Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Scharnhorst, Gerhard Johann David von gĕrˈhärt yōˈhän däˈvēt fən shärnˈhôrst [key], 1755–1813, Prussian general. A Hanoverian army officer, military writer, and director of the war coll...

(Encyclopedia) Butenandt, Adolf Friedrich Johann, 1903–95, German biochemist, Ph.D. Univ. of Göttingen, 1927. Butenandt held academic posts at the Univ. of Göttingen (1927–33) and the Institute of Technology a...

(Encyclopedia) Mendel, Gregor Johann grāˈgôr yōˈhän mĕnˈdəl [key], 1822–84, Austrian monk noted for his experimental work on heredity. He entered the Augustinian monastery in Brno in 1843, taught at a loc...

(Encyclopedia) figured bass, in music, a system of shorthand notation in which figures are written below the notes of the bass part to indicate the chords to be played. Called also thorough bass and basso continuo, ...

(Encyclopedia) symphony [Gr.,=sounding together], a sonata for orchestra. The Italian operatic overture, called sinfonia, was standardized by Alessandro Scarlatti at the end of the 17th cent. into three sections, th...

(Encyclopedia) Ksar el Kebir ksär ĕl kĕbĭrˈ [key], city (1994 pop. 107,065), N Morocco. The name also appears as Alcazarquivir and Al Qasr al Kabir. Near the city on Aug. 4, 1578, the Moroccans soundly defeated...

(Encyclopedia) Gardiner, Sir John Eliot, 1943–, English conductor, studied King's College, Cambridge, and with Nadia Boulanger in Paris. Known particularly for performances of baroque music on period instruments, ...

(Encyclopedia) Wittgenstein, Ludwig Josef Johann loŏtˈvĭkh yōˈzĕf yōˈhän vĭtˈgənshtīn [key], 1889–1951, Austrian philosopher, b. Vienna. The second phase of Wittgenstein's philosophy commenced with ...

(Encyclopedia) Donostia: see San Sebastián, Spain. ...

(Encyclopedia) Reger, Max mäks rāˈgər [key], 1873–1916, German composer; he studied with Hugo Riemann in Wiesbaden. Through his sensitive interpretations of Mozart and Bach he won acclaim as a pianist. In 1901...