The Gift of Music is a series of studies about the great composers of classical music. More than just biographical sketches, they succeed very well in presenting how these composers continue to influence us today as well as detailing their place in music history. Although each composer is allotted only five to nine pages, the authors manage to pack a good deal of information into that space. They create a vivid picture of each composer that is never dry or boring. Each chapter includes lists for recommended reading and recommended listening. The Gift of Music is written from a Christian perspective, which is expressed in discussion of a composer's religious beliefs and how his music contributed to Christianity or not. The authors do not limit the studies to Christian composers. All composers are examined with respect and an understanding of how their music was informed by their beliefs.

The Gift of Music also includes a chapter on the "Psalms in Western Music History," a chart of "Music in the Flow of History and the Arts," a bibliography, glossary, and index. The third edition includes additional composers Rossini, the Strauss Family, Saint-Sa‰ns, Richard Strauss, Gershwin, and Shostakovich. It also contains chapters on Shakespeare's influence on great composers and Christmas carols. In all, the book covers 46 composers.

The Gift of Music would make a fine core text for a high school course in classical music appreciation, supplemented by selections from the recommended listening lists and an overall book like Classical Music 101 by Fred Plotkin, which goes more in depth on how to listen to classical music, the instruments, and the forms.