Richard Pennycuick:

>With a new edition in the offing, it's likely that the current one will be
>discounted to make it an even more attractive proposition.  ...

Dave Lampson:

>I am very much interested in the Newer Grove, if only because of the
>>potential for expanded works lists.  There are so many composers - some
>of then minor majors - whose works have never been properly catalogued.
>I'm hoping some progress towards rectifying this situation will be made
>with this edition.

As an editor on the 20th Century section of the new edition of Grove I can
confirm that the old edition will indeed undergo another price cut to make
it more attractive.

As far as the information contained in the dictionary is concerned, in
one sense Richard is right.  The additional information on major composer,
particularly those long dead, will not change a great deal.  Many articles
have been recommisioned to reflect new research and opinion but, for most,
the general thrust remains the same.  However, it is in the smaller
articles that big changes will be seen, as Dave says.  There are over
2300 new articles on 20th Century composers and geographical range covered
is vastly increased.  Alongside this is an extension in the work-lists of
almost all composers, with many lists extended to be all encompassing.
We are also aiming to provide as much detail as possible with regard to
instrumentation, avoiding blanket terms such as 'ensemble'.

Also, areas such as pop, jazz, rock etc.  have been expanded and there are
articles to reflect such developments as the issue of gender in music.

The online issue is, I believe, yet to be fully resolved, but at present
the aim is to have a range of costs and options depending on whether you
are a private individual, a university, a company and so on.  We hope it
will be plausible to opt for a certain quantity of online time so rather
than having unlimited access for a month, it will be possible to have x
hours time online which can be spent as and when it is needed.

Robin Newton