Musical and artistic systems have continuity, growth, and depth, or layers (strata) of elements involved in their implementation. Philosophical questions arise during the creative process that prove to be unavoidable to both the artist during performance, as well as to the analyst later on, and some of their subsequent queries find origins in philosophical issues from various locations around the globe. Many of these questions are ancient, but a few of the relatively newer problems find their roots on the North American continent and its recent history, as well as its indigenous past. In this unique text, Matt Gill has positioned these issues into an order that sheds new historical light upon them, bringing the reader closer toward understanding music's deep influence on American culture, and in turn, America's influence on the philosophy of art in general.