Willi Apel (1893–1988)

Although somewhat dated, Apel's tome remains one of the standard works on early keyboard music. For each general time period, Apel discusses the primary sources, schools, forms, and composers.

Well, there's the book as published by Apel, which of course stands for itself, and this instance of the book as published by “Benediction Classics” of Oxford.
The book on offer here (specifically ISBN 1849028044) is a print on demand reprint of the fourth edition from 1949, not the fifth edition from 1961. For some reason some material is missing: the original title page, together with the front matter and the first six pages (i-vi) of the prefatory material. I must find a copy of the show more original and determine precisely what has been omitted, and why. [Seems to be copyright information and dedication.] The binding of this edition is cheap and nasty (glued in) and I don’t expect it stand up to extended usage. Caveat emptor. show less

This was one of the required texts for a required Music Appreciation class in college. That class actually did inspire an interest in and love for classical music, so I found this book very useful beyond the class and have kept it on my bookshelves. Very handy if you have any interesting in music.

A music dictionary at hand can often enhance a listening experience. This is one of the best.