The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians
George Grove published the first volume of A Dictionary of Music and Musicians in London during 1879. Macmillan and Co. released four volumes between 1879 and 1889 to cover music history from 1450 up to his own time. J. A. Fuller Maitland edited an Appendix for the fourth volume while Mrs. E. Wodehouse created a separate Index volume issued in 1890. The original edition and its reprint are now freely available online for researchers worldwide. Minor corrections appeared on the plates before the entire series reissued in four volumes with the index added to volume 4 in 1900.
Stanley Sadie served as senior editor when The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians emerged in 1980. Nigel Fortune also worked as one of the main editors for this massive twenty-volume publication containing 22,500 articles. The set included 16,500 biographies of composers and musicians alongside thousands of other entries. Hardback copies sold for about $2,300 in the mid-1990s while paperback editions went for roughly $500. Reprints occurred almost every year until 1995 except during 1982 and 1983 when no updates were released.
Grove Music Online launched in 2001 as an internet subscription service offering access to the second edition's 29 volumes. John Tyrrell acted as executive editor under Stanley Sadie during this digital transition period. The online platform incorporated the four-volume New Grove Dictionary of Opera from 1992 plus the three-volume New Grove Dictionary of Jazz from 2002. Deane Root became editor-in-chief of the entire Grove program in 2009 after taking over from previous leadership. Oxford University Press acquired the dictionary from Macmillan in 2004 before integrating it into their larger research tool called Oxford Music Online.
Eric Blom edited the fifth edition published in 1954 which contained nine volumes with many articles rewritten in modern style. Denis Stevens completed a Supplementary Volume prepared by Blom after his death in 1959 and issued it in 1961. Stanley Sadie returned as editor for the 2001 seventh overall edition spanning 29 volumes with significant expansion in 20th-century composer coverage. The dictionary originally published by Macmillan transferred ownership to Oxford University Press in 2004. Current editorial leadership rests with University of Pittsburgh professor Deane Root who assumed the role in 2009.
The 2001 edition contains 29,499 total articles including 5,623 entirely new entries added during that revision cycle. Researchers found 20,374 biographies covering composers performers and writers on music within these pages. The work includes 96 articles about theatre directors plus 1,465 pieces discussing styles terms and genres. Eight hundred five articles address regions countries and cities while 580 cover ancient music and church music traditions. One thousand three hundred twenty-seven entries focus on world musics alongside 1,221 items on popular light and jazz music.
Robert Layton wrote a hoax entry about Dag Henrik Esrum-Hellerup appearing only in the first printing of the 1980 New Grove before removal. The surname derived from a Danish village and Copenhagen suburb yet no such composer ever existed. Henry Palsmar founded an amateur choir named after this fictional figure in 1983 at St. Annae Gymnasium in Copenhagen. Hugo Riemann created another non-existent composer named Guglielmo Baldini nearly a century earlier which appeared briefly in the dictionary before exposure. Seven parody entries written by contributors to the 1980 edition appeared in The Musical Times magazine during February 1981 instead of inside the actual book.
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Common questions
When did George Grove publish the first volume of A Dictionary of Music and Musicians?
George Grove published the first volume of A Dictionary of Music and Musicians in London during 1879. Macmillan and Co. released four volumes between 1879 and 1889 to cover music history from 1450 up to his own time.
Who edited The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians when it emerged in 1980?
Stanley Sadie served as senior editor when The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians emerged in 1980. Nigel Fortune also worked as one of the main editors for this massive twenty-volume publication containing 22,500 articles.
What happened to The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians after Oxford University Press acquired it in 2004?
Oxford University Press acquired the dictionary from Macmillan in 2004 before integrating it into their larger research tool called Oxford Music Online. Deane Root became editor-in-chief of the entire Grove program in 2009 after taking over from previous leadership.
How many total articles does the 2001 edition of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians contain?
The 2001 edition contains 29,499 total articles including 5,623 entirely new entries added during that revision cycle. Researchers found 20,374 biographies covering composers performers and writers on music within these pages.
Who created a hoax entry about Dag Henrik Esrum-Hellerup in the first printing of the 1980 New Grove?
Robert Layton wrote a hoax entry about Dag Henrik Esrum-Hellerup appearing only in the first printing of the 1980 New Grove before removal. The surname derived from a Danish village and Copenhagen suburb yet no such composer ever existed.