A Dictionary of Music Titles: The Origins of the Names and Titles of 3,500 Musical Compositions

Often, the title of one of the world's great musical compositions is not 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. Titles are arranged alphabetically by most common form, English or other language (with French, German, Italian and Spanish titles usually given in those languages), and each entry includes alternate titles and non-English language versions of the title 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 of composers are included.