Lexicon of Musical Invective
Original edition cover. | |
| Author | Nicolas Slonimsky |
|---|---|
| Language | English, German, French |
| Genre | Anthology, music criticism |
| Publisher | Coleman & Ross |
Publication date | 1953 |
| Publication place | United States |
The Lexicon of Musical Invective is an American musicological work by Nicolas Slonimsky. It was first published in 1953, and a second, revised, and expanded edition was released in 1965. The book is an anthology of negative musical critiques, focusing on classical music masterpieces and composers who are now regarded as greats, including Beethoven and Varèse.
The organization of the critiques in this book is meticulous. They are arranged alphabetically by composer and chronologically within each composer's section. The book also includes Invecticon, or "Index of Invectives." This index lists thematic keywords ranging from "aberration" to "zoo," and it references critiques that use these terms.
Slonimsky's structure enables the exposition of the methods and styles employed in the press, ranging from poetic critiques to unexpected comparisons, frequently engendering a comedic effect, for the purpose of deriding contemporary music for readers. The juxtaposition of these critiques, spanning two centuries of divergent aesthetic trends yet unified by opposition to innovation in the arts, engenders a humorous repetition effect.
The author establishes a unifying theme for this collection of humorous works in a prelude entitled Non-Acceptance of the Unfamiliar. The 2000 edition includes a foreword by Peter Schickele titled If You Can't Think of Something Nice to Say, Come Sit Next to Me, which employs humor to analyze Slonimsky's theses and invites readers to engage with the content through a lens of irony.
The Lexicon of Musical Invective is a reference work of particular value to biographers of 19th and early 20th-century composers. Its entries constitute a substantial portion of the musicological references in Dictionary of Folly and Errors in Judgment, a work published in 1965 by Guy Bechtel and Jean-Claude Carrière. The book was translated into Spanish by Mariano Peyrou under the title Repertorio de vituperios musicales in 2016. Concepts developed by Nicolas Slonimsky for classical music are now applied to rock, pop, and other more recent musical genres.