This book deals with musical creation in the Renaissance centuries from a different perspective than usual. He does not reject the study of the great composers and their works, but, instead of addressing them in an "individual" way, he emphasizes other aspects: giving due importance to the sacred, profane and instrumental genres, he invites readers to have considering not just who made the music, but who promoted (and financed) and listened to it, who kept and owned it, and what social and aesthetic purposes it served.

Also, dealing with broader themes, such as music and literary imagination or the art of improvisation, allows him to describe the musical encounters of Europeans with other cultures and places.