Howard Goodall's Big Bangs - The Book

Howard has written a book, also entitled Big Bangs, which focuses on the five key turning-points in musical history examined in the TV series. In the book Howard also elaborates upon the events featured in the series, adding his own experiences and describing details discovered during his year-long filming schedule which could not be included in the final edit of the programmes.

Howard explains: “The book gave me the opportunity to cover aspects of music’s journey that I could not in the series: to consider the immense contribution of Jews in the twentieth century, for example – not a ‘Big Bang’ as such, but a significant phenomenon nonetheless. But I also wanted to pull all these facts into context, to make this a personal statement. So between the pillars of the big events I have reflected on some of the issues raised. Why does music have an effect on us? Where does it come from? Does it have a meaning?”

Big Bangs is published by Chatto & Windus (ISBN 0-7011-6932x) and is available in bookshops, as is the Vintage Paperback (ISBN 0-099-28354-9). Alternatively, you can order directly, online via Amazon or Good Reads