The title of a great musical composition is not always a clear or simple matter. An allusive title, particularly in a foreign language, or a title that does not seem related to the work, can confuse even the most devoted music lover.
Here are histories of the creation of 3,500 titles for symphonies, operas, oratorios, ballets, orchestral works, choral works, chamber music, keyboard compositions, and songs, ranging from the popular to the obscure. Each entry (arranged by English, French, German, Italian or Spanish title) includes alternate titles where appropriate, the composer’s name, date of composition and first performance, opus number where appropriate, a description of the work, and the origin of the title or any story behind it. A bibliography and an index conclude the work.

The late Adrian Room was a noted toponymist and onomastician. The author of more than 50 reference books about words and names, he lived in Stamford, Lincolnshire, England.

Adrian Room
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 304
Bibliographic Info: bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2008 [2000]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-3890-7
eISBN: 978-1-4766-1059-7
Imprint: McFarland

Introduction      1

MUSIC TITLES      7

Bibliography      291

Index of Composers      293

“comprehensive…recommended”—Catholic Library World; “authoritative and well documented…excellent. Recommended”—The Book Report; “fun to browse through…fascinating bits of musical history”—ARBA; “well suited for use in general and ready-reference collections as well as in more subject-specific collections of academic and public libraries”—Booklist; “listings describe the origin of each composition’s title and the story behind the music. A handy reference”—C&RL News; “especially useful in junior high or high school libraries”—VOYA.