• Andrew Ford's "The Shortest History of Music"

  • Mar 26 2025
  • Length: 1 hr and 1 min
  • Podcast

Andrew Ford's "The Shortest History of Music"

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  • Summary

  • 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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