The Musical Human cover art

The Musical Human

A History of Life on Earth

Preview

Free with 30-day trial
Prime logo New to Audible Prime Member exclusive:
2 credits with free trial
1 credit a month to use on any title to download and keep
Listen to anything from the Plus Catalogue—thousands of Audible Originals, podcasts and audiobooks
Download titles to your library and listen offline
₹199 per month after 30-day trial. Cancel anytime.

The Musical Human

Written by: Michael Spitzer
Narrated by: Daniel Levitin
Free with 30-day trial

₹199 per month after 30-day trial. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for ₹683.00

Buy Now for ₹683.00

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

Bloomsbury presents The Musical Human by Michael Spitzer, read by Daniel Levitin.

A RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK

'Full of delightful nuggets' Guardian online

'Entertaining, informative and philosphical ... An essential read' All About History

'Extraordinary range ... All the world and more is here' Evening Standard


165 million years ago saw the birth of rhythm.

66 million years ago came the first melody.

40 thousand years ago Homo sapiens created the first musical instrument.

Today music fills our lives. How we have created, performed and listened to music throughout history has defined what our species is and how we understand who we are. Yet it is an overlooked part of our origin story.

The Musical Human takes us on an exhilarating journey across the ages – from Bach to BTS and back – to explore the vibrant relationship between music and the human species. With insights from a wealth of disciplines, world-leading musicologist Michael Spitzer renders a global history of music on the widest possible canvas, from global history to our everyday lives, from insects to apes, humans to artificial intelligence.

'Michael Spitzer has pulled off the impossible: a Guns, Germs and Steel for music' Daniel Levitin

'A thrilling exploration of what music has meant and means to humankind' Ian Bostridge

©2021 Michael Spitzer (P)2021 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Anthropology Civilisation History & Criticism

What listeners say about The Musical Human

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 2 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    0
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 2 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    0
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 3 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    0
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.