J. Machlis's book "The Enjoyment of Music" examines the journey of Western Music chronologically from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. From the troubadours, Palestrina, Bach, and Beethoven to Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Webern, and Varèse, from Gregorian chant, baroque opera, cantata, and oratorio to classical symphony, concerto, and sonata, from romantic song, program music, and musical drama to impressionism, the new European scene, the Second Viennese School, electronic music, and new trends.

The reader is taken on a wonderful journey into the world of music:

• The composers - their lives and works
• The organization of sound - melody - harmony - rhythm, the building blocks of musical creation
• The construction of form, the changes in style over time and periods, the variety of genres, the means of expression
• The instruments - musical ensembles - musicians and the conductor

The edition is complemented with references:

• To American folk music, ragtime, blues, rock, jazz, and musical theater.
• To the languages of non-Western music and their influence on musical thought, multicultural intersections.
• To the socio-historical perspective and the role of the musician.
• To the place of women in musical evolution and creation.