The 'Big Bangs' in question are discoveries or inventions that changed musical history. Beginning with the invention of 'modern' musical notation by Guido of Arezzo, the book moves through such subjects as the invention of Opera and the development of temperament, and ends with recording, an invention which may change music as radically as Guido's 1000 years earlier. Interspersed with these are chapters on other musical matters of concern to Goodall. These I found much more variable than the 'Big Bangs'; the chapter on the role of Jews in European history seemed poorly written, whilst in contrast, the chapter describing Goodall own experiences while composing a major choral piece was both interesting and strangely moving. A common thread throughout the book is Goodall's passion for the subject matter; music matters to him and that comes over. Each topic gets its own self-contained chapter and the book is fast paced, so even if the current chapter is not too interesting, it'll quickly be replaced by the next.
238 pages, Vintage
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