1986 Collins Encyclopedia of Music by Sir Jack Westrup

Collins Encyclopedia of Music by Sir Jack Westrup & F.L.I. Harrison Comprehensive Music Reference

A great addition to any music lovers library! Dust jacket has a small nibble off the back. See photos.

1986 printing.

Encyclopedia of Music

The Collins ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MUSIC is a comprehensive, up-to-date, and authoritative survey of the whole field of Western music from its beginnings in Greece to the present day. The record-buyer, concert-goer, student, and professional musician will find here, in one compact volume, the best and most practical collection of musical information relevant to his needs.

The Encyclopedia is an authoritative work, firmly founded on the impeccable scholarship of its original authors, Sir Jack Westrup and Frank Harrison, supplemented by the more recent research of the revising team. The result does justice to both traditional and contemporary forms and values in a way that reflects the best critical concensus of the present day.

In particular, the coverage of early and medieval music and of contemporary and recent music has been much expanded.
Over 6000 articles cover the full range of musical interest – composers, works, instruments, scholars, and critics. Though crammed with information and facts the articles never degenerate into mere catalogues, but remain pointed and entertaining. The essay-length articles on major composers – a notable feature of the book – demonstrate these virtues most convincingly.

Augmenting the text are over a thousand music examples and scores of photographs and prints. The profusion of music examples alone distinguishes the book from other general music reference works and highlights the full, practical, and detailed nature of the information provided.

As Lionel Salter said with justice in his review in the Music Times, “as a one-volume reference work, it is a distinct achievement and very reasonably priced.”

The Authors
The late Sir Jack Westrup, former Oxford Professor of Music, was one of the foremost musical scholars of his day and, with Frank Harrison, now Professor of Ethnomusicology at Amsterdam University, created the original book.

Conrad Wilson, author and music critic of The Scotsman, has brought a lively style as well as writing hundreds of new articles and extensions to old ones.

A passionate opera follower, he has expanded (and added where necessary) the plots and noted performances of all major operas. Equally important has been his gathering together of experts in such fields as medieval music and jazz, who have filled the gaps which have appeared since publication of the first edition.

“As a general purpose reference book for the lay reader it seems to fulfil its purpose very well; the typography is admirably clear and the illustrations excellent.”
Anthony Hopkins

“As for the book itself, I find it very absorbing; my only complaint about it is that I can’t include it among my bedside books -for one reason it’s too big to fit on to my tiny table, and for another it’s far too interesting and exciting and I would never get to sleep! I go from page to page looking up different things and I find there is always something to occupy and stimulate my mind. I think it is a wonderful book… In fact it has already been commented upon by visiting musicians.

Friends disappear into an armchair with it and come up with some remark like “Have you seen what they say about Tonus Peregrinus?” – I say, “Well, I haven’t, actually”, and someone else across the room will say “I thought that was a kind of penguin”; and somebody else says, “Duck, you stupid”, and a great discussion follows, reading out your entry and comparing with Grove; and before we know where we are we have out half a dozen different reference books. The book is absolutely first-class – I like it very much indeed and I know I am going to get an enormous amount out of it.”
Joseph Cooper