Throughout history, music has been an important accompaniment to other art forms, most notably drama, and to traditional rituals. Today, music dominates the arts. It is broadcast to the farthest corners of the globe by means of radio, film, television, musical theatre, and the Internet. Live performances, meanwhile, have never ceased to entertain, inform, and impact contemporary society. This comprehensive volume examines music notation, sound, and structure; musical composition and form; the various characteristics of instruments as well as their classification and history, including electronic instruments; musical performance and expression; and styles and genres of music in Western cultures.