This beautifully illustrated reference is a guide to the history of music and the instruments of the orchestra. An extended introduction provides a history of music-making around the world and outlines the evolution of the orchestra. It also features famous players, orchestras and concert halls, and the role of the composer and the conductor. A visual directory then follows, organised according to families of instruments: strings, woodwind and brass, percussion and keyboards, and the voice, as well as rare and historical instruments. Comprehensively written and beautifully illustrated with over 450 photographs, the book is an indispensable reference for music lovers everywhere.