Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, Centennial Edition (6 Volume Set) (Hardcover)

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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. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Although longtime Baker's editor Slonimsky died in 1995, his easily recognizable, sometimes tongue-in-cheek style pervades this ninth, or "centennial," edition of his famed dictionary. Since the last edition in 1992, this most important reference source has been greatly broadened and is especially valuable for its biographical sketches of 20th-century jazz and popular musicians, written and edited by leading authors in the fields. In addition, series advisory editor Laura Kuhn has overseen the expansion of the articles on classic musicians. One of the best features of the new Baker's is its expansion from a huge, single-volume work into six volumes. Despite the occasional and generally minor mistake-Louis Moreau Gottschalk's pseudonym "Seven Octaves" is given as "Steven Octaves," for example-this centennial edition should prove to be a most valuable reference tool both in music and public libraries. In fact, because of its coverage of even somewhat minor figures, the new Baker's should prove to be an excellent companion to the just-released second edition of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Nonmusicians in particular will delight in Baker's, largely because of Slonimsky's light-hearted spirit. The personalities covered here are indexed by nationality, genre, and time period in Volume 6, and the best of Slonimsky's introductions to previous editions are reprinted in Volume 1. [The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2d ed., will be reviewed in LJ 3/15/01; a review of the online edition will appear in a future Database&Disc column.-Ed.]-James E. Perone, Mount Union Coll., Alliance, OH.
--James E. Perone, Mount Union Coll., Alliance, OH.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 4500 pages
• Publisher: Schirmer Reference; 9 edition (December 22, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0028655257
• ISBN-13: 978-0028655253
• Product Dimensions: 18.1 x 12.7 x 6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 27.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,601,964 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 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.

1 of 1 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 (Ann Arbor, MI) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

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.