When, how, where, does a mark become a musical note?
What alchemy occurs to transform a symbol into sound: a song; a symphony; a chorus?
Music is interwoven into the fabric of our lives. We listen to it, some of us play it, but throughout history, humans have also attempted to capture it visually, from the musical images of Ancient Sumer, to Frozen's Elsa standing on the side of a mountain, her voice making crystals in the air. In this startlingly original history of music, Eleanor Chan takes us on a journey through sound that encompasses the 35,000-year-old flute found in a German cave, Kandinsky's kaleidoscopic paintings, illuminated manuscripts and haute couture.
Classically trained musician and art historian, Dr Eleanor Chan, opens up a world of sound and vision, exploring different ways to think about listening and seeing. Ultimately, this book asks the reader what it is, and what it might mean, to truly see music.
'Scholarly, moving and with an epic scope, Chan's work shows why music is at the core of what it means to be human' Paul Cooper, author of Fall of Civilizations
'A mind-expanding exploration of music as a history of human interactions with the world... Erudite, beautifully written and bursting with ideas, Chan’s Duet opens our ears and eyes to the deep, creative entanglements of music and the visual arts' Professor Jill Burke, author of How to be a Renaissance Woman
'A swooping, capacious and beautiful history of how we see music, of the intrinsic connection of eye and ear. The scope is breathtaking: no genre, context, or artefact seems out of bounds for Chan’s brilliant and insightful analysis... Duet is a testament to the musicality and artistry of the human experience and, frankly, I wish there were more books like this' Emily MacGregor, author of While the Music Lasts
