A book that will enable the reader to have a greater understanding of music's role in our lives, this is a comprehensive study of the history of music from antiquity to the modern era. This book makes its subject matter lively and engaging by including loads of information in a way that the reader can easily grasp with its clearly-written narrative, use of illustrations, information boxes, composer profiles, and generous quantities of interesting material, such as composers' letters and critic's reviews of music throughout the ages. A two-volume anthology and an eight CD set of carefully chosen musical scores are included with this book. This book maintains the traditional divisions of music history: Antiquity, Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Twentieth Century, all connected by themes such as texture, melody, harmony, rhythm, and composers, which allow the reader to compare and contrast the different elements of musical style throughout the ages.