In this new and final collection, Richard Taruskin gathers a sweeping range of keynote speeches reviews, and critical essays from the first twenty years of the twenty-first century. With twenty-three essays in total, this volume includes lectures delivered in Budapest on Hungarian music and essays on Russian music. Reviews of contemporary work in musicology and reflections on the place of music in society showcase Taruskin's trademark wit and breath. Musical Lives and Times Examined is an essential collection, a comprehensive portrait of a distinguished figure in music studies, illuminating the ideas that have transformed the discipline and will continue to do so.