Nicolas Slonimsky: The First Hundred Years celebrates America's leading musicologist, now approaching his centennial year. Still active at one hundred, Slonimsky is probably best known for his scholarly and voluminous writing, which has been indispensable to musicians worldwide. A tribute to his brilliant career as conductor, composer, teacher, and writer, The First Hundred Years reveals Slonimsky at his literary best.

Slonimsky born April 27, 1894, in St. Petersburg, Russia, took his first piano lesson in 1900 and went on to study orchestration at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. In 1937, after holding a number of musical jobs, and fourteen years after coming to America, Slonimsky published his first book, Music Since 1900. Since then, he has become the world's leading musical lexicographer, editing Baker's for over five decades.

For The First Hundred Years the editors have gathered Slonimsky masterpieces including excerpts from his autobiographies, histories, biographies, musical concepts, and translations. The First Hundred Years is the only collection of Slonimsky's writings drawing together selections from Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, Music Since 1900 Lexicon of Musical Invective, Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns, and his autobiographical work, Perfect Pitch.