Howard Goodall's Big Bangs

With intriguing anecdotes and witty humour, composer Howard Goodall presents five innovations in European musical history, which have overwhelmingly changed its course:

NOTATION: the journey from plain chant in medieval times to symphonic works and improvisation;

EQUAL TEMPERAMENT (a universal tuning, scale and key system): from the discoveries of Pythagoras to J.S. Bach;

OPERA: where music interfaces with real life with love, death and politics;

THE PIANO: this versatile instrument is unique to European culture;

RECORDED SOUND: from Caruso to world music and sampling.