I took Craig Wright's class at Yale, from which he wrote the text. The listening exercises are great--not too difficult, more just to guide listening--and it really can help guide a musical novice to proficiency.

Craig Wright not only provides us with a nicely packaged history of music, composers, and culture, but also gives us a peak into the personal lives within the societies of these periods. Each chapter contains excellent listening exercises to be used with works on the included CD and there are excellent illustrations and photographs that "bring you back" to each age of music. I recommend it as a general reference source for accomplished musicians, and as a nice guide for all classical music fans.

Very insightful to the history of Bangladesh. At times it seems to be a little judgmental and may not give an accurate representation of how people actually felt at the time. Also, readers may get confused with all the names, dates, and events that take place, but this is part of Bangladeshi history. Overall, the book was very good and helped me make more sense of the confusing history of Bangladesh.