THE FOLIO SOCIETY

An essential guide for all music lovers and performers, The Oxford Dictionary of Music covers musical subjects of all kinds in an authoritative and accessible way. There are 5,000 entries on composers, conductors and performers alone, including contemporary figures such as Peter Maxwell Davies, Michael Nyman, Bryn Terfel and Simon Rattle; while directors, critics, producers and designers are also covered. Naturally the dictionary contains concise but fascinating entries on individual works; musical terms and styles; and instruments, ranging from strings, wind and brass to the Aeolian harp, bamboula and sackbut. For those who love to hear music performed live, the entries on famous venues and festivals with their descriptions of past glories, are sure to be an enticing read.