This is an analysis of popular music from a musical, as opposed to a sociological, biographical or political point of view. The author surveys Western popular music in all its forms - blues, ragtime, music hall, waltzes, marches, parlour ballads and folk music - and uncovers the common musical language which unites these disparate styles. The book examines the split between classical and popular Western music in the 19th and early 20th centuries, shedding light on the serious music of the time. With musical illustrations ranging from Strauss waltzes to Mississippi blues and from the Middle Ages to the 1920s, the author lays bare the tangled roots of the popular music of today.