The Harvard Dictionary of Music. Edited by Don Michael Randel

The Harvard Dictionary of Music. Edited by Don Michael Randel. Fourth edition. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2003. $59.95.978 p. ISBN 0-674-01 163-5 -hen I began my undergraduate that point, the preface to NHDM is also studies at the University of Toronto reprinted in the new edition. in the mid-1960s, I was required to purchase a copy of the original Haward I noted right away that HDM4 has only Dictionary of Music (HDMI, 1944) for the thrty-six pages more than NHDM. Even if it first-year music-literature course, then taught had gained additional space through selected by the late Harvey Olnick. Willi Apel's one- deletions or contractions of the recycled volume dictionary was a model of clear, NHDM texts, I wondered how it could concise information, and proved to be a helpful adequately cover the many developments in quick-referencetool during my undergraduate the musical world since the mid- 1980s. In his years, particularly for terms used in the study new preface, Randel mentions "numerous of the history, theory, and performance of changes.. reflect [kg] new developments in Western art music. Later, an underlined and music scholarship, especially the expanding annotated copy of Apel's second ehtion range of subjects now being studied by music (HDM2, 1969) saw me successfully through scholars, as well as the fact that the world and my doctoral comprehensive exams at the its political boundaries have substantially Eastman School of Music, though I found it changed since the last edition" (p. v). That necessary to consult other sources for more statement is as noteworthy for what it does not complete information on twentieth-century and include (e.g., intellectual, social, and non-Western music. technological changes) as for what it does. So, is HDM4 a worthy successor to the earlier The third edition (NHDM, 1986)' edited by editions I knew so well, and will it meet my Don Michael Randel, expanded the coverage needs and those of other music scholars, of twentieth-century and non-Western music, students, and amateurs ofthe early twenty-first and included information on jazz and popular century? music for the first time. Though I also own a copy of that edition, I did not get to know its HDM4 continues the tradition of clean contents as intimately as I did those ofthe first layout, impeccable copy editing, and succinct, two, and was not aware until recently to what uncomplicated prose that were hallmarks of extent it may have modified the Western and the earlier editions. Many paragraphs are historical focuses of the earlier editions. It was rather long for my taste but this is a stylistic with favourable memories of the first two matter, and fewer paragraphs presumably editions and anticipation of experiencing require fewer pages, always a consideration in another scholarly tour de force that I set about book publishing. Cross references are plenthl, acquainting myself with the latest edition though there are some oversights (discussed (HDM4) and comparing it to NHDM, since below). As with earlier editions, bibliographies Randel explains in h preface to the new accompany many longer articles. One notable edition that it "does proceed rather directly omission was a glossary, which previous fiom its predecessor." Presumably to underline editions also lacked, but in a dictionary of almost 1,000 pages it would be of great help recent developments in "Ethnomusicology," to those in search of information about the fresh details on "American Indian music," a many terms not given their own entries (e.g., new slant on "Authenticity" relating to the digital audio workstation). historical performance-practicemovement, and completely rewritten articles on "Jewish New entries, though few, cover a wide music" and the "Magnus liber organi." The range of topics, as the following sampling revised article on "Recording" contains one shows: "Algorithmic composition," "Gender slip: it contends that digital audio tape (DAT) and music," "ISMN," "Modernism," is still used in professional recording studios "Transformational theory," and "Wind (p. 709). DAT never was an industry-standard ensemble." Curiously, there is also a new format and has already gone the way of the article on "Album," an oversight in NHDMbut dinosaur, replaced by computer hard drives now an anachronism mistakenly applied to and the recordable CD. DAT is still used for CDs: "The 'boxed set' ...became a f&ar off-site "location" work in film and television album format of the 1990s" (p. 32). To my production, though the new Porta Drive (a way of thinking, individual CDs are analogous hard-disc-based recorder) will likely soon to individual LP albums, and the term "boxed make it a thing of the past even for location set" applies equally to LPs and CDs. work. Deletions from NHDM include "Theory" has also been rewritten and "Psychology of music," though there are new expanded, but the long bibliographical lists articles on the "Brain and music," "Musical accompanying this article in NHDM are ability, development of," and "Music repeated here with only minor revisions. Most cognition." The lack of cross-references to other articles in NHDMthat featured long lists, those new articles from even a bare entry on including "Bibliography," "Dictionaries and "Psychology of music" is an unfortunate Encyclopedias," "Editions," and "Periodicals," oversight, in my view. This whole area of have had the lists dropped from HDM4, study has grown dramatically in recent years presumably because the information is and I counted eight monographs published available elsewhere and space was needed for since 1986 with "music" and "psychology" in other topics. their titles in my library's on-line catalogue. Students or amateurs might not be savvy I was surprised to find numerous other enough to search hrther upon finding no entry inconsistencies in this publication, not the least on the psychology of music. Also puzzling was of which was its title. The publisher has the deletion of "Tests of musical capacity and retreated from the title adopted for the third ability," which is not covered in the new entry edition which, befitting its change of editor on "Musical abdity." Among notable omissions and a minimal carryover of copy from HDM2, from both editions were gay and lesbian music, had added New to its name. Now, despite and environmental music, both of which have retaining Randel as editor and recycling a great entries in New Grove 2. deal of content from NHDM, the 2003 edition has dropped the "New" and appropriated Turning to updated articles containing the Apel's old title. So, unlike the 2001 edition of hits of post-NHDM scholarship, I found the New Grove Dictionaly of Music and Musicians, Stanley Sadie's second as editor historical summary and ends by mentioning which is known as New Grove 2, HDM4 wdl selected twentieth-century art-song not be known as "New Harvard 2." composers, the most recent of whom are Messiaen, Barber, Rorem, and Tippett. Since While the name flip-flop in itself may seem only Rorem was still alive in 2003 when inconsequential, it results in differences in HDM4 was published, the simple addition to cataloguing (ML100.H3 7 2003 versus the list of some recent exponents of the genre ML100.R3 1986) and means that HDM4 must --e.g., Argento, Bolcom, Corigliano, Heggie, occupy a different place on the reference Kernis, Del Tredici, et al-might have shelves than NHDM did (which was completed its narrative about the twentieth conveniently near New Grove 2 in my library), century or even brought us into the new unless librarians make local decisions to depart millennium. The pattern of thorough historical from the Library of Congress Cataloguing-in- coverage and incomplete or non-existent Publication data supplied by the publisher. reporting of more recent works or events is all Such inconsistencies give librarians grey hair. too common throughout the dctionary. But this was only a preamble to the many inconsistencies, editorial lapses, and other In some cases, not even the bibliographies shortcomings I found inside, beginning on have been amended. For example, the last item page one where Ralph Locke's article on in the bibliography accompanying "Suzuki "Absolute music," mostly a reprint from method" dates from 1973, and the article itself NHDM, still uses the present tense to discuss makes no mention of Suzuki methodology twentieth-century music. having expanded beyond violin, cello, and piano to be adapted to the teaching of double bass, flute, guitar, harp, recorder, and other Historical Emphasis instruments. The entry on "Sociology of Music" is another repeat lacking updates in its In general, I found far too many verbatim bibliography. A quick keyword search of repeats of entries from NHDM for the "music" and "sociology" in my library's prefatory promise of "numerous changes7' in catalogue showed half a dozen monographs HDM4 to be considered much more than published since NHDM featuring those words promotional hyperbole. As a result, the in the titles alone; the full list of post-1986 editor's choice of language about the new search results was much longer. edition "proceed[ing] rather directly from its predecessor" (italics mine) achieves Another entry where neither the article nor unintended irony in its understatement. bibliography was changed from NHDM is "Film music." Considering the number of At best, most of the longer unrevised colleges and universities now offering courses articles offer a few additions of post-NHDM on film and film-music, one would think that a titles in their bibliographies. One example is twenty-first-century publication purporting to the entry on Western secular art song cover popular genres would not miss the ("Song"), which includes a number of chance to update a 1986 article in which the additions to the 1986 bibliography.

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