The Oxford Companion to Music

First published in 1938, The Oxford Companion to Music has been the first choice for authoritative information on all aspects of music. Now, 17 years since the last edition, the Companion is here to serve a new generation of students, teachers, performers, concert goers, record collectors, and music lovers.

Completely revised and updated by a distinguished team of contributors, The Oxford Companion to Music features more than 1,000 new entries than the previous edition; more than 70 percent of the entire text is either new or entirely rewritten. Here, in articles that range from clear, concise definitions of musical ideas and terms to extended surveys of musical forms and styles, is authoritative coverage of virtually every musical subject. Embracing the world of music in all its variety — including jazz, popular music, and dance — the Companion offers a concentrated focus on the Western classic tradition, from the Middle Ages to the present day.

More than 8,000 articles sweep across an extraordinary range of subjects: composers, performers, conductors, individual works, instruments and notation, forms and genres. From the study of music — theory, aesthetics, scholarship — to the way it is performed and disseminated, the Companion provides comprehensive, accessible coverage of music in all its artistic, historical, cultural, and social dimensions.

Comprehensive, authoritative, up-to-date, and designed throughout for clarity and accessibility, the new Oxford Companion to Music, like every edition before it, will immediately become an indispensable resource for all who wish to enrich their love and knowledge of music.

"The Oxford Companion to Music is back with a deft new editor, a smart new look, and a reasonable price tag, considering the wealth of information....A solid reference with a grand pedigree, usefully improved for home and general office use." Library Journal (Starred Review)

"Much is gained in the updating." The New York Times

"Latham spruces up this edition with more than 1000 new entries; more than 70% of the book is essentially new material, not just about Western classical music, but also jazz, pop and dance music....Priced reasonably, given the book's size, this title may find its way not only into reference collections, but into the hands of music lovers who want an up-to-date browsing tome." Publishers Weekly

"When you need a question about music answered, the newly-revised Oxford Companion to Music should prove your best friend. It's a cornucopia of information." Chicago Tribune

"An accessible, authoritative resource." School Library Journal

"Much information is packed into this 8000-article volume. A worthwhile purchase." Choice

This work replaces both the single-volume "Oxford Companion to Music" first published in 1938 (1970), and the subsequent two-volume "New Oxford Companion to Music", published in 1983. It has a more concentrated focus on the Western classical tradition and contains hundreds of new entries.

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.

Alison Latham is a well-known editor of music reference works. She has edited The Musical Times and for over ten years was publications editor at the Royal Opera House, Convent Garden. She was assistant editor of The Grove Concise Dictionary of Music and the co-editor of The Cambridge Guide to Music and Verdi in Performance.

Preface

Acknowledgements

Contributors

Abbreviations

Oxford Companion to Music

Index of people