- Critical Assaults on Composers Since Beethoven's Time

Nicolas Slonimskyn Lexicon of Musical Invective ("Musiikillisen herjauksen sanakirja") on tunnettuja säveltäjiä ja heidän teoksiaan kohdanneiden kriittisten hyökkäysten antologia. Lukija löytää kirjasta puolueellisia, epäreiluja, pahantuulisia ja tavattoman epäprofeetallisia muusikoiden ja arvostelijoiden tuomioita.

Nicolas Slonimsky's Lexicon of Musical Invective is an anthology of critical assaults on well-known composers and their works. Here the reader will find biased, unfair, ill-tempered, and singularly unprophetic judgments by musicians and reviewers. Also included is the author's "Invection", an index to the nasty words and phrases found in the book.

"The Finale of [Beethoven's Ninth Symphony] is to me for the most part dull and ugly... Oh, the pages of stupid and hopelessly vulgar music! The unspeakable cheapness of the chief tune 'Freude!, Freude!'!"
- Philip Hale, eminent American music critic, 1899