The Cambridge Assignments in Music series features a variety of books, audio cassettes and CDs including History of Music, Popular Music, Performing and Responding and Popular Music. This book presents a brief outline of the history of western music, covering all important areas, with the main emphasis on recognition of style and period. A checklist of pointers, or 'fingerprints' of music style, is included for each period and the book ends with a main summary chart. The book is intended to help GCSE candidates in areas of the examination which involve the history of music and music styles, especially in questions where they are asked to identify the period and composer of previously unheard pieces of music.