Editing Nicolas Slonimsky (section)

=== Writings and musical criticism ===
Throughout his life, Slonimsky wrote extensively for periodicals and newspapers, produced program and liner notes, and contributed to numerous reference works. He described himself as a "diaskeuast" (from [[Greek language|Greek]] διασκευαστής), a "reviser or interpolator". When his conducting career slowed, he spent more time writing about music. He produced the chronology ''Music Since 1900'', and later after travelling in Latin America, produced the first thorough coverage in English, ''Music of Latin America''. In 1947 he published the ''Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns'', which would later become one of his most influential works as a sourcebook for composers and performers. The book influenced many jazz musicians and composers, including [[Allan Holdsworth]], [[John Coltrane]], [[Frank Zappa]], [[Paul Grabowsky]], and [[Steve Rochinski]], and remained in print 60 years later, but was largely ignored for years after its publication. [[Quincy Jones]] said in a February 2018 interview: "Every time I used to see Coltrane he'd have Nicolas Slonimsky's book."<ref>Marchese, David, [http://www.vulture.com/2018/02/quincy-jones-in-conversation.html "In Conversation: Quincy Jones"], ''[[Vulture (magazine)|Vulture]]'', February 7, 2018.</ref>
[[File:Nicolas Slonimsky.JPG|thumb|upright=0.6|left|Slonimsky, before 1996]]
Two books for children followed, ''The Road to Music'' and ''A Thing or Two About Music'', with jokes, anecdotes and puzzles. Then in 1953, Slonimsky brought out the ''Lexicon of Musical Invective'' ("Critical Assaults on Composers since Beethoven's Time"), a collection of hilariously scathing, insulting, vituperative, and enraged contemporary critiques of musical greats in their time. In 1958, he became editor of ''[[Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians]]'', developing a reputation for factual accuracy,<ref name=Kozinn /> and remained its head editor until 1992.