Master the language of music with a concise, pocket-sized reference.
This primer offers a practical guide to musical terms, abbreviations, and quick reference facts. It presents core definitions and common usages in a clear, accessible format, designed for immediate help during study or practice.
Edited by Sir John Stainer, the book covers essential terms, the abbreviations used in scores, and practical notes that are widely used by musicians, students, and professionals. It is a compact, user-friendly companion for anyone learning or working with music notation and terminology.
- Clear definitions of common terms and concepts you’ll see in scores and lesson material
- Extensive abbreviations and their meanings, to speed up reading and study
- Practical guidance suitable for students, teachers, and performers
- A compact, portable reference you can carry in your kit or pocket
Ideal for readers seeking a reliable reference to musical terms and abbreviations, whether for coursework, rehearsal, or personal study.
This dictionary, by the composer Sir John Stainer and W. A. Barrett, was first published by Novello in 1876 and subsequently ran to several editions. 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'.