New Penguin Dictionary of Music 
 

The New Penguin Dictionary of Music is the essential A to Z of some 1,000 years of Western music. It explores in detail the lives and
achievements of a huge range of composers, and examines key topics in music history, performers and theory. Written by an award-winning music critic, and blending scholarship with personal insight and opinion, this dictionary is both a pleasurable read and an invaluable and authoritative reference book for all lovers of music, whether amateur or professional. 
 

• Gives biographies of thousands of composers, from Albinoni to Zappa, with in-depth treatment of major figures
• Covers individual works, with plot summaries of operas and ballets
• Includes articles on key subjects, such as musical forms and instruments
• provides clear definitions of technical terms