The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians is hosting a contest for lies.
There’s a long history in dictionaries, encyclopedias, and even atlases of including false and funny entries to protect from copyright infringement. If someone steals your encyclopedia, all the actual entries will look fairly similar, but the entry for Lillian Virginia Mountweazel will give the game away.
The Grove has had some classics over the years, and now they’re giving the rest of us the chance to write some ourselves:
In honor of the co-existent traditions of accuracy and humor in the history of Grove Music, the Grove Music editorial staff would like to encourage the proliferation, not of Mountweazels per se, but of the dedication to the stylistic standards that support the content written by thousands of scholars over more than a hundred years. It is therefore my pleasure to announce the first (annual?) Grove Music Spoof Article Contest. Do you have what it takes to write a convincing Grove Music Mountweazel? Then read on.
You have until the end of the month to craft your imaginary entry in accordance with the Grove style. So now’s your chance to compile a complete telharmonium discography or explain undecaphonic polyphony. Good luck!