The term "musical thinking" refers to the attempt to explore possibilities of thought through music. The book focuses primarily on the period between Boethius (around 500) and the 15th century. This period was rediscovered in the 20th century in music history and is occasionally contrasted with the period between 1662 and 1879 as a counter-world.

The volume emphasizes the following aspects: the specific way of reflection that characterized the concept of "music" during the time between Aristotle and Leibniz; the musical process as a temporal sequence of order - disorder - order. Additionally, various models of thought are presented. Some are based on the contrast between abstract and concrete; others refer to situational and operational thinking. The book is interdisciplinary in nature and includes introductory materials on neume studies as well as modal and mensural notation.