This study investigates the origins of the musical canon in eighteenth-century England, specifically examining how the concept of 'ancient music' emerged as a cultural and social phenomenon. William V. Weber, a scholar of music history, utilizes archival research and performance records to argue that the reverence for older musical works was not merely an aesthetic choice but a reflection of political and social ideologies. By analyzing the transition from contemporary performance to the institutionalization of historical works, the author demonstrates how these early practices established the foundation for the nineteenth-century classical tradition.

Music historians recognize this work as a foundational text for understanding the sociological roots of the Western classical canon. Scholars frequently cite the book for its rigorous examination of how institutional structures and ideological shifts influenced the formation of musical taste.