The Harvard Dictionary of Music

Harvard University Press Reference Library

by Don Michael Randel

This classic reference work, the best one-volume music dictionary available, has been brought completely up to date in this new edition. Combining authoritative scholarship and lucid, lively prose, the Fourth Edition of The Harvard Dictionary of Music is the essential guide for musicians, students, and everyone who appreciates music.

The Harvard Dictionary of Music has long been admired for its wide range as well as its reliability. This treasure trove includes entries on all the styles and forms in Western music; comprehensive articles on the music of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Near East; descriptions of instruments enriched by historical background; and articles that reflect today’s beat, including popular music, jazz, and rock. Throughout this Fourth Edition, existing articles have been fine-tuned and new entries added so that the dictionary fully reflects current music scholarship and recent developments in musical culture.

Encyclopedia-length articles by notable experts alternate with short entries for quick reference, including definitions and identifications of works and instruments. More than 220 drawings and 250 musical examples enhance the text. This is an invaluable book that no music lover can afford to be without.

Genres: Music, Reference, Nonfiction, Classical Music

1008 pages, Hardcover

First published November 28, 2003

About the author

Don Michael Randel is a prominent American musicologist, the fifth president of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and a member of the editorial board of Encyclopaedia Britannica. He has previously served as the twelfth president of the University of Chicago, as Provost of Cornell University, and as Dean of Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences.

Reviews

[David]

Still useful even in the internet era

[Evangeline Grace]

Great reference book.

[Becca]

A good edition of a great resource. Thorough definitions, although I could use more of terms in languages besides Italian (German covered pretty well too).

[Mikekite]

More knowledge than any of us can ever possess. Great to keep on the shelf for the odd question from a student.