The book is meant to be distinctly a book of reference for students rather than a literary or critical survey of a few salient aspects of the subject, or a specialist's report of original research. Aiming at a certain degree of encyclopedic fullness, it brings together facts and conclusions from a great variety of sources. Much labor has been expended in grouping the material in such a way as to give a systematic impression of the enormous field in view. The Contents are divided into the following nine parts: Uncivilized and Ancient Music; Mediaeval Music; The Sixteenth Century; The Seventeenth Century; The Early Eighteenth Century; The Later Eighteenth Century; The Early Nineteenth Century; The Middle Nineteenth Century; and The Later Nineteenth Century.