Musical Terminology: A Comparative Dictionary in Four Languages

"Our present system of musical notation can prescribe precisely what is to be played; however, it can only hint, and very vaguely at best, at how it is to be played. To aid the performer in the "how," descriptive terms are employed. ...[But] terms designed to aid can also confuse or obscure the composer's intentions unless there is a common musical understanding shared by both the composer and performer. It is with the intent to further that understanding that this compendium was compiled: to broaden the ground shared by the composer and performer by making available additional synonyms from which the composer could select suitable language and also to which the performer could refer." -David L. Boccagna (Introduction)

This book was originally published by Pendragon Press in 1999.