Encyclopedia of Percussion

Book excerpt: A valuable resource for all music enthusiasts;The opening section of this first-stop reference source offers over 3,000 alphabetically arranged short definitions of percussion instruments and terms and is a valuable resource for the student, scholar, performer, and teacher coping with names of western and non-western instruments in several languages. Each definition covers the manufacturer, inventor or designer, the country of origin (including regional cultural significance and general usage, such as orchestra, band, jazz, ethnic), musical examples, compositions, and important books and publishers. The Encyclopedia also features a who's who of percussionists Written by well known experts;The bulk of the Encyclopedia consists of 28 new articles by noted scholars who explore their topics in detail, provide basic information for ready reference, and include a selective bibliography as a starting point for further research. The coverage is rounded out by a comprehensive index, internal cross-references, lists, illustrations, and a glossary of percussion instruments and terms in four languages, as well as an extensive bibliography of percussion methods. Major features:; Defines 3,000 instrument terms and forms; Presents a table of 350 percussion instruments and terms and their equivalents in English, French, German, and Italian; Covers Western and non-Western instruments; Provides 28 signed articles on families of instruments and other important topics; Over 100 illustrations; Offers practical information for performers; Easy to use for students and general readers