Publications

This early music dictionary, conceived between 1892 and 1894, is a treasure trove for music historiographers focusing on the Spanish perspective. Conceived by critic and music historian Felipe Pedrell, considered one of the fathers of contemporary Spanish music and musicology, it contains nearly 10,000 entries, many of which provide definitions of genres, terms, and instruments specific to the Spanish and Hispanic realm, such as romance, copla, yarabí, triste, and vihuela. Pedrell had consulted existing dictionaries as a foundation for his endeavor. At the time one of the key reference works for music researchers, the dictionary saw three further editions, attesting to the wide use and popularity of the work. Indeed, the dictionary has been highly popular due to its accessible language. Pedrell outfitted it with 117 engravings and 52 music examples. A supplement provides additional key terms. In his preface, Pedrell offered the first critical account of international music lexicography since its origins, beginning with the work of Tinctoris, and of Spanish dictionaries up to his time, noting poor quantity and quality. His deep knowledge of lexicographic techniques also surfaces in the delimitations of content and form that a specialized music dictionary should present according to him: the Diccionario técnico de la música was meant to record purely musical meanings, and offer a consistent linguistic style with clarity, accuracy, and conciseness in the definitions. Pedrell saw it as legitimate to copy the definitions of what he regarded as the “most authoritative predecessors”.