“It was wildly ambitious to try and turn this galaxy of theory into a readable work of scholarship but Byrne has done it, and done it with style. Brian Eno might as well cancel that book deal now” — Mark Ellen ― The Observer
“As well as being an investigation into the context in which music is made, How Music Works is an accomplished celebration of an ever-evolving art form that can alter how we look at ourselves and the world” — Fiona Sturges ―
Independent
“Brilliantly original” ―
New York Times Book Review
“As accessible as pop yet able to posit deep and startlingly original thoughts and discoveries in almost every paragraph . . . this book will make you hear music in a different way” — Oliver Keens ―
The Sunday Telegraph
“A very involving read – Byrne is good company – he has a gift for a telling analogy that makes complex points easily grasped” — Keith Bruce ―
The Herald
“
How Music Works is a melange of bookish musings on how music is shaped by the places it is played and the technology used to create and disseminate it” — Danny Eccleston ― MOJO
“An entertaining and erudite book . . . this is a serious, straight-forward account of an art from that also manages to be inspiring” — Peter Aspden ―
Financial Times Published On: 2012-09-29
“Given the vastness of the subject, calling a treatise
How Music Works seems intellectually arrogant, but it could also be seen as disarmingly frank, a fresh perspective from a down-to-earth mind. David Byrne’s book, although a self-conscious art object (backwards pagination, upholstered cover and so on) contains plenty of plain-spoken, sensible observations: a dichotomy typical of the man” ― Guardian
“Incisive and intriguing” — Nick Curtis ―
The Evening Standard
“
How Music Works is not just a noticeably handsome book but a beguiling and hugely perceptive one too” — Jonathan O’Brien ― Sunday Business Post Published On: 2012-09-23
From the Inside Flap
How Music Works is David Byrne’s bestselling, buoyant celebration of a subject he has spent a lifetime thinking about. Drawing on his own work over the years with Talking Heads, Brian Eno, and his myriad collaborators – along with journeys to Wagnerian opera houses, African villages, and anywhere music exists – Byrne shows how music emerges from cultural circumstance as much as individual creativity. It is his magnum opus, and an impassioned argument about music’s liberating, life-affirming power.
From the Back Cover
How Music Works is David Byrne’s bestselling, buoyant celebration of a subject he has spent a lifetime thinking about. Drawing on his own work over the years with Talking Heads, Brian Eno, and his myriad collaborators – along with journeys to Wagnerian opera houses, African villages, and anywhere music exists – Byrne shows how music emerges from cultural circumstance as much as individual creativity. It is his magnum opus, and an impassioned argument about music’s liberating, life-affirming power.
About the Author
David Byrne, co-founder of the musical group Talking Heads, has also released several solo albums in addition to collaborating with such noted artists as Twyla Tharp, Robert Wilson, and Brian Eno. His art includes photography and installation works and has been published in five books, including Bicycle Diaries (2009) and How Music Works (2012). His score for 1988’s The Last Emperor received Academy, Golden Globe, and Grammy award wins alongside his co-composers. His 2019 Broadway production, American Utopia received a Special Tony Award while his 2013 immersive musical Here Lies Love received four Tony Award nominations including Best Original Score.
@DBtodomundo | @davidbyrneofficial
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