Music : the definitive visual history / consultant [editor], Robert Ziegler ; authors, Ian Blenkinsop, Kiku Day, Reg Grant, Malcolm Hayes, Keith Howard, Chris Ingham, Nick Kimberley, Tess Knighton ... [and seven others] ; new photography, Gary Ombler, Richard Leeney.

Format
Book
Language
English
Εdition
First American edition.
Published/​Created
London : New York : DK, 2013.
Description
480 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 32 cm

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    Summary note
    Produced in association with the Smithsonian and including images from The National Music Museum in South Dakota, Music: The Definitive Visual History guides readers through the progression of music since its prehistoric beginnings, discussing not just Western classical music, but music from all around the world. Profiles the lives of groundbreaking musicians from Mozart to Elvis, takes an in-depth look at the history and function of various instruments, and includes listening suggestions for each music style.
    Notes
    • At head of title: DK Smithsonian.
    • Includes index.
    Contents
    • 1. Early beginnings
    • 60,000 BCE-500 CE : introduction and timeline
    • Man, the music maker : early humans pass on history and legends through music
    • Music's cradle : musicians entertain courts and honor gods in Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, and China
    • A philosophical view : for Greek philosophers, music and math hold the key to understanding the universe
    • Myth and tragedy : tragic choruses sing and musicians play at ancient Greek music and drama competitions
    • Sound the trumpet : music rallies the Roman troops, enlivens dinners and plays, and is played at ceremonies
    • 2. Music in the Middle Ages
    • 500-1400 : introduction and timeline
    • Sacred chant : chants, modes, and early notation develop in Europe's cathedrals and monasteries
    • Minstrels and troubadours : street entertainers and courtly musicians sing songs of unrequited love and political satire
    • Medieval instruments
    • Writing melody : to help monks remember chant melodies, Guido of Arezzo invents the four-line stave
    • Zither and lyre, sackbut and shawm : in medieval society, music accompanies dancing, banquets, and mystery plays
    • Islamic music : diverse musical traditions develop across China, Africa, Spain, and the Middle East
    • Islamic instruments
    • Music in ancient China : from military exercises and state functions to temples and teahouses, music plays a key role
    • Many voices : accurate musical notation paves the way for richly layered, complex music for many parts
    • 3. Renaissance and Reformation
    • 1400-1600 : introduction and timeline
    • Songs of love : the new polyphonic style influences regional song traditions in France, Germany, and Italy
    • Music goes to print : new printing techniques make sheet music widely available, encouraging amateur players
    • The rise of instrumental music : printing leads to a demand for anew pieces, and more complex compositions emerge
    • Church reform : congregations begin to sing in their own language, rather than silently listening to mass in Latin
    • Giovanni Pierluigi Da Palestrina
    • The lute's golden age : in the 16th century, the lute becomes popular for solos and for accompanying singers
    • The madrigal : Italian sonnets of love and loss are taken up by composers, who set the emotions to music
    • Consort instruments
    • An Iberian flowering : sacred music flourishes in Spain and its colonies as diverse influences come together
    • Venetian glories : new styles emerge as composers rush to supply music for Venice's many civic occasions
    • 4. The Baroque spirit
    • 1600-1750 : introduction and timeline
    • The Baroque style : an exuberant, expressive new style emerges
    • The birth of opera : intellectuals and musicians in Florence merge stories from mythology and history with music, laying the foundations for opera
    • Oratorios and cantatas : new song styles emerge in Italy, oratorios, Biblical stories spun into sung dramas, and dramatic secular songs called cantatas
    • Patrons and composers : Europe's monarchs and aristocratic families support the arts on a lavish scale
    • The violin
    • Antonio Stradivari
    • String instruments
    • Antonio Vivaldi
    • The English revival : music, suppressed under Oliver Cromwell, revives under King Charles II, and choirs and opera flourish
    • Henry Purcell
    • The organ
    • Counterpoint and fugue : composers combine strands of music into a complex, harmonious whole
    • Johann Sebastian Bach
    • Sonatas, suites, and overtures : instrumental music grows in popularity, and new forms develop for small ensembles
    • Keyboard instruments
    • Keyboard maestros : as keyboard instruments evolve, composers write more technically demanding pieces
    • George Frideric Handel
    • Japanese theater : instrumentalists and choirs accompany the actors or puppets in stage performances
    • 5. The Classical age
    • 1750-1820 : introduction and timeline
    • A new clarity : composers begin to favor clear and balanced phrases over baroque complexity
    • The orchestra : the Duke of Mannheim has ambitions to found the greatest orchestra in Europe, famed for its technique and special effects
    • The sonata : the new music-loving middle-class enjoys elegant works for soloist and keyboard
    • Orchestral woodwind
    • The symphony : the innovations of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert transform the symphony
    • Joseph Haydn
    • Playing music among friends : chamber music is a treasured pastime in Austrian homes and spreads across Europe
    • Age of reason : enlightened principles of logic, structure, and clarity inspire a new style of composition
    • Opera comes alive : composers attempt to humanize opera, leaving old formalities behind and focusing on the drama of individual characters' emotions
    • Choral music : choirs being to sing in concert halls as well as in church services ; composers discover the dramatic potential of sacred texts
    • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
    • The concerto : the pairing of soloist and orchestra develop into a popular and enduring format
    • The piano
    • Ludwig Van Beethoven
    • Bohemian rhapsody : in the 18th and 19th centuries, Prague becomes a hub of musical activity.
    • 6. Nationalism and romance
    • 1820-1910 : introduction and timeline
    • Beethoven's later works Beethoven writes works of restless passion
    • Age of song : composers set poems to music, enhancing the lyrics with evocative harmonies and rhythms
    • Franz Schubert
    • Literary links : myth, legend, and literature inspire Romantic operas, songs, and program music
    • Expressive piano in Europe's salons, expressive and technically brilliant miniatures for piano are in vogue
    • The virtuosos : Paganini on violin and Liszt on piano dazzle audiences with their technique and style
    • Sacred choruses : large-scale choral works bring Romantic drama and intensity into sacred venues
    • Romantic opera : 19th-century Italian and German composers develop a highly expressive, dramatic style
    • Women composers and performers : as social conventions shift, women begin to perform in public an publish their works
    • Music in the home : in well-to-do drawing rooms, families play chamber music and sing "parlor songs"
    • Johannes Brahms
    • The Viennese waltz : an elegant dance that emerges in Austria's ballrooms, the waltz takes Europe by storm
    • National stirrings : composers seek inspiration and authenticity in their native landscapes and folk songs
    • Flamenco : Spain's passionate music for voice, guitar, and dancer develop out of Romany culture
    • Russia's big five : Balakirev, Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov, Cui, and Mussorgsky give new life to Russian music
    • Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
    • Northern lights
    • folk culture, mythology, and striking Nordic landscapes inspire Scandinavian composers
    • Ballet music : from interludes in operas, ballet develops into a full-fledged genre with original scores
    • New tones and timbers : woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments are transformed by musicians and inventors
    • The saxophone
    • Symphonic supremacy : for Brahms, Dvorak, and Mahler, symphonies are and ideal format for developing big ideas
    • A lighter touch : full of dancing, choruses, and witty dialogue, operettas are lighthearted entertainment for cosmopolitan audiences
    • Italian opera gets real : a "young school" of Italian opera composers write realistic plots of hardship and passion
    • Chinese traditional opera : performers retell stories from myth and legend through singing, acting, and martial arts
    • Marching to the beat : military bands accompany marches and parades, and also sell out concert halls
    • Brass instruments
    • Impressionism :as in visual art, musical compositions begin to evoke and suggest using new harmonies
    • 7. Music in the Modern Age
    • 1910-1945 : introduction and timeline
    • The shock of the new : familiar tonality is left behind as composers experiment with modernist techniques
    • Igor Stravinsky
    • National flavors : amid political upheaval, composers from the US to Europe return to their folk heritages
    • The flute
    • Spanish classical music : the distinctive music of de Falla, Rodrigo, and Segovia create a new Spanish classical scene
    • Music of Mexico : Mexico's music absorbs disparate influences ; song lyrics often deal with gritty reality
    • The last romantics : Rachmaninov, Strauss, and Delius bring a Romantic sensibility into the age of modernity
    • Sergey Prokofiev
    • Ragtime : African Americans introduce syncopation and new rhythms to European dance tunes
    • Country's roots : through recordings, the Grand Ole Opry radio show, and Westerns, country music takes off
    • Tin Pan Alley : songwriters flock to New York, where they churn out popular songs by the hundreds
    • George Gershwin
    • Beginnings of jazz : jazz is born in New Orleans from African rhythms, brass bands, and popular dance music
    • Billie Holiday
    • The clarinet
    • Birth of the blues : in the juke joints of the Deep South, laborers listen to songs of raw, personal experience
    • Let's swing : a new, danceable form of big-band jazz becomes wildly popular in the 1930s and '40s
    • The trumpet
    • Jazz goes bebop : in New York, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillepsie develop an innovative new jazz
    • Louis Armstrong
    • Latin beats : slaves brought to Cuba add African rhythms to the local music ; Mambo, rumba, and salsa soon become all the rage
    • Latin percussion
    • Let's tango : touring bands and radio broadcasts bring the Argentinian tango to Europe and the United States
    • Come to the cabaret : in the cafés and nightclubs of 1920s Berlin, dancers, singers, and comedians perform subversive and sexually charged shows
    • Recording and listening
    • Golden age of radio : radio shows brought music to homes across the United States, making stars of musicians.
    • 8. Global music
    • 1945-present : introduction and timeline
    • Experimental music : in a shaken, postwar world, Stockhausen, Boulez, and Cage seek a new framework
    • Modern chanson : a unique song tradition emerges in 20th-century Paris, championed by Charles Trenet and Edith Piaf
    • The German revival : in the aftermath of war, composers turn in new directions to reinvent German culture ; avant-garde music flourishes in Darmstadt
    • Romany music : once marginalized, Romany music is widely admired for its emotional range and energy
    • Brazilian beats : from Brazil's vibrant music and dance culture comes samba and, in the 1950s, bossa nova
    • Jazz goes Latin : American jazz musicians adopt Cuba's slow habanera rhythm, and a new genre is born
    • Celia Cruz
    • Operatic rebirth : Benjamin Britten in England and John Adams in the United States found a modern opera tradition
    • Early musical theater : hit musicals by rogers and Hammerstein feed a Broadway craze in the 1940s and '50s
    • Maria Callas
    • The guitar
    • Smooth operators : the microphone facilitates the soft, crooning style of Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra
    • Music for screen : Hollywood directors begin hiring composers to write original movie scores
    • Hollywood musicals : after World War I and the post-Depression, musicals provide escapism with singing, dancing, comedy, and romance
    • One voice : the gap between gospel and soul narrows, and singers raise their voices for civil rights
    • The music of Indonesia : Indonesia is home to the gamelan orchestra; different styles evolve in Bali and Java
    • Gamelan
    • Island music : over the years, Hawaii's music absorbs elements from hymns, yodeling, and ragtime
    • Celtic music : traditional music from parts of Britain, Ireland, France, and Spain is revisited and reinvented
    • Longing for Fado : rooted in Lisbon, Portugal's poetic folk music sings of melancholy, longing, and urban life
    • Bright lights, big city blues : African American musicians flock to Chicago, where electric guitars and recording transform the blues of the South
    • The harmonica
    • Rhythm and blues : in the 1940s and '50s, African American artists dominate the US market with a new style of music
    • Plugged-in for sound : when guitars and keyboards go electric, a new sound and style is born, rock 'n' roll
    • Rock 'n' roll models : Elvis Presley, buddy Holly, and Eddie Cochran have explosive appeal for teenage audiences
    • Leaders of the pack : New York's Brill Building houses dozens of songwriters, who define the era's pop sound
    • The sounds of soul : impassioned, personal, and political, soul singers make the move from church to charts
    • Protest music : in the United States and Europe, musicians such as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Mercedes Sosa respond to political upheaval through song
    • Beatlemania : four young band mates from Liverpool take the work by storm in the 1960s, a string of self-written hits
    • John Lennon
    • Blues rock : in Britain, the blues is enthusiastically taken up by the Rolling Stones and Fleetwood Mac
    • Heavy rock : Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper, and Kiss amp up the sound
    • Jazz fusion : while some jazz musicians go electric, many rock, R & B, and pop musicians adopt jazz styles
    • The electric guitar
    • Electronic rock : in the 1970s, rock bands start to experiment with synthesizers and electronic effects
    • David Bowie
    • Ragas and talas : voice, drums, and sitar play hypnotic rhythms and elaborate melodies in Indian music
    • Indian instruments
    • Music festivals : from Woodstock to Glastonbury, festivals become a rite of passage for young fans
    • The Nashville sound : with stars such as Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn, country becomes a top-selling genre
    • Reggae
    • bass-heavy reggae emerges from Jamaica, and Bob Marley takes it global
    • Music goes pop : with catchy tunes and clever marketing, singers become megastars
    • Chart toppers : awards ceremonies, best-seller charts, and music television help to shape the charts
    • Disco inferno : djs learn new tricks to keep people moving to the up-tempo beats of 1970s disco
    • Punk explosion : loud and irreverent, the Ramones and the Sex Pistols challenge pop conventions
    • Alternative rock : a wave of young independent record labels springs up in the 1980s, revolutionizing rock
    • Musical revival : writers of musical theater look to pop and rock for inspiration, creating long-running hit shows
    • Japanese popular music : Japan's pop culture spans J-pop idols to vocaloids (animated singers)
    • African music : Musicians from all over the continent find new audiences with pan-African and Western fusions and political lyrics
    • African instruments
    • Hip-hop : the rap music of African American ghettos of Los Angeles and New York becomes a global commercial force
    • Club culture : from electro to house, trance to dubstep, new sounds emerge in dance music
    • The Korean wave : South Korea's pop scene goes from strength to strength, fueled by artist agencies and government encouragement
    • New voices in classical : composers experiment with minimalism and avant-garde techniques
    • Digital revolution : digitization and the internet transform the way music is listened to, initiating a new relationship between musicians and fans
    • Visual glossary
    • Genres
    • Biographies
    • Instruments.
    Other title(s)
    DK Smithsonian music
    ISBN
    • 9781465414366
    • 1465414363
    LCCN
    2013565080
    OCLC
    828055596
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