Historical Dictionary of Choral Music - (Historical Dictionaries of Literature and the Arts) 2nd Edition by Melvin P Unger (Hardcover)

About the Book

Historical Dictionary of Choral Music, Second Edition contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has more than 1,300 cross-referenced entries on composers, conductors, choral ensembles, choral genres, and choral repertoire.

Book Synopsis

A Library Journal Starred Review (March 2024) praises the book as a "remarkable resource that will please both musical professionals and amateurs, along with teachers and their students, and conductors and singers."
Throughout the ages, people have wanted to sing in a communal context. This desire apparently stems from a deeply rooted human instinct. Consequently, choral performance historically has often been related to human rituals and ceremonies, especially rites of a religious nature.
Historical Dictionary of Choral Music, Second Edition contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has more than 1,300 cross-referenced entries on composers, conductors, choral ensembles, choral genres, and choral repertoire. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about choral music.

Review Quotes

"This second edition of Unger's book is an excellent guide to choral music....This extraordinary new edition adds 300 entries to the original 1,000 and updates many existing ones. Alphabetically arranged, the listings are generally a paragraph or two, except for longer entries on composers such as Bach, Handel, Haydn, among other key musical artists. Unger includes a basic chronology and an exceptional bibliography that's divided into sections ranging from general reference works and general studies of choral music to guides of repertoire, examinations of traditions, activities by region, and studies of individual composers and conductors. A remarkable resource that will please both musical professionals and amateurs, along with teachers and their students, and conductors and singers." --Library Journal, Starred Review

"Unger has provided choral directors and musicologists with an expanded second edition of his Historical Dictionary of Choral Music (CH, Dec'10, 48-1810), first published more than a decade ago. Included are more than three-hundred additional entries for composers, choral directors, choral groups, and terms. New entries are not confined to contemporary personalities and ensembles; biographical commentaries dealing with less-known composers of the Renaissance, baroque, and classic periods who made important contributions to the choral repertoire are also included. As is the case with the first edition, composers whose choral works do not play a significant role in the international repertoire are omitted. Unger gives much attention to the bibliography, which is almost twice as long as that of the first edition. Most entries are for English-language sources, but there are also a few listings of important sources in German and other languages. Since this republication is an expanded rather than a revised edition, those who own the earlier edition should replace it with this one. A valuable resource for well-developed choral programs. Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; professionals." --Choice Reviews

"This welcome new edition of Mel Unger's Historical Dictionary of Choral Music, like the first, will no doubt prove to be an indispensable resource for choral conductors and choral music enthusiasts, students and professionals alike. A wealth of practical information, carefully curated and organized by a seasoned conductor and teacher." --Jeffrey Douma, The Marshall Bartholomew Professor in the Practice of Choral Music, Yale School of Music

"I found the first edition of Mel Unger's Dictionary a wonderful resource as I know it will have been for other conductors and singers, teachers and students, professionals and amateurs alike!

Working as a mixture of the above who never has enough time for the detailed research to which we all aspire, this book has been my constant and invaluable companion and I am delighted that there is now a second updated edition. Thank you Professor Unger!" --Simon Carrington, Founder, The King's Singers; Professor Emeritus, Yale University

I found the first edition of Mel Unger's Dictionary a wonderful resource as I know it will have been for other conductors and singers, teachers and students, professionals and amateurs alike!

Working as a mixture of the above who never has enough time for the detailed research to which we all aspire, this book has been my constant and invaluable companion and I am delighted that there is now a second updated edition. Thank you Professor Unger!

This second edition of Unger's book is an excellent guide to choral music....This extraordinary new edition adds 300 entries to the original 1,000 and updates many existing ones. Alphabetically arranged, the listings are generally a paragraph or two, except for longer entries on composers such as Bach, Handel, Haydn, among other key musical artists. Unger includes a basic chronology and an exceptional bibliography that's divided into sections ranging from general reference works and general studies of choral music to guides of repertoire, examinations of traditions, activities by region, and studies of individual composers and conductors. A remarkable resource that will please both musical professionals and amateurs, along with teachers and their students, and conductors and singers.

This welcome new edition of Mel Unger's Historical Dictionary of Choral Music, like the first, will no doubt prove to be an indispensable resource for choral conductors and choral music enthusiasts, students and professionals alike. A wealth of practical information, carefully curated and organized by a seasoned conductor and teacher.

Unger has provided choral directors and musicologists with an expanded second edition of his Historical Dictionary of Choral Music (CH, Dec'10, 48-1810), first published more than a decade ago. Included are more than three-hundred additional entries for composers, choral directors, choral groups, and terms. New entries are not confined to contemporary personalities and ensembles; biographical commentaries dealing with less-known composers of the Renaissance, baroque, and classic periods who made important contributions to the choral repertoire are also included. As is the case with the first edition, composers whose choral works do not play a significant role in the international repertoire are omitted. Unger gives much attention to the bibliography, which is almost twice as long as that of the first edition. Most entries are for English-language sources, but there are also a few listings of important sources in German and other languages. Since this republication is an expanded rather than a revised edition, those who own the earlier edition should replace it with this one. A valuable resource for well-developed choral programs. Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; professionals.

About the Author

Melvin P. Unger is Director Emeritus of the School of Music at the State University of New York (Fredonia). He previously served as Director of the Riemenschneider Bach Institute at Baldwin Wallace University in Berea Ohio. During his career in Canada and the USA, he has directed choirs of all types and ages.