This Very Short Introduction to music invites us to really think about music. Drawing on a number of accessible examples, Nicholas Cook prompts us to call on our own personal musical experiences in order to think more critically about the roles of the performer and the listener, about music as a commodity and an experience, what it means to understand music, and the values that we ascribe to music. Beginning with a sampling of music as human activity the text then goes on to consider the slippery phenomenon of how music has become an object of thought, of critical reflection, of contemplation, of calculation and of the relation between music and society. With references to all types of music from classical to rock, and from New York, South Africa, China and beyond, this Very Short Introduction should be of interest to beginner and expert alike. This book is intended for any student planning to read music/musicology at degree level, A-level students, and all lovers of music.