Howard Goodall's Big Bangs Episode Guide

Episode Guide

• The Birth of Opera

  The composer continues his history of music by discussing opera. Love it or hate it, few other forms of music generate more excitement, rage or passion and its existence is largely down to one man, Monteverdi

• The Development of Recorded Sound

  The invention of recorded sound and development of successive new formats, from wax cylinders and vinyl albums to CDs and beyond. Last in series

• Equal Temperament

  The mathematical formula underlying the harmony of all Western music, which has made possible some of the most beautiful pieces ever written

• Notation

  The composer offers an insight into important turning points in the history of Western music, beginning with notation, which was first developed in approximately 1000AD, opening the floodgates for a torrent of compositions

• Opera

  Developments in opera. (Age 14-19)

• The Piano

  The composer revisits Florence to trace the history of the piano, from its invention by Cristofori in the 18th century to its emergence as an alternative to the harpsichord

• Recording

  Instruments to record sound.