The competition to win a copy of the latest edition of the Oxford Dictionary of Music is now closed and the winner has been notified.
Thank you to everyone who entered.
The answer was 1st January 1978 – the birthdate of Tarik O’Regan 25th April 1978, the birthdate of Luke Bedford. He was also the youngest composer in the previous edition: I chose not to add anyone younger than this, although there are a number of good contenders for the 7th edition…
P.S. If you would like a taste of the dictionary’s contents, check out this Brief History of Western Music, compiled from entries from Gregorian chant to House.
Update: An earlier version of this post mistakenly listed Tarik O’Regan as the youngest composer in the dictionary. On a recount it turned out in fact to be Luke Bedford, born a few months later, in the same year. In the event this does not change the outcome of the competition, as the original winner’s guess was still the closest submitted. I apologise for any confusion.
Now oxford is doing something for music. Great news. To me, all musicians need to have this music dictionary.