Five straight lines : a history of music / Andrew Gant.
| Author/creator | Gant, Andrew, 1963- |
| Format | Book |
| Publication Info | London : Profile Books Ltd, 2021. |
| Description | 646 pages : illustrations, music ; 24 cm |
| Subjects |
| Contents | Part 1. Music in the ancient world (40,000 BCE-500 CE). Bone flutes and magic, Far East and Middle Earth: prehistory and the music of the ancient civilisations -- Part 2. The medieval world (500-1400). Love and astronomy: art and science in the Medieval Age ; The sound of the sacred -- Part 3. Renaissance (1400-1600). 'To Rome for everything ...': music in the Catholic world ; Reformation -- Part 4. Baroque (1600-1759). Vespers and Vivaldi: the Catholic South ; Violins and Versailles: France ; Purcell, Handel, Bach and the Bachs: baroque music in Protestant Northern Europe -- Part 5. Classicism (1740-90). 'Bach is the father, we are the children': Enlightenment and the birth of the Classical Age ; 'Let there be light': Haydn, Mozart and Vienna -- Part 6. The Romantic century (1770-1914). I, genius: Weber, Beethoven, Schubert and their world ; 1812: overture ; A tradition fulfilled: symphony, symphonists and sonata ; Elephants, arias and the gods at twilight: opera -- Part 7. The age of anxiety (1888-1975). A tradition renewed: Mahler and Sibelius ; The challenge of Modernism: Schoenberg, Stravinsky and how to avoid them ; America and the jazz era ; Ways ahead: Britten, Messiaen, Copland, Shostakovich and their world -- Part 8. Stockhausen and Sgt. Pepper (1945-2000). Moderner than thou: Darmstadt, electronic and experimental music, and the legacy of Schoenberg ; Industry and artistry: pop music -- Part 9. The way we live now (2000-[infinity symbol]). World music, girl power and white men in white ties. |
| Abstract | Whether you prefer Baroque or pop, Theremins or violins, the music you love and listen to shapes your world. But what shaped the music? How was it made? And what makes it work? Ranging across time and space, the author takes us on a grand musical tour from music's origins in prehistory right up to the twenty-first century. Charting the leaps in technology, thought and practice that led to extraordinary revolutions of music in each age, this book tells the story of the twisting paths that music has taken to reach our ears. The author guides us through medieval Europe, Renaissance Italy and Jazz-era America to reveal the rich history of music we still listen to today, from opera and sonatas to electronica and pop. The author brings to life the people who made the music, and reveals the secrets of their techniques and instruments, and the musical rules that made their harmonies, chords and structures work so brilliantly. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN | 9781781257777 (hardcover) |
| ISBN | 1781257779 (hardcover) |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Music | Music Stacks | ML160 .G36 2021 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |