This multi-volume work investigates the comprehensive evolution of classical music from ancient civilizations through the mid-twentieth century. Edited by Egon Wellesz and a cohort of eminent British musicologists, the series utilizes a collaborative scholarly framework to document the development of musical theory, composition, and performance practices. Each volume functions as a specialized historical record, synthesizing archival research and musicological analysis to provide a definitive account of specific chronological eras.

Experts recognize this series as a foundational reference work for academic musicology due to its rigorous scholarly approach. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which serves as a standard resource for researchers and students of music history.