Library: Performing Arts by Credo Reference: Books

Music

Musical Terms, Symbols and Theory: An Illustrated Dictionary
Fully cross referenced, this dictionary is an authoritative source for researchers, musicologists, professional musicians, teachers and students of music, and educated members of the public.
Opera: The Great Composers and their Masterworks
An introduction to four hundred years of opera and its composers with recommended key recordings for the key opera singers.
The Faber Companion to 20th Century Popular Music
The Faber Companion to 20th Century Pop Music has established itself as the classic reference work in this area. From Abba to ZZ Top, through Noel Coward, the Skatalites and The Stone Roses, this book covers the major players in the vast history of popular music in the twentieth century. With varied entries covering everything from bebop to western swing by way of psychedelic rock, Phil Hardy's indispensable book maps out a stimulating and informative cultural history of the century in popular music.
The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music
A guide to the thousands of characters, from humble artisan to lofty genius, who people the unfolding history of music, this volume brings together all the pertinent biographical information about composers, performers, music theorists, and instrument makers from the days of praise chants to the bop and pop of today.
The Harvard Dictionary of Music
Wide ranging and reliable, this treasure trove includes entries on all the styles and forms in Western music; comprehensive articles on the music of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Near East; descriptions of instruments enriched by historical background; and articles that reflect today's beat, including popular music, jazz, and rock.
The New Penguin Dictionary of Music
Succinct and comprehensive guide to the history, forms, and personalities of classical music. Readers will find biographies of thousands of composers from Albinoni to Zappa, with in-depth treatment of major figures, coverage of individual works, including plot summaries of operas and ballets, articles on the history of music and instruments, entries on musical forms, from medieval plainchant to contemporary minimalism, and clear definitions of technical terms and jargon.

Film

Encyclopedic Dictionary of Women in Early American Films: 1895-1930
Examine women’s contributions to film - in front of the camera and behind it!
Chambers Film Factfinder
A collection of useful and often fascinating information on many aspects of film, from the early days of silent cinema to the twenty-first century.

Theater

The Cambridge Guide to Theatre
Offers a wealth of information on the history and present practice of theatre in all parts of the world. Written by a team of international experts, it clearly depicts the dynamic interaction of performance traditions from all cultures in present-day theatre. While saluting the history and traditions of 'high' art in the theatre, the Guide also celebrates the importance of 'low' art: the energy and animation that has infused popular theatre and popular entertainment for thousands of years
Shakespeare's Theatre: A Dictionary of His Stage Context
Reviews current knowledge of the character and operation of theatres in Shakespeare's time, with an explanation of their origins. Coverage includes the practices of Elizabethan actors and script writers: methods of characterization; gesture, blocking and choreography, including music, dance and fighting; actors' rhetorical interaction with audiences; and use of costumes, stage props, and make-up.