This volume serves as a comprehensive reference tool designed to provide authoritative definitions and historical context for a vast array of musical terminology, composers, and performance practices. The editors, Michael Kennedy, Joyce Bourne Kennedy, and Tim Rutherford-Johnson, leverage their extensive backgrounds in musicology and lexicography to curate a resource that bridges the gap between academic rigor and general accessibility. By synthesizing historical data with contemporary musical developments, the text functions as a foundational guide for both practitioners and enthusiasts.

Experts and musicologists frequently cite this dictionary as a standard reference work due to its balance of breadth and precision. Readers often note that the prose is accessible to amateurs while maintaining the technical accuracy required by professional musicians.