The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians: 29-Volume Set / Edition 2

by Stanley Sadie, John Tyrrell

Overview

Since its initial publication in 1980, the Dictionary has been widely acclaimed as an indispensable resource and a classic reference. The word "updated" doesn't begin to describe the thousands of new articles, topics, cross-references, and areas of scholarship incorporated into The New Grove II. Every one of the first edition's 22,500 articles has been reviewed and revised, with thousands of articles expanded. Previously neglected or under-represented areas have been examined, explored, and explained. Movements and topics once deemed too controversial or too far from the mainstream have been added. And throughout, 6,500 new articles cover more than 5,000 years of music history, instruments, composers, institutions, performers, genres, and more.
The New Grove II takes you beyond the customary and familiar into new worlds with extensive, authoritative contributions on non-Western music. From major influences, such as Latin American music, to less-examined contributions, such as Asian, sub-Saharan African, and Pacific Islander, The New Grove II presents the music, theory, instruments, and musicians that have helped to define music around the world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195170672
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	01/29/2004
Edition description:	29 Volume Set with Index
Pages:	27876
Product dimensions:	9.50(w) x 9.00(h) x 19.75(d)

Editorial Reviews

"Grove remains the best single source of musical information in English. Given the degree to which it has branched into world music, pop and contemporary analytical theory, it may now be the most comprehensive musical dictionary in any language."—The New York Times

"The Grove is...a magnificent achievement, and, more than that, it is a work of love....Another remarkable effort....The book is like a corridor with a million doors, each opening onto a separate world."—The New Yorker

"...mark my words, anyone with a serious interest in music, whether classical, popular, ethnic or jazz, will benefit from this reference work's acquaintance....Nothing remotely as comprehensive or so extensively researched exists to rival it in the English language."—The Toronto Star

"...this latest Grove, like every one of its predecessors, is...the most prestigious publication in any field of the arts."—L. A. Weekly

"To be sure, New Grove II continues to uphold the tradition associated with the world's leading musical reference source...serving all who have an interest in music—with scholarly accuracy, authority and thoroughness."—Chicago Tribune

From the Publisher

To be sure, New Grove II continues to uphold the tradition associated with the world's leading musical reference source...serving all who have an interest in music--with scholarly accuracy, authority and thoroughness.

The Chicago Tribune

...mark my words, anyone with a serious interest in music, whether classical, popular, ethnic or jazz, will benefit from this reference work's acquaintance....Nothing remotely as comprehensive or so extensively researched exists to rival it in the English language.

The Toronto Star

The Grove is...a magnificent achievement, and, more than that, it is a work of love....Another remarkable effort....The book is like a corridor with a million doors, each opening onto a separate world.

The New Yorker

One of the major publishing events of our time. . . It sets spectacular new standards in its field. . . It is, in sum, a landmark, a dazzling achievement. -- Washington Post

Joseph McLellan

Now appearing in print and online simultaneously, this expanded second edition of the most substantial, comprehensive music encyclopedia in English deserves applause for including greater coverage of world and popular music, nearly 2000 more articles on 20th-century composers, and more than 29,000 entries (many rewritten or revised) by over 6000 contributors nearly 7000 more entries by 3600 more contributors than graced the 20-volume 1980 edition. New articles on intellectual trends (e.g., deconstruction, modernism, and postmodernism), sociopolitical movements (e.g., feminism, Marxism, and Nazism), and even animal music and sex illuminate music's various contexts far better than did the earlier New Grove's. One brave entry's topic is music itself. There are some problems, however: leaden prose in some of the theoretical and subject articles infused with theory (such as the long rewrite of popular music), questionable choices and/or poor reproductions of photographs (e.g., a foolish pose of Bing Crosby and far too darkly reproduced field-study photos), a disappointing failure to update bibliographies in many articles, and absent or scanty lists of recordings in entries for popular and jazz musicians. Some signs that this set was rushed into print include pages missing from the Stravinsky article and scattered typographical errors or incorrect facts. The publisher, however, has promised buyers new copies of the Stravinsky article and claims that future reprints will correct these mistakes. By contrast, the online version (see review, Database&Disc Reviews, p. 114-19) will be updated quarterly and selectively revised annually, so the two media will soon have markedly different content. Still, even those libraries subscribing to the virtual version need the print version, which, like its predecessor, will be useful for decades to come. Only the print version is fully illustrated, and the musical examples are best viewed on the printed page, for only there can users see longer examples in their entirety while reading the accompanying narrative. An appendix of articles listing libraries, editions, periodicals, and the like is not yet online; nor are the introductory usage notes from Volume 1. Finally, information from the welcome index volume the first since 1890 is incompletely reproduced online. This time around, the volumes are taller and thinner, with wide margins that allow for rebinding and sewn bindings that should withstand heavy use. Some owners have noticed that the inner margins are rippled, causing crackling noises when pages are turned, but the publisher claims that the bindings will relax over time. Libraries that relied on the first New Grove should welcome its superior print successor. [Special discounts are available for libraries purchasing the print and online versions together. Ed.] Bonnie Jo Dopp, Univ. of Maryland Libs., College Park Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

A triumph of contemporary musicology...the most ambitious and comprehensive musical dictionary and encyclopedia ever attempted...a brilliant success. -- Harold C. Schonberg, The New York Times

Harold C. Schonberg

The greatest musical dictionary every published. -- Charles Rosen, The New York Review of Books

Charles Rosen