The Story of Music

October 21, 2013
In this pedantic survey, composer Goodall ploddingly chronicles the innovations and inventions that have shaped the development of music (though classical music is the main focus). He presents some interesting facts—for example, the oldest list of musical instruments dates from 2600 BCE and a Mesopotamian clay tablet that lists various instruments, including the lyre, and provides instruction on playing a lute. In the Middle Ages, Guido of Arezzo came up with a method of notation to aid his choristers in singing songs, and Hildegard of Bingen “added ornamentation and melodic detail outside of the strict confines of standard method” as she composed her own chant tunes. He points out that by 1500 all the main families of musical instruments existed, and he traces briefly the ways that Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, Wagner, Schoenberg, Philip Glass, and Steve Reich, among others, influenced the development of music.

December 1, 2013
A celebrated British composer and broadcaster surveys the evolution and cultural significance of music, from prehistoric caves to Coldplay. There's been nothing too new under the sun about the fundamentals of music since about 1450, begins Goodall (Big Bangs: The Story of Five Discoveries That Changed Musical History, 2001). Then he whisks us back to caves and prehistoric instruments (flutes, whistles) and begins his swift journey through the centuries. He recognizes that the subject requires much inference until the ages of notation, print and recording, but he plunges bravely into the lake of darkness and manages some illumination. We pause to look at "the magic of musical pitch," the concepts of octaves and harmony, the invention of the musical staff (A.D. 1000), and the evolution of rhythm, chords, chord progressions, musical keys and tempo. Goodall also explores the invention and modification of significant instruments--the violin, organ, piano--and the creation of various musical forms--songs, operas, oratorios, sonatas (a subject that bores him, he writes). The big names retain their size in his account. Bach, Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin and myriads of others will surprise none by their presence and prominence. The author is also alert to the significance of popular music and has some passages about Broadway and the movies, blues, rock 'n' roll (whose origin he traces to Benny Goodman!), jazz and hip-hop. Goodall also discusses the effects of political systems on music and musicians--from pre-revolutionary France to Nazi Germany to the Soviet Union and others. The author continually reminds us of technological advances--print, recordings, radio, films--that enabled music to spread as never before. He does not like conventional terms for musical periods (e.g., Classical, Neo-Classical) but finds himself forced to use them occasionally. Cultural history with some attitude and considerable rhythm and melody.

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January 1, 2014

British composer Goodall (composer in residence, Classic FM, UK; Every Purpose Under the Heaven oratorio) tries his hand at popular music history with this volume. His focus on the Western classical tradition and popular music is understandable given his evident desire for brevity, but his rationale is curious and unsupported by his text. For instance, he frequently compares Western innovations to those of India and China while insisting that these innovations are unique. Goodall's musical knowledge is much in evidence and to be expected, given his substantial composing career; however, his historical notes (such as referring to the people of the Renaissance as "cruel, barbaric monsters" whose sole redeeming characteristic was their artistic endeavors) are frequently baffling. This reviewer found the musical analysis, while well informed, difficult to follow, and this with the aid of a degree in music. It is hard to see how the lay reader for whom this book is clearly intended would fare with the same content. For a thoughtful, close study of the interaction of music, human creativity, and civilization, David Byrne's How Music Works would be a better choice. VERDICT An interesting endeavor that falls short. For music listeners interested in Western classical and popular music.--Genevieve Williams, Pacific Lutheran Univ. Lib., Tacoma, WA

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Starred review from November 15, 2013
Most of us take music for granted, and yet, as explained in this insightful exploration on the origins of music, someone had to come up with harmony and rhythm; someone had to create musical notation. Someone, somewhere, thought of them first. Though Goodall's primary focus is on Western music, that doesn't mean he ignores other musical cultures. He begins with what he calls the Age of Discovery (40,000 BCE to 1450 CE), exploring the musical origins of our hunter-gatherer ancestors, since music, he asserts, played an important role in ritual, communication, and language development. He moves on to the ancient Greeks, who believed studying music could produce nobler human beings. He discusses plainchant and polyphony, explains the huge implications of Gutenberg's movable-type printing on the dissemination of music as well as other landmarks in musical history, including the birth of opera; the invention of the piano; technological recording breakthroughs; the evolution of the blues, jazz, and rock 'n' roll; and the worldwide popularity of hip-hop. Major musical figures are featured prominently, too, from Mozart to Beethoven, Wagner, Mahler, Stravinsky, and Brecht, on to Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, and Stephen Sondheim. With playlists for each chapter, this is a masterful and illuminating whirlwind tour through thousands of years of musical history.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)