Oxford Reference Browse

‘Amazingly comprehensive and thoroughly researched, The Oxford Companion to the American Musical is a must for any theatre professional or theatre fan.’ Stephen Flaherty

With more than two thousand entries, this guide offers a wealth of information on musicals, performers, composers, lyricists, producers, choreographers, and much more. Biographical entries range from early stars Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby, Mary Martin, and Mae West to contemporary show-stoppers Nathan Lane, Savion Glover, and Kristin Chenoweth, while composers Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Richard Rodgers, and Andrew Lloyd Webber all have articles, and the choreography of Bob Fosse, Tommy Tune, and Debbie Allen receives due examination. The plays and films covered range from modern hits like Mamma Mia! and Moulin Rouge! to timeless classics such as Yankee Doodle Dandy and Show Boat. Also, numerous musicals written specifically for television appear throughout, and many entries follow a work - Babes in Toyland for example - as it moves across genres, from stage, to film, to television. The Companion also includes cross references, a comprehensive listing of recommended recordings and further reading, a useful chronology of all the musicals described in the book, plus a complete index of Tony Award and Academy Award winners.

This dictionary comprises authoritative, highly accessible entries on people and organizations related to music. These entries are supplementary to other music titles in the Quick Reference collection, and are written by specialist authors. The dictionary is an ongoing project, and more entries will be added over time.

“The Grove Book of Operas, Second Edition, should be on every opera-lover's short list of indispensable reference books. Highly recommended. ” - Gary Hoffman, Opera Today. First published in 1996 to great critical and popular acclaim, the Grove Book of Operas, is a collection of synopses and descriptions of over 250 operas. Each succinct yet insightful entry is written by a leading authority on the opera and includes a full synopsis of the plot, a cast list, a note on the singers in the original production, and information on the origins of the work and its literary and social background. Contributions conclude with a brief comment on the particular work's place in operatic history. The second edition brings the book up to date with several recently composed operas. Recent additions to the operatic repertory included for the first time in this edition include Nicholas Maw, Sophie's Choice; Poul Ruders, A Handmaid's Tale; John Adams, Death of Klinghoffer; and Mark Adamo, Little Women. Covering all operas in the current repertory along with some less-well-known early and very modern ones, this is an ideal volume for the general opera lover.

Over 9,000 entries

The Grove Dictionary of American Music, second edition is the largest, most comprehensive reference publication on American Music. Twenty-five years ago, the four volumes of the first edition of the dictionary initiated a great expansion in American music scholarship. This second edition reflects the growth in scholarship the first edition initiated. At eight volumes, it provides greatly expanded coverage, particularly in the areas of popular music, cities and regions, musical theater, opera, concert music, and music technology, as well as the musical traditions of many ethnic and cultural groups.

The articles of the dictionary range from small definitions of dance styles and musical terms to mid-length biographies of important performers, composers and music patrons, to longer examinations of larger subjects such as the history of jazz, musical instruments, music education in the United States, and the American history of the orchestra.

The dictionary's articles are supplemented by over 400 images and 140 musical examples and other materials. An abbreviations list, list of contributors, and tips on the use of the dictionary make navigation easy. With well-researched, informative articles by 1500 authors, including most of the top scholars in the field, The Grove Dictionary of American Music is accessible to scholars, academic specialists, and the general public.

1998 Choice Outstanding Academic Book

1998 Library Journal Best Reference

1998 ALA/RUSA Outstanding Reference Source

With nearly 2,000 articles written by scholars from fifty countries, the Encyclopedia covers the full spectrum of dance—theatrical, ritual, dance-drama, folk, traditional, ethnic, and social dance. Cultural and national overviews are accompanied by entries on dance forms, music and costumes, performances, and biographies of dancers and choreographers.

This new online-only edition of The Oxford Companion to Music is a partial revision that focuses on living composers and their music, and adds some terms, works, and cross-references to the original text. Bibliographies have also been substantially revised and updated. This classic reference work includes articles that range from clear, concise definitions of musical ideas and terms to extended surveys of musical forms and styles, with specialist coverage of virtually every musical subject. It places music in its social and cultural context, with a range of new entries on topics such as politics, religion, psychology, and computers. The book covers current research in and approaches to music, including analysis, theory, ethnomusicology, and performance practice. All varieties of musical forms are covered, including jazz, popular music, and dance.

Over 8,000 entries

The Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments, second edition, is the largest, most comprehensive reference publication on musical instruments of the world yet produced. Thirty years ago the first edition of the dictionary was met with wide acclaim and went on to become an essential research tool. The second edition reflects the growth in the last three decades of the scope and methodologies of the field of organology. It provides greatly expanded coverage of instruments from around the world and their builders, with special attention to electronic and experimental instruments, the human body as an instrument, the history and techniques of instrument design and manufacture, performance practice, and the scholars whose work has shaped our current understanding of musical instruments.

‘a reference book for operaphiles...the answer to a prayer for those who attend operas without doing their homework properly’ - Sir George Christie

A unique and authoritative A-Z reference work that will answer all your questions on who's who in opera. Contains over 2,500 lively entries on operatic characters, with information on the creator of the role and notable performances. From Aeneas to Zaida, A Dictionary of Opera Characters provides extensive coverage of all the characters in operas from around the world and gives synopses for over 200 operas and operettas. It includes feature articles written by well-known personalities from the world of opera, such as Placido Domingo and Dame Janet Baker, plus, new to this edition, articles contributed by Christine Brewer and Joyce DiDonato.

Recommended opera-related web links are listed for relevant and up-to-date extra information. This book is an invaluable source of reference for professionals and amateurs alike, and a fascinating read for anyone curious about opera, for example, who did marry Figaro?

Covering over 1500 singers from the birth of opera to the present day, this marvellous volume will be an essential resource for all serious opera lovers and an indispensable companion to the enormously successful Grove Book of Operas (also in Oxford Reference Online: Premium Collection).

The most comprehensive guide to opera singers ever produced, this volume offers an alphabetically arranged collection of authoritative biographies that range from Marion Anderson (the first African American to perform at the Met) to Benedict Zak (the classical tenor and close friend and colleague of Mozart). Readers will find fascinating articles on such opera stars as Maria Callas and Enrico Caruso, Ezio Pinza and Fyodor Chaliapin, Lotte Lehmann and Jenny Lind, Lily Pons and Luciano Pavarotti. The profiles offer basic information such as birth date, vocal style, first debut, most memorable roles, and much more. But these articles often go well beyond basic biographical information to offer colourful portraits of the singer's personality and vocal style, plus astute evaluations of their place in operatic history and many other intriguing observations. Many entries also include suggestions for further reading, so that anyone interested in a particular performer can explore their life and career in more depth. The articles are mostly drawn from the acclaimed Grove Music Online and have been fully revised, and the book is further supplemented by more than 40 specially commissioned articles on contemporary singers.

A superb new guide from the first name in opera reference, The Grove Book of Opera Singers is a lively and authoritative work. It is an essential volume for opera lovers everywhere.

Over 10,000 entries

For the sixth edition of this classic dictionary, the text has been thoroughly revised and updated. With over 10,000 entries, the Oxford Dictionary of Music (previously the Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music) offers broad coverage of a wide range of musical categories spanning many eras, including composers, librettists, singers, orchestras, important ballets and operas, and musical instruments and their history. Over 250 new entries have been added to this edition to expand coverage of popular music, ethnomusicology, modern and contemporary composers, music analysis, and recording technology. Existing entries have been expanded where necessary to include more coverage of the reception of major works, and to include key new works and categories, such as multimedia.

The dictionary now also includes two useful appendices, one listing French, German, and Italian musical terms with their English translations, and an abbreviations list for letters commonly used in musical scores and musical writing.

The Oxford Dictionary of Music is the most up-to-date and accessible dictionary of musical terms available and an essential point of reference for music students, teachers, lecturers, professional musicians, as well as music enthusiasts.

Comprehensive, authoritative, and up-to-date, the Oxford Encyclopedia of the Music of India depicts the story of Indian music through 2,000 years of history. Entries cover forms of music from classical to film-originated, as well as dance styles, technical terms, instruments, and biographies of vocalists, musicologists, saints, poets, gurus, composers, and instrumentalists. The range and breadth of theEncyclopedia is immense. With 5,000 entries by approximately 100 acclaimed contributors, the work spans not only all regions of India, but also covers the music of the Subcontinent, including Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

A vast collaborative effort spanning 12 years and supported by an extended group of around 250 musicians, scholars, and teachers of music from India and the world, the Encyclopedia is unprecedented in its vast coverage of a musical tradition renowned for its beauty and spirituality.

This encyclopedia's 30,000 entries cover all genres and periods of popular music from 1900 to the present day, including jazz, country, folk, rap, reggae, techno, musicals, and world music. The expanded Fourth Edition includes thousands of new entries on trends, styles, record labels, venues, and music festivals. Key dates, biographies, and further reading are provided for artists covered, along with complete discographies that include record labels, release dates, and a 5-star album rating system. Included in this Oxford Digital Reference Shelf edition are online-exclusive entries that originally appeared on Oxford Music Online.