03-08-2021, 11:20 AM
I was excited for this. I've read some of his writing on jazz and enjoyed it, but this one disappointed me. It wasn't really so much a history of music as social history focused on music and the history of music. So not much on musical developments, instead a focus on writings about music. Few musicians are mentioned by name, often only one or two for an era, and he says little about any musical innovations they might have made.
One of his big ideas is that the history gets written by the conservative establishment, while innovations are made by outsiders, who are later co-opted by the establishment. Of that's not an earth-shattering revelation by any means, but it's his big focus. He does include some interesting trivia along the way, and that's what kept me from giving up on this book. I can't recommend it.
Best bit of trivia in my opinion: Paleolithic cave paintings are found in the most acoustically resonant locations in the caves. They might have chanted or sung there, or even just imitated animal sounds, but it would have been in a great place to do it.
One of his big ideas is that the history gets written by the conservative establishment, while innovations are made by outsiders, who are later co-opted by the establishment. Of that's not an earth-shattering revelation by any means, but it's his big focus. He does include some interesting trivia along the way, and that's what kept me from giving up on this book. I can't recommend it.
Best bit of trivia in my opinion: Paleolithic cave paintings are found in the most acoustically resonant locations in the caves. They might have chanted or sung there, or even just imitated animal sounds, but it would have been in a great place to do it.
the hands that guide me are invisible