Musicalisches Lexikon

music encyclopaedia by Walther

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July 1, 2026

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The Musicalisches Lexikon was a groundbreaking music encyclopaedia compiled by Johann Gottfried Walther and completed in 1732. It was the first of its kind in the world to integrate biography, bibliography, and musical terms. Walther, a German organist and composer, was a pioneer in musical lexicography. His work remains a valuable resource for understanding Baroque music. The Musicalisches Lexikon is considered a significant contribution to the field of musicology, which is the scholarly study of music, encompassing its history, theory, and various forms across cultures.123

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Chemistry, music, and philosophy
…of music, in which the Musikalisches Lexikon (1732; “Musical Lexicon”) of the German composer and music lexicographer Johann Gottfried Walther began the trend and was supplemented by the very successful Historisch-biographisches Lexicon der Tonkünstler (1790–92; “Historical and Biographical Lexicon of Musicians”) of the German organist and music historian Ernst Ludwig…
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…of music, in which the Musikalisches Lexikon (1732; “Musical Lexicon”) of the German composer and music lexicographer Johann Gottfried Walther began the trend and was supplemented by the very successful Historisch-biographisches Lexicon der Tonkünstler (1790–92; “Historical and Biographical Lexicon of Musicians”) of the German organist and music historian Ernst Ludwig…
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Johann Gottfried Walther
Walther’s Musicalisches Lexikon, completed in 1732 (reissued 2001, with notes), was the first major music dictionary published in German and the first music encyclopaedia in the world to include biography, bibliography, and musical terms. It remains an invaluable source in the study of Baroque music. A…
Read More
Walther’s Musicalisches Lexikon, completed in 1732 (reissued 2001, with notes), was the first major music dictionary published in German and the first music encyclopaedia in the world to include biography, bibliography, and musical terms. It remains an invaluable source in the study of Baroque music. A…
Read More