Publications

The Handwörterbuch der musikalischen Terminologie is a lexicon specialized in the formation, history, and meaning of musical terms. After extensive preparatory work, it appeared between 1971 and 2006 as a loose-leaf collection in periodic installments, edited initially by Hans Heinrich Eggebrecht (1919–99), and after his death by the musicologist Albrecht Riethmüller. With the 40th loose-leaf delivery in the fall of 2005, the project has been discontinued. The Handwörterbuch comprises 247 terms on over 3700 pages (originally organized in six folders). The lexicographical discipline exercised by the contributors is remarkable; the initial summaries of the treatment accorded to the more complex articles are particularly helpful.