As the author explains in his Preface, neither this book nor the Young Person's Guide to Opera reviewed below is aimed so much at the young person as it is at the inexperienced but interested spectator or listener. The tone throughout is conversational without being patronizingly chatty, rather like the sort of lecture a person well-schooled in the field would give to an uninitiated friend. By concert music the author means orchestral music, and his survey includes a history, a breakdown of forms, an explanation of the instruments which compose the orchestra and of the functions pertaining to the orchestra. The book is short and not at all inclusive; however, the author has chosen his material wisely to offer information which a novice will retain, which he can directly apply to what he observes, and which will encourage further investigation. The book is interesting as a basic introduction but not as useful as the misleading term ""guide"" implies, for in neither book are there recommendations of musical selections to investigate, recorded music, or performers which would appeal to the beginner. There are also no bibliographies, and the indexes are abbreviated.