In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, the multi-award-winning broadcaster, composer and author Andrew Ford chats with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about his choices while crafting, The Shortest History of Music. A lively, authoritative tour through 4,000 years of music, this book explores music’s role in human society.
Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode:
- Andrew Ford explains how he balanced brevity and intellectual depth while crafting a 200-page book spanning 4,000 years of musical history
- How he synthesised a multiplicity of musical traditions and cultures into a seamless narrative
- How he balanced historical accuracy with masterful storytelling
- Why he examined music from multiple angles: Its fundamental impulses; the impact of notation; music as a profession and commodity; the concept of modernism and the revolutionary effects of recording technology
- How he skilfully weaved history, culture and personal insight into a tapestry that celebrates music in all its forms.
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