A Dictionary of Musical Terms

This illustrated dictionary, written by the prolific Victorian composer Sir John Stainer (1840–1901) – best remembered today for his oratorio The Crucifixion – and W. A. Barrett, was first published by Novello in 1876. It provides definitions for 'the chief musical terms met with in scientific, theoretical, and practical treatises, and in the more common annotated programmes and newspaper criticisms', ranging from short explanations of the Italian words for tempi, through descriptions of ancient instruments to expansive articles on such topics as acoustics, copyright, hymn tunes, the larynx and temperament. That it subsequently ran to several further editions suggests that it provided welcome guidance for the concert-going public in the nineteenth century.