Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

484 results found

Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel

(Encyclopedia)Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel bäkh [key], 1714–88, German composer; second son of J. S. Bach, his only teacher. While harpsichordist at the court of Frederick the Great, where his chief duty for 28 y...

Gardiner, Sir John Eliot

(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, ...

Lutsk

(Encyclopedia)Lutsk lo͝otsk [key] Pol. Łuck, city (1989 pop. 198,000), capital of Volyn region (see Volhynia), Ukraine, a port on the Styr River. Its industries produce scientific instruments, food products, and ...

Maury, Matthew Fontaine

(Encyclopedia)Maury, Matthew Fontaine fŏntānˈ môrˈē [key], 1806–73, American hydrographer and naval officer, b. near Fredericksburg, Va. Appointed a midshipman in 1825, he saw varied sea duty until a stagec...

psychrometer

(Encyclopedia)psychrometer sīkrŏmˈĭtər [key], one of many instruments used for measuring the water vapor content or relative humidity of the atmosphere. It consists of two identical thermometers—the wet-bulb...

particle detector

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Particle detector—Bubble chamber: A. Pressure drops as piston is raised; B. Charged particles passing through chamber ionize atoms in liquid; C. Bubbles form around atoms and form visible tra...

tsunami

(Encyclopedia)tsunami tso͝onäˈmē [key], series of catastrophic ocean waves generated by submarine movements, which may be caused by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides beneath the ocean, or an asteroid ...

country music

(Encyclopedia)country music, American popular music form originating in the Southern and Western United States. Country music is directly descended from the folk songs, ballads, and popular songs of the English, Sc...

Innsbruck

(Encyclopedia)Innsbruck ĭnsˈbro͝ok [key], city, capital of Tyrol prov., SW Austria, on the Inn River. A ...

Harbin

(Encyclopedia)Harbin härˈbĭn [key], Rus. Kharbin, city (1994 est. pop. 2,505,200), capital of Heilongjiang prov., China, on the Songhua River. It is the major trade and communications center of central Manchuria...