Before Music

By Annette Bay Pimentel, Madison Safer (Illustrator)

Uncover the origins of music through the crafting of instruments worldwide.

4.2/5 Goodreads · 90 ratings

88 pages

$24.99Save 7%

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Bookroo's summary

Journey through time and across continents to discover how music is born. Explore the hands that craft instruments from wood, gourds, and found objects, connecting nature to sound. Meet diverse creators and musicians, and delve into the stories behind musical innovations. What secrets do these instruments hold, and how do they shape the music we know today? Dive into a world where every note has a story, and every instrument a history, in this captivating exploration of music's roots.

From the publisher

From award-winning author Annette Bay Pimentel comes an oversize nonfiction picture book exploring how music and musical instruments are made–across time and around the worldMusic doesn’t come out of nothing. It always starts somewhere . . . with something . . . with someone. Discover how music is made in this survey of musical instruments from around the world. Organized by material–from wood to gourds to found objects and more–Before Music marries a lyrical core text with tons of informational material for curious readers. In the narrative text, readers will encounter makers as they source their materials and craft instruments by hand, drawing the line from the natural world to the finished product and its sound. The sidebars offer much more to discover, including extensive instrument lists, short bios of musical innovators, and more.

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