Music: Ideas in Profile

Is music a science or an art? It's both, as Andrew Gant reveals in this lively and accessible account of what music is and what it's for. Music has been central to life since the dawn of humankind and is intimately bound up with the origins of language.

Andrew Gant introduces us to its long history and its many genres and manifestations. He explains how composers compose, players play and singers sing. He looks at how musical styles develop, the ways they fall in and out of fashion, and why certain kinds of music - dancing and love songs, for example - is a universal in human culture. He considers how music is composed, the nature of genius and the workings of inspiration. He shows how music can be composed and used to stir patriotism, instill courage, reinforce identity, sell a product, or make a political point. And he goes beyond humans to examine music in the natural world in the creativity of birdsong. This is, in short, the ideal introduction to a very big subject.

Praise for O SING UNTO THE LORD:

'No-one is better qualified to write on the subject of English Church Music... a wonderfully lively account of one of our greatest stories' -- Peter Phillips A comprehensive and thoughtful survey that is also eminently readable. -- James Bowman Andrew Gant, church musician to his fingertips, traces the history of the music we all reach for at important moments in our lives ... an indispensable guide to a great tradition - and a very good read. -- Catherine Bott, Presenter, Classic FM I am captivated by Andrew Gant's warmth and evident joy, whilst conveying an extraordinarily thorough treatment of English church music's history. -- Roxanna Panufnik

Andrew Gant is the author of Christmas Carols: From Village Green to Church Choir (Profile 2014) and O Sing Unto the Lord: The History of English Church Music (Profile 2015). He is a composer, choirmaster, university teacher and writer. He has directed the choirs of The Guards' Chapel, Worcester College Oxford, and Her Majesty's Chapel Royal. He lectures in music at St Peter's College, Oxford.

Is music a science or an art? It's both, as Andrew Gant reveals in this lively and accessible account of what music is and what it's for. Music has been central to life since the dawn of humankind and is intimately bound up with the origins of language. Andrew Gant introduces us to its long history and its many genres and manifestations. He explains how composers compose, players play and singers sing. He looks at how musical styles develop, the ways they fall in and out of fashion, and why certain kinds of music - dancing and love songs, for example - is a universal in human culture. He considers how music is composed, the nature of genius and the workings of inspiration. He shows how music can be composed and used to stir patriotism, instill courage, reinforce identity, sell a product, or make a political point. And he goes beyond humans to examine music in the natural world in the creativity of birdsong. This is, in short, the ideal introduction to a very big subject.

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