The Story of Music cover art

The Story of Music

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

The Story of Music

By: Howard Goodall
Narrated by: Howard Goodall
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £10.34

Buy Now for £10.34

*** Accompanies BBC2's major new TV series and The Story of Music in 50 Pieces on Radio 3 ***

Music is an intrinsic part of everyday life, and yet the history of its development from single notes to multi-layered orchestration can seem bewilderingly specialised and complex.

In his dynamic tour through 40,000 years of music, from prehistoric instruments to modern-day pop, Howard Goodall does away with stuffy biographies, unhelpful labels and tired terminology. Instead he leads us through the story of music as it happened, idea by idea, so that each musical innovation – harmony, notation, sung theatre, the orchestra, dance music, recording, broadcasting – strikes us with its original force. He focuses on what changed when and why, picking out the discoveries that revolutionised man-made sound and bringing to life musical visionaries from the little-known Pérotin to the colossus of Wagner. Along the way, he also gives refreshingly clear descriptions of what music is and how it works: what scales are all about, why some chords sound discordant and what all post-war pop songs have in common.

The story of music is the story of our urge to invent, connect, rebel – and entertain. Howard Goodall’s beautifully clear and compelling account is both a hymn to human endeavour and a groundbreaking map of our musical journey.

 History & Criticism Music Social Sciences Thought-Provoking
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1

Critic reviews

A lively zip through some 45 milennia (Christopher Hart)
Goodall is an engaging and erudite guide and this work is both accessible and illuminating (Caroline Jowett)
Great length but still leavened with lively wit (Sameer Rahim)
[Goodall] knows his stuff, and tells it well (Nicholas Lezard)
Highly knowledgeable, and a brilliant communicator, Goodall has an infectious enthusiasm and is genuinely respectful of all forms of music
Now comes Howard Goodall and all of everyone's prayers are answered ... He is sharply witty and entirely on the ball, but he never acts the smart ass and, most importantly, he obviously has deep knowledge of what he is talking about ... I prophesy that it will not only win prizes but change lives (Rupert Christiansen)
The Story of Music is a lively zip through some 45 millennia … jumping back and forth between classical, folk and pop (Christopher Hart)
An accessible guide to roughly 42,000 years of music in just over 300 pages that manages neither to sacfrifice precise detail nor pugnacious opinion ... Goodall is unfailingly acute ... a clever, engaging read (Stuart Kelly)
He starts right at the beginning, with 25,000-year-old bone flutes ... It's a huge brief, made huger by Goodall's alertness to new thinking in scholarly circles, and his fondness for interesting asides ... a racily written, learned and often shrewdly insightful book (Ivan Hewett)
A roller-coaster ride, which Goodall tells with verve... a racily written, learned and often shrewdly insightful book (Ivan Hewett)
All stars
Most relevant
A great detailed insight of how music has evolved over the centuries
since time began.

great insight

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I'm musical challenged in so many ways having just start to learn my first musical instrument in my 45th year. I decided I would like to catch up on why music is so embedded in our lives and I searched for 'the history of music' and got 'the story of music'. I found the book interesting from start to finish and I've made multiple notes of other books and biographies I will follow it up with. I listened to it with spotify open and as I needed to reference a piece of music I just added it to a playlist. Well written and at a decent pace throughout.

Exactly the book I wanted to hear

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Would you listen to The Story of Music again? Why?

I did try but it would be so much better if there was actual music to accompany the book and the listening

What did you like best about this story?

The detail and pure extent and knowledge of the subject matter

Any additional comments?

A pleasant voice to listen to; and end excellent knowledge of the material.

it would be perfect if only it had links to music

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is a truly outstanding audiobook eloquently read by the author himself. Mr. Goodall's passion and expertise in the subject matter shines through.
It is packed full of fascinating anecdotes, gem facts and details that reveal themselves on each listen. The content is diverse, broad in scope and many controversial subjects (such as sinister and political backstories) are boldly tackled head-on.
Check out Spotify for helpful playlists [filed as HGSOM] of key music and songs mentioned in the text. If you are like me, you'll probably want to research topics covered in more detail; in which case I highly recommend purchasing the superbly written book of the same title, which contains key illustrations, available also digitally for Kindle.
I would wholeheartedly recommended this audiobook for anyone with a keen interest in music history and development and consider this a 'must read' for composers, musicians and anyone who appreciates music, irrespective of knowledge and experience.

Brilliant, thoroughly researched & well-presented!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A very accessible and interesting account of the history of music. Would have liked to hear the pieces mentioned being played.

A charming overview

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews