At a time when our aural world teems with a diverse variety of music - jazz, rock, pop, folk, African, Caribbean, Indonesian, Western, to name a few - it might seem odd to focus on just one type. But Musica is unashamedly a book about the great classical European tradition of composers and their craft. It brings this unique tradition to life not just through the lavish illustrations but, most importantly, by placing it in its historical, political, social, and artistic context.