Tone! A Musical History of the Western World
A full-of-life story of the hidden political, social and personal backgrounds of beloved classical masterpieces.
As Theo van den Boogard was exploring the stories behind the world’s most celebrated symphonies and operas, he made an unusual discovery. While concert halls offer a moment of escapism from the great woes of our time, the music that echoes around those chambers is steeped in criticism about politics and the society we thought we’d left behind at the door.
Lotte de Boer
foreignrights@pbo.nl
Mozart’s The Magic Flute is an outstanding opera – but it is also a commentary on gender equality. Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas was written to spite the English Stadholder-King, William III. Beethoven’s Eroica was composed to celebrate Napoleon as the saviour of the world. And Shostakovich’s Leningrad Symphony was an attempt to instil hope among the residents of his home city suffering under the German siege.
Music does not exist in a vacuum, but is intricately linked with the state of the world. Indeed, many of the pieces we know and love have a political message. Monteverdi, Mozart, Paganini, Vivaldi, Bach, Purcell, Shostakovich and John Adams: over twenty composers feature in this fascinating journey through four hundred years of Western music history.
An engaging and accessible read. Recommended for frequent and ad-hoc concertgoers alike.
An in-depth and enriching historical contextualisation of the pieces we all know and love.
A history lesson that also takes readers on a journey through music.
A full-of-life story of the hidden political, social and personal backgrounds of beloved classical masterpieces.
Van den Boogaard lifts the lid on beloved masterpieces, showing to what extent the work of many classical artists was driven by political, emotional and business motives. Tone! demystifies music and gives its listeners a solid historical grounding. Monteverdi was a not-so-secret populist; Purcell was out for blood, and Beethoven fell for Napoleon’s authoritarian charm. This book shows the timeless power of classical music, an art form imbued with the breadth of human experience and elevated to poetic heights – yet so close to home.
De Groene Amsterdammer
Tone! offers an astounding history of the last four hundred years, as described by its music. Theo van den Bogaard’s engaging style discusses the compelling links between influential composers and the societies in which they lived. Once you understand the stories behind the music, you’ll never listen the same way again.
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