This is a biographical index of classical instrumentalists, singers, conductors, ensembles and orchestras throughout history and with particular emphasis on the present day. This book was conceived as a companion volume to the Penguin Dictionary of Music , it is intended as a handbook of the current musical world and to the many once-famous performers who in the past have played an integral part in the development of the music of their time. The dictionary itself provides information about who were the most important performers covering a period of 1000 years of Western music making.