The Story of Five Discoveries that Changed Musical History
Looking back down the corridor of a thousand years, Howard Goodall guides us through the stories of five seismic developments in the history of Western music. His "big bangs" may not be the ones we expect - some are surprising and some are so obvious that we overlook them - but all have had an extraordinary impact.
Goodall has the gift of making complicated musical advances both clear and utterly fascinating. Racy and vivid, his narrative covers such innovations as the invention of notation in the 11th century; the invention of equal temperament, the vital gaps between notes; to the piano; and the first recording made in history.
Musical history is littered with also-rans - not least the Lyraflugel - and so each of Goodall's "big bangs" is chosen on the grounds that music was never the same after its invention. This book opens a window on the crucial moments in our musical culture and tells us a rivetting story of a millennium of endeavour.
