From the author of Temperament, a narrative account of the most defining moments in musical history—classical and jazz—all of which forever altered Western culture.
Though Isacoff leaves the advent of modern musical forms (rap, rock) to other musicologists, he seamlessly contextualizes their evolution through performers such as James Reese Europe and Philippa Schuyler—uncompromising artists who challenged both musical and societal expectations...Much like Isacoff’s previous books, this is a sprawling narrative, intertwining history, politics, and musical biography, that’s as entertaining as it is informative...Whether readers are dedicated musicologists or casual fans, they’ll enjoy this thought-provoking dive into the history of Western music.
Stuart Isacoff sprints through nearly two millennia of Western music in his latest book, Musical Revolutions: How the Sounds of the Western World Changed...It’s always a challenge to get music to live on the page, but Isacoff tackles it head-on, describing his project as a 'book about moments in music history when things dramatically changed, a succession of bold leaps in the progress of Western culture'...Isacoff delves deep into history to discuss the innovations in Western music that we take for granted today, such as musical notation, polyphony (simultaneous, multiple musical voices), opera and jazz...The trouble with books that speed through centuries of musical development is that they inevitably leave people out...While accurately noting that female conductors have faced the steepest climb — particularly in the United States — Isacoff omits Sarah Caldwell (1924-2006), who forged a career as a professional opera conductor a generation before Marin Alsop took the helm at the Baltimore Symphony in 2007...The coverage of these critical musical revolutions seems thin for a music aficionado and overwhelming for a neophyte...Perhaps the readers best served by this book are the ecumenical music lovers who enjoy music through the centuries but who may be missing the context for their listening.
Isacoff’s latest describes many moments in music history that 'ushered in a new direction—often unexpected, like a planet following an invisible orrery, discernible only after the fact'...The narrative is randomly organized, but Isacoff’s encyclopedic knowledge of music is still very much in evidence...The book is an excellent choice for readers who want a quick survey of Western music’s major developments, and it’s filled with memorable tidbits—e.g., that Florentine stage designer Bernardo Buontalenti 'was credited with inventing gelato as well as enhancing opera stagecraft' and that Arnold Schoenberg feared the number 13 so much that he misspelled Aaron’s name in his opera 'Moses und Aron' to avoid a title with 13 letters...Too-short yet informative and often astute essays on some of the biggest moments in Western music.
