This volume investigates the evolution of musical composition and notation during the Ars Nova period and the subsequent Renaissance era. Gerald Abraham, a prominent musicologist, utilizes historical manuscripts and theoretical treatises to trace the transition from medieval polyphony to the complex harmonic structures of the sixteenth century. The work argues that these shifts in musical language were intrinsically linked to broader cultural and intellectual changes in European society.

Experts recognize this text as a scholarly contribution to the study of early Western music history. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which assumes a foundational understanding of music theory and historical context.