On lavishly designed double pages, musical eras and genres are explained, instruments are introduced, notation forms are shown, compositional principles are elucidated, and peculiarities of the music industry are commented on. About 80 outstanding composers and musicians are presented in detail - including biographies, selected works, and portraits. Composers and contemporaries are quoted in spotlight-like excerpts. The volume also addresses popular music of the 20th and 21st centuries and the music of other world cultures.