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 theater, 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. Goodall’s beautifully clear and compelling account is both a hymn to human endeavor and a groundbreaking map of our musical journey.


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Howard Goodall is an Emmy, BRIT, and BAFTA award–winning composer. In recent years he has been England’s first ever national ambassador for singing; the Classic BRIT composer of the year, and Classic FM’s composer-in-residence. He was appointed commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for in 2011 for services to music education.