MIchael Rosen Terms Used in Percussion: The Dictionary
Michael Rosen – Terms Used in Percussion: The Dictionary is the most complete percussion dictionary available: 160 pages, over 3,500 terms, instantly searchable by word or phrase.
Michael Rosen has been researching percussion terms for over 50 years! Without question, he is the world’s foremost authority concerning what composers means when they call for a certain instrument or a certain technique.
Staring in 1974, “I received a grant (Powers Travel Grant) from Oberlin to travel to Europe to research the terms used by European percussionists. I would go to the studio of percussionists in Europe and show them a 3x5 card with the name of an instrument on it. I would then ask them to show me the instrument they would pick if they saw this term in the music. In this way, without suggesting an instrument or trying to translate it, they would pick out which one they would use, and I would write in English which instrument they chose.”
This publication presents Michael Rosen's extensive research into the specialized
terminology of percussion performance across solo, chamber, orchestral, and operatic repertoire. Through thousands of hours of meticulous investigation, Rosen traced terms to their sources and consulted with percussionists worldwide to determine specific meanings and usage. His thorough scholarship and relentless pursuit of accuracy have created a dictionary with unparalleled authenticity in the field.
One of the great advantages of having this document in PDF format is the ability to instantly search for any term and find its definition in less than a second. Beyond simple definitions, you'll discover the language of origin and often a more precise interpretation than you might assume when encountering the word outside its musical context.