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When European musical notation began in the 8th and 9th centuries, the Western world was already filled with music. Sacred chants and secular songs were rich with melody, rhythm and harmony. Richard Taruskin begins our chronicle with the early music of the church.

Director John Waters, known for making art from sleaze, has a new CD for the season, A John Waters Christmas. It includes such songs as "Here Comes Fatty Claus" and "Little Mary Christmas" — all from the man once crowned the "Pope of Trash" by William Burroughs.

Elvis Presley confidant Jerry Schilling talks about his new book, Me and a Guy Named Elvis: My Lifelong Friendship with Elvis Presley. When Schilling was 12 years old, he met the teenaged Elvis Presley at a north Memphis pickup football game. As Presley rose to fame, Schilling joined him on the rise, eventually becoming creative affairs director for Elvis Presley Enterprises.

As a part of our continuing series of Mozart commentaries, Jane Glover, conductor and author of Mozart's Women, introduces us to the composer's mother, Maria Anne; his sister, Nannerl; and wife, Constanze, pictured at left. All three had an influence on his music.

With writer Penny Valentine, Vicki Wickham is the author of Dancing with Demons: The Authorized Biography of Dusty Springfield. Wickham was Springfield's close friend and manager for over a decade of the enigmatic British singer's career.

Hip-hop didn't always have a violent reputation. In fact, for many in the African-American community it was a revolution and a redemption. Author Jeff Chang chronicles the history of rap in his book Can't Stop, Won't Stop and how it continues to transform the world of popular music.

Music journalist and author Greil Marcus's transcript from the recording sessions of the 1965 Bob Dylan hit. Excerpted from 'Like A Rolling Stone: Bob Dylan at the Crossroads.'

A new collection of photos by Al Wertheimer captures that moment in time when a young man from Tupelo, Miss., went from being a regional heartthrob to an international sensation.

Even 25 years after Bob Marley's death, the reggae legend's music is unmistakable — and his influence remains strong. Marley experts and fans explore the evolution of a classic song, "One Love," and the lasting legacy of reggae's first international star.

"Society's Child," made the singer-songwriter a star at 15. A year later, the same pop song about interracial romance won her a Grammy nomination, but it also resulted in death threats. Ian says the impact of "Society's Child" has remained with her; it's also the title of her recently released autobiography.