to Music, ed. Alison Latham (2002; 1,434 pages) with its immediate predecessor: The New Oxford Companion to Music, ed. Denis Arnold (1983; 2 volumes, 2,017 pages). In the estimable series of Oxford Companions you can usually expect the new edition to supersede and replace the old one. In this case, however, it's not that simple. A glance at the above reveals that the new edition, in one volume, is some 583 pages shorter than the preceding edition, in two volumes. Losing almost 600 pages of 2,000 represents a very substantial loss of material.

Moreover, when we examine the two editions, we discover that the 1983 edition is lavishly, indeed beautifully, illustrated ("1,100 halftone illustrations and line drawings, 405 music examples"). None of the illustrations are in color, but there is an abundance of well-chosen, functional, illuminating photos, portraits, paintings, manuscripts, figures, line drawings, plates, tables, musical examples. The new edition of 2002, alas, has virtually eschewed illustration: almost all of the illustrations of the 1983 edition have been scrapped. We get a comparative handful of musical examples and figures, but just about everything else has been eliminated; even the greatest composers aren't represented by a single likeness, whereas in the 1983 edition even lesser composers get a photo or portrait. If for example you want to understand what an accordion is, there is no substitute for a picture of one. The 1983 edition has a 4-page entry on "accordion," with photos of four different types (including a musician playing one), plus 2 explanatory diagrams. The 2002 edition has a page-length entry with no illustrative material at all. I find this a significant loss, a significant cheapening of the book, and a significant diminution in the pleasure of using it. It's revealing that Alison Latham, the 2002 editor, refers to the "wealth of illustrative material" as one of the assets of Denis Arnold's 1983 edition, but makes no mention of the fact that she has thrown out almost all of it.

But that's not all. If for example we look up "organ" in the 1983 edition, we find a truly comprehensive 20-page entry, with 20 illustrations (plates, figures, tables, drawings, photos). In the 2002 edition we find a 6-page entry with 8 figures; this represents a radical abridgment of the earlier article.

Could "organ" be an unhappy fluke? No, unfortunately it's not. I looked up "trumpet," "violin," and "piano," and found the same result in each case: a truly drastic loss of material, both text and illustration, in the new edition.

If you look up any of the hundred standard repertory operas in the 1983 edition, you find the basic facts about composer, librettist, and premiere, plus a synopsis of the action, and often an apt illustration and "Further Reading" suggestions. If you look up any of the same operas in the 2002 edition, you find a very short entry (Carmen, for example, gets three lines; Tristan und Isolde gets two lines) giving the basic facts about composer, librettist, premiere--no synopsis, no illustration, no reading list.

So you can see why the 2002 edition of this book was received with reservation, indeed with downright disappointment, by those who were familiar with the 1983 edition. Why would Oxford UP have made such Draconian changes? Well, the governing perception seems to have been that the 1983 edition, lavishly illustrated and in two volumes, had outgrown its purpose and over-reached its market. Evidently many found the two-volume format cumbersome and too expensive. The 2002 edition, by eliminating almost all of the illustrations and reducing the size to a single volume, has cheapened and abridged the book, rendered it much less attractive, and in many areas reduced its usefulness, but has made it handier and more affordable.

Does the 2002 edition have no redeeming qualities, then, but cheapness and one-volume convenience? Indeed it does have its virtues. For one, it's up-to-date. A blurb on its dustcover breathlessly claims, "Now, thirty years after the last edition, this invaluable companion is back in a completely new edition"--a barefaced falsehood: the period between the two editions was 19 years, not 30. But the new edition benefits from the scholarship of the last two decades; many new and updated articles ("over 1,000 new entries") reflect the perspective of 2002. Many articles conclude with mini-bibliographies (in both editions), and these are inevitably more current and useful in the 2002 edition.

Perhaps the most valuable feature of the new edition is the inclusion for the first time of entries not just for composers but for distinguished performing musicians. In the 1983 (and earlier) edition, there were no entries for conductors, singers, instrumentalists. In the 2002 edition you'll find entries for Toscanini, Walter, Furtwangler, Caruso, Melba, Ponselle, Melchior, Flagstad, Callas, Heifetz, Casals, Artur Rubinstein, Horowitz, Segovia, Dennis Brain, and many others. This change was overdue and certainly enhances the usefulness of the book. Many of the "over 1,000 new entries" in the 2002 edition are in this category. "Space limitations have restricted these [entries] to artists who are no longer alive and who had significant influence on composition or performance." These entries are also limited to classical musicians.

In some cases the perspective of 2002 has warranted an expanded version of a composer entry in the 1983 edition. For example, Orff, Moussorgsky, and Scriabin all get expanded treatments (but lose their portraits) in the new edition.

So, what to do; which Companion to choose? My solution is obvious but perhaps not very helpful: if you love music and like good reference books, get both. I believe the Alison Latham 2002 edition should be viewed as an updated supplement to the more substantial and lavish 1983 edition, not as a replacement. Denis Arnold's 1983 two-volume edition was the first complete revision since the original 1938 Oxford Companion to Music, edited (and largely written) by Percy Scholes; it is not perfect, but I think it represents the high-water mark of the three editions. If you have only the spartan 2002 edition, be aware that you are missing much of value and beauty in the 1983 edition. (Unfortunately I'm not the only one who has noticed that the 2002 edition is no replacement for the 1983 edition: if you check prices for used copies of the 1983 edition in the USA, you'll find that they are high.) If you own both editions, you can enjoy the best of both worlds. If I could own only one, I'd keep the 1983.

Excellent reference for those who love classical music.......2002-05-15

The Oxford Companion to Music is an excellent reference work for those who love classical music. It's probably not detailed or technical enough for most professional musicians; but those enjoy listening to the endless variety and vast range of emotions of classical music (that's a plug!) will find the OCM can considerably enhance their enjoyment.

This is a big work of 1,434 pages; but the typeface, while small, is well-chosen. It's clean and clear; even these old eyes read it with no difficulty. There are extended articles on famous conductors and all the major composers plus numerous others that you never heard of. The biographies are helpful in placing a composer's works in the context of his life. Especially helpful is a well-chosen but unannotated bibliography after most of the biographies.

There are also major articles on different forms of music, types of instruments, etc. I thought I knew a lot about the sonata form, but I know more now after reading that article. There is almost no analysis of individual works; to include them would probably have doubled the size of this work. I've used a number of classical reference works over the years, but the OCM is easily the best. It's complete enough so as not to oversimplify too drastically but not so long that "you learn more about penguins that you really want to know."

The Oxford Dictionary of Musical Works (Oxford Paperback Reference)
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The Oxford Dictionary of Musical Works (Oxford Paperback Reference)

Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Harvard Dictionary of Music: Fourth Edition (Harvard University Press Reference Library)

ASIN: 0198610203

Book Description

Anyone who listens to or plays classical music often wants to put the pieces they encounter in context - to check information ranging from who wrote the piece, or the date of its first performance, to how it acquired its title, or whether it was commissioned for a specific person or occasion. General dictionaries of music only cover a limited number of musical works, and include very little detail. The new Oxford Dictionary of Musical Works provides short articles on over 1750 musical works from earliest times to the present day, providing a comprehensive but handy reference. Entries encompass a broad spectrum of genres - from opera, ballet, choral and vocal music, orchestral, chamber and instrumental pieces, to nicknamed works, collections, national anthems, hymn tunes, and traditional melodies. Each entry outlines the genre to which the piece belongs; the librettist or author of the text, including any literary source; the number of acts or movements; the scoring - including details of the instrumentalists and vocalists needed to perform the piece; how it came to be commissioned; the place and date of its first performance; any subsequent arrangements or revisions; and any additional important or entertaining information.

Who's Who in Opera: A Guide to Opera Characters (Oxford Paperback Reference)

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Who's Who in Opera: A Guide to Opera Characters (Oxford Paperback Reference)
Joyce Bourne
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Reference | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 019280054X

Book Description

Containing over 2,500 operatic characters from Arabella to Wozzeck, this guide to opera provides both an invaluable source of reference and an absorbing read. A special feature is the articles written by well-known personalities from the world of opera DS including Janet Baker, Placido Domingo, and Jonathan Miller DS about their favourite operatic characters. Synopses for over 270 operas and operettas Information on each operatic role, including its creator and notable performances Important arias and ensembles mentioned, with English translations Illustrated with photographs of performances 'invaluable' Independent on Sunday 'a generally scrupulous and scholarly book' Opera 'Joyce Bourne has rightly identified a gap n the operaphile's library the book offers a commendably concise synopsis of each opera and sketches of the operatic personae.' BBC Music Magazine 'a reference book for operaphiles the answer to a prayer for those who attend operas without doing their homework properly' Sir George Christie

The Oxford Companion to Music (Oxford Reference)

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A++ FOR EFFORT
A unique classic

The Oxford Companion to Music (Oxford Reference)
Percy A. Scholes
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Music | Encyclopedias | Reference | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This is the most famous of all one-volume musical encyclopedias. It contains over a million words on all aspects of music, lucidly and entertainingly presented, and nearly a thousand illustrations.

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A++ FOR EFFORT.......2004-05-06

The extraordinary thing about this book is that its first edition was the work almost entirely of one man, Dr Percy A Scholes. He had a certain amount of clerical and secretarial help from his wife and others, but this is no kind of boiled-down version of Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians. To produce a one-volume compendium of music called for a single individual with a compendious enough knowledge of the matter, and Scholes was such an individual. I cannot suppose that the legendary lexicon of classical Greek was to any comparable extent the work solely of Mr Liddell and Mr Scott, who presumably had an army of hoplites, helots and slaves to do their donkey-work. Yet music is a far bigger topic than classical Greek, or indeed than any language that I know or even can imagine.

It's in the nature of the case that any work of this type is partly out of date before it has got past the printers. A modest list of new entries is given at the start, and obviously some articles have been updated. Equally obviously, some others have not. At the time of the first edition in 1938 it was certainly true to say, as is said here, that knowledge of Handel was not advancing and possibly even declining. The revival of interest in his work was under way, but only just, at the time of Scholes's death 20 years later, but by the time of the tenth edition the transformation in that situation was well advanced, and one might have expected a drastic rewrite of that particular article. In other cases unexpected developments in our musical culture have caught the editors unawares. There has been, for instance, a remarkable increase in the recording of out of the way composers. The tenth edition has no entry at all for the 11th century abbess Hildegard of Bingen, no more than a one-line entry with cross-reference for Krumpholtz (contemporary with Mozart and specialising in music for the harp), but is rather better on William Kinloch, a composer of genuine stature I should say, who benefits from being included in an informative item on Scottish music. I own records of the work of all three, and got no help on two them from the Oxford Companion. One main purpose of a compendium like this is to provide easy access to basic data on such subjects, and if the revisers don't keep au fait with what is going on the volume will gradually become obsolete. That would be a matter of regret if so, because some of the more technical articles, notably as far as I am concerned the piece on temperament (aka tuning) and I am sure also the corresponding piece on tonic-sol-fa if I could have overcome my reluctance to wade through that tedious topic, are absolutely excellent. I got a sharp reminder of how quickly the situation can change when my eye lighted on an entry for `Glastonbury'. As I had expected, the cross-reference was to something totally unconnected with the great annual pop festival there. Whether the very latest update to the Companion has struggled to draw abreast of that I don't know, but if it has it will only be in time to be out of date again, as there's going to be Wagner as well as Will Young and the rest of them at Glastonbury this year.

Where the book also risks obsolescence is in some of the attitudes involved. Four major composers that I know of - Schubert, Schumann, Wolf and Delius - died through syphilis either directly or in a major contributory way. The subject is delicately avoided, and indeed in the case of Schumann the article reads as if the author didn't even know. Again, I'm not sure how well up he was in the final chapter of Tchaikovsky's life. For everyone's benefit, what really happened was that Tchaikovsky had been given an ultimatum by his former academy associates either to top himself or they were going to out him to the Tsar for his homosexuality. To treat this kind of thing as unmentionable in this day and age is just going to bring ridicule on a work that deserves better.

As I see it, the natural public for this book consists of comparatively well-informed amateurs, such as myself. What I find in it is some really excellent background material on a very good range of topics, and I'm all the way with Scholes in seeing the single-volume format as a basic requirement. It's not the job of a work like this to say the last word on anything in particular, although for all I know it may in many cases do just that. Keeping it up to date is important too, but I still recommend prospective purchasers to buy at bargain prices whether or not they are buying the very latest edition - it's not likely to make a great deal of difference. In many respects books are still a lot more convenient than the web is, not to say a lot more personal, and long may it be so.

A unique classic.......2000-06-20

Scholes has produced a 1-volume encyclopedia of music that is not only comprehensive and informative but (unlike many music dictionaries and encyclopedias) fun to read. He does not shy away from opinion and his personal quirks are part of the charm. Tidbits such as the (speculative?) etymology of "basset horn" are found here and practically nowehere else. Oriented mostly to classical or "serious" music, although pop music and jazz are not ignored. While a bit dated given its 1938 copyright, updates in 1955 and 1970 have allowed good coverage of such important 20th-century figures as Bartok and Hindemith.

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The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music (Oxford Paperback Reference)
Michael Kennedy , and Joyce Bourne
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Derived from the classicOxford Dictionary of Music, this is the most authoritative dictionary of music available in paperback. Up-to-date and clearly written, it is a rich mine of information for lovers of music of all periods and styles. Written by Michael Kennedy, a renowned authority on classical music and chief music critic for The Sunday Telegraph, from 1989 to 2005, the dictionary includes over 14,000 entries on musical terms from allegro to zingaro, and on musical works from Aida to Tosca, as well as musical instruments and their history, composers, librettists, musicians, singers, and orchestras. It also boasts comprehensive works lists for major composers. Fully revised and updated, the 5th edition of this established reference work contains over 200 new entries, including information on aproximately 150 new performers. Essential reference for music students and teachers, and fascinating reading for all other music enthusiasts.

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