When, how, where, does a mark become a musical note?
What alchemy occurs to transform a symbol into sound: a song; a symphony; a chorus?
Music is interwoven into the fabric of our lives. We listen to it, some of us play it, but throughout history, humans have also attempted to capture it visually, from the musical images of Ancient Sumer, to Frozen's Elsa standing on the side of a mountain, her voice making crystals in the air. In this ‘startlingly original history of music’, I take you on a journey through sound that encompasses the 35,000-year-old flute found in a German cave, Kandinsky's kaleidoscopic paintings, illuminated manuscripts and haute couture.
As a classically trained musician and art historian, in Duet I seek to open up a world of sound and vision, exploring different ways to think about listening and seeing. Ultimately, this book asks the reader what it is, and what it might mean, to truly see music.
Duet is now available!
A sensational book. Chan roves across her vast subject with confidence and grace, thrilling the reader with one eye-opening insight after another. I will never see art, and hear music, in quite the same way again.
—James Fox, author of The World According to Color
A swooping, capacious, and beautiful history of how we see music, of the intrinsic connection of eye and ear. The scope is breathtaking. Duet is a testament to the musicality and artistry of the human experience and, frankly, I wish there were more books like this.
—Emily MacGregor, author of While the Music Lasts
A mind-expanding exploration of music as a history of human interactions with the world. Erudite, beautifully written, and bursting with ideas, Chan’s Duet opens our ears and eyes to the deep, creative entanglements of music and the visual arts.
—Prof. Jill Burke, author of How to be a Renaissance Woman
Scholarly, moving and with an epic scope, Chan's work shows why music is at the core of what it means to be human.
—Paul Cooper, author of Fall of Civilizations
A visual journey through sound. Chan, a classically trained musician and art historian, offers an ‘insight into the sheer variety of ways the visual has been integral to music throughout history.’ A perky, enthusiastic foray into the overlap of music, art, and history.
—Kirkus Reviews
Akin to having an animated conversation with a particularly sparky, clever and knowledgeable friend. Having read the book I say to you wholeheartedly: befriend Duet. Your life will be the richer for it, dear music fan.
—Classical Music Daily
