A 2-volume work which is organized chronologically, beginning with the baroque period and ending with modernism. Each chapter begins with a short biographical essay on the composer along with a timeline.

Composer entries focus on discussing and analyzing selected works, which are listed chronologically by date of composition within their genre (e.g. orchestral, chamber, vocal). The sections are brief, as the number of works included ranges from 8 to 12 for each composer. Excerpts from original scores are included in some of the essays. Another added feature is the highlighting of various musical terms with definitions of each term given as marginal aids.