Musical Revolutions

How the Sounds of the Western World Changed

De: Stuart Isacoff

Narrado por: Jamie Rennell

From the critically acclaimed author of Temperament, a narrative account of the most defining moments in musical history—classical and jazz—all of which forever altered Western culture

"A fascinating journey that begins with the origins of musical notation and travels through the centuries reaching all the way to our time.”—Semyon Bychkov, chief conductor and music director of the Czech Philharmonic

The invention of music notation by a skittish Italian monk in the eleventh century. The introduction of multilayered hymns in the Middle Ages. The birth of opera in a Venice rebelling against the church’s pious restraints. Baroque, Romantic, and atonal music; bebop and cool jazz; Bach and Liszt; Miles Davis and John Coltrane. In telling the exciting story of Western music’s evolution, Stuart Isacoff explains how music became entangled in politics, culture, and economics, giving rise to new eruptions at every turn, from the early church’s attempts to bind its followers by teaching them to sing in unison to the global spread of American jazz through the Black platoons of the First World War.

The author investigates questions like: When does noise become music? How do musical tones reflect the natural laws of the universe? Why did discord become the primary sound of modernity? Musical Revolutions is a book replete with the stories of our most renowned musical artists, including notable achievements of people of color and women, whose paths to success were the most difficult.

©2022 Stuart Isacoff (P)2022 Random House Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“A pianist and composer who performs, writes and lectures on music, Isacoff delves deep into history to discuss the innovations in Western music that we take for granted today. . . . Musical Revolutions covers a staggering amount of material in under 300 pages. It is illustrated with wonderful photographs.”—Martha Anne Toll, The Washington Post

“This history traverses immense territory, drawing unexpected connections between artists. . . . The spirit of revolution reverberates most potently in an almost novelistic account of the eleventh-century monk Guido D’Arezzo’s crusade to standardize music notation. Isacoff’s descriptions frequently help us see anew things we might take for granted.”—The New Yorker

“Brilliantly covered . . . Proceeding from the advent of notation systems, Isacoff magnificently connects future innovations in music to developments in history, literature, and the arts. . . . Musical Revolutions is enchanting and enlightening, an inspiring chronicle of the sounds that reflect the creativity, artistry, and ‘revolutionary spirit’ of humanity.”—George Kendall, Booklist (starred review)