Nicolas Slonimsky

Provides biographical information on nineteen composers, describes the musical components of their major works, and provides anecdotal background on those works.

Webster's New World Dictionary of Music covers the world of music from A to Z, past and present, classical to reggae. This handy desktop reference is packed with over 12,000 entries covering everything you want to know about composers, conductors, theory, terms, instruments, musicians, singers, and more. Expanded entries give you detailed information about the most significant people, concepts and developments in music. Webster's New World Dictionary of Music is the most up-to-date and complete music dictionary available in a compact paperback format. It is the perfect music reference for student, professional, casual listener, and aficionado alike.

Originally Compiled by Rupert Hughes; completely Revised and Newly Edited by Deems Taylor and Russell Kerr

Nicolas Slonimsky: The First Hundred Years celebrates America's leading musicologist, now approaching his centennial year. Still active at one hundred, Slonimsky is probably best known for his scholarly and voluminous writing, which has been indispensable to musicians worldwide. A tribute to his brilliant career as conductor, composer, teacher, and writer, The First Hundred Years reveals Slonimsky at his literary best. Slonimsky born April 27, 1894, in St. Petersburg, Russia, took his first piano lesson in 1900 and went on to study orchestration at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. In 1937, after holding a number of musical jobs, and fourteen years after coming to America, Slonimsky published his first book, Music Since 1900. Since then, he has become the world's leading musical lexicographer, editing Baker's for over five decades. For The First Hundred Years the editors have gathered Slonimsky masterpieces including excerpts from his autobiographies, histories, biographies, musical concepts, and translations. The First Hundred Years is the only collection of Slonimsky's writings drawing together selections from Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, Music Since 1900 Lexicon of Musical Invective, Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns, and his autobiographical work, Perfect Pitch.

Contains plots of operas, descriptions of musical works, definitions of terms, histories of instruments and forms, commentary, anecdotes, offbeat tales, amusing facts, and illuminating essays -- (dust jacket).

Simply stated this book is a "how" process to creating and improvising music and in so doing answers that inevitable question of "why?" Why is something not working or why does it work? By playing the examples ( of which there are more than a thousand) ones ear is developed to new levels of sensitivity giving a composer or player nearly limitless material from which to create. I highly recommend it.

"The first and best pocket dictionary of musical terms is now better! Book jacket."--BOOK JACKET.