The Story of Music: From Babylon to the Beatles: How Music Has Shaped Civilization

A dynamic and expansive tour through 40,000 years of music, from prehistoric instruments to modern-day pop songs.

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 complex.

In his dynamic tour through 40,000 years of music, from prehistoric instruments to modern-day pop, Howard Goodall 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―strikes us with its original force. 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 endeavor and a groundbreaking map of our musical journey. 16 pages of color and B&W photographs

Howard Goodall is an EMMY, BRIT, and BAFTA award-winning composer of choral music, stage musicals, film and TV scores, and a distinguished broadcaster. In recent years he has been England’s first ever National Ambassador for Singing, the Classical Brit Composer of the Year, and Classic FM’s Composer-in-Residence. He was recently appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to music education. He lives in London.