The criterion of selection here is the exact opposite to that of a press agent. Instead of picking a quotably flattering phrase out of context from an otherwise tepid review, the Lexicon of Musical Invective cites biased, unfair, ill-tempered, and singularly unprophetic judgments.

Nicolas Slonimsky, Lexicon of musical invective: critical assaults on composers since Beethoven's time, New York, 2000, p. 3