Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians [Hardcover]

Nicolas Slonimsky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1991 | ISBN-10: 0028724151 | ISBN-13: 978-0028724157 | Edition: 8th

This is a facsimile reprint of the original book by Theodore Baker, rebuilt using the latest technology. There are no poor, missing or blurred pages and all photographic images have been professionally restored. At Yokai Publishing we believe that by restoring this title to print it will live on for generations to come.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The splendid Biographical Dictionary of Musicians was begun in 1900 by Theodore Baker. Nicolas Slonimsky undertook the fifth through eighth editions, infusing them with inimitable, irrepressible Slonimsky style. This edition contains more than 3.5 million words, all of them delightful, all penned by Slonimsky, making it one of the world's known treasures. From Aaltonen, Erkki (Finnish composer, born 1910) to Zylis-Gara, Teresa (Polish soprano, born 1935), the work exudes factual accuracy, critical (and opinionated) insights, fine humor, and a human touch. Though associated with classical music, Slonimsky has always embraced the new, and in this edition, hundreds of popular musicians (jazz, rock, blues, and more) join the traditional ranks.

From Library Journal

Baker's continues to be the most complete and reliable source of biographical information on musical subjects since its first appearance in 1900. The latest, an update of the 1984 edition (Schirmer: Macmillan. 7th ed.), broadens the area of coverage to include many pop stars as well as the most recently notable classical performers, composers, historians, etc. It is not difficult to locate the entries added since Slonimsky took charge; he is free with descriptive adjectives such as "brilliant" (for Seiji Ozawa), and "fantastically popular and audacious" (for Madonna). Just as interesting are the prefaces to this and the sixth edition ( LJ 3/1/79), written in Slonimsky's quirky, gossipy style. An indispensable tool for serious music collections.
- Timothy J. McGee, Univ. of Toronto
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 2115 pages
• Publisher: Schirmer Books; 8th edition (December 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0028724151
• ISBN-13: 978-0028724157
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.9 x 3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,455,908 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Use This For Academic Music, October 28, 2001

By 

G. Steven Krogh (Norfolk, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians (Hardcover)

I do not believe I can say enough to extol the virtue of this book. I am finishing my Music Composition degree and Baker's has been an indespensible tool for my research. Concise and informative, this book even includes the opinions of the musical scholars. To say that this is just a dictionary would be like saying that the sun is dull.
Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians could be used like a "Who's Who" if the musical world. While the Harvard Dictionary of Music is the reigning authority, written differently from Bakers, which is easier to follow.
Specifically, I wanted information on J.S. Bach. Baker's has a particularly well-detailed, extensive section on Bach: everything I needed.
I strongly recommend this book for anyone who wants to understand the finer facts of music history.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars helpful reference tool, March 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians (Hardcover)

While I don't actually own this book, I have used it a great deal for a college music class. The definitions are helpful, well-written, and present helpful, relevant information in a concise form. The biographies are good for a quick reference, but they also lead to further, more complex research questions.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very useful and extremely fun book to have if you love classical music, November 14, 2005

By 

Craig Matteson (Saline, MI) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians (Hardcover)

This book is really indispensable for anyone who cares deeply about classical music. It is a fabulous reference for almost all the composers you can think of and many you have never heard of, many historically important performers, musicologists, theorists, and lots of other great information. Since it is a single volume handy reference the articles tend to be concise and very informative. You learn not only biographical information, but important works in that person's life (whether composing or performing them).

There are several specialized versions of Baker's this or that. For example, there is one for twentieth century musicians and another for popular music. However, this is the bedrock main version.

While this volume is presently out of print, it can be had on the used market relatively affordably. A ninth edition is planned for 2007, or so I hear. However, it is going to be something like $300! Of course it is worth it, because of the wealth of information, but you can get this version for about a quarter of that price or less.

This is a book that is simply fun to flip around in and read things you never even suspected to exist. Make sure and read Slonimsky's article on himself. It is a hoot.