This engaging and immensely readable book is the first history of British music to be published for fifty years. It tells the fascinating story of the people who have shaped Britain’s musical life over the centuries: the composers and
performers; the promoters and impresarios; the conductors and critics. It shows how its music evolved - and is still evolving - against a background of religious, social, political, technical and technological change. It addresses readers with all levels of musical knowledge and interest, from the musically-minded and musically-informed to those seeking an accessible intro duction to the subject.

Volume One begins with a set of pipes from 2000 BC discovered in an Irish bog and follows the twists and turns of music in the British Isles up to the end of the 18th century. Celts and Romans, Saxons and Normans all brought music with them. Kings and queens, popes and archbishops alike saw music as a means of glorifying themselves and pursuing their religious and secular ends. The Reformation threw church music into chaos, but none the less managed to produce some of the greatest British composers. The Civil Wars and the Commonwealth created even greater disruption. The Restoration led to a new flowering of musical ideas. The 18th century saw the emergence of a musical market place. Continental musicians flocked to Britain for the money they could earn there. Concert promo ters and theatre managers competed to attract new talent and reap the rewards.

Laurence Bristow-Smith tells a story which has a rich and fascinating cast of characters – from the pious and politically astute to drunkards and lechers. It is a story which is important in its own right, but also illuminates the wider economic, political and social history of the British Isles.