<p>This new compact guide to the history and performance of music is both authoritative and a pleasure to use. With entries drawn and condensed from the widely acclaimed <i>The New Harvard Dictionary of Music</i> and its companion <i>The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music</i>, it is a dependable reference for home and classroom and for professional and amateur musicians. </p><p>This concise dictionary offers definitions of musical terms; succinct characterizations of the various forms of musical composition; entries that identify individual operas, oratorios, symphonic poems, and other works; illustrated descriptions of instruments; and capsule summaries of the lives and careers of composers, performers, and theorists. Like its distinguished parent volumes, <i>The Harvard Concise Dictionary of Music and Musicians</i> provides information on all periods in music history, with particularly comprehensive coverage of the twentieth century.</p><p>Clearly written and based on vast expertise, <i>The Harvard Concise Dictionary of Music and Musicians</i> is an invaluable handbook for everyone who cares about music.</p>