The best and deepest book on classical music and fine arts in general that I have ever seen is "The Commonwealth of Art" by Curt Sachs. It is currently out of print but second hand copies are available from online retailers. "The Language of Music " by Deryck Cook is also a profound book and may also be out of print. For many years it was rejected by the Modernist avant garde academic establishment but now in our more diverse postmodern times, these books can come out of the closet. Neither of these are for the casual reader. Jan Jarvlepp