'Extraordinary... Duet is an impressive book. Chan's writing is playful, but she is serious about why both art and music matter. Beneath the fizzing surface are powerful arguments about the nature of music and its importance as a form of communication... It is refreshing to read a book that so confidently blends scholarship, advocacy and love' Leah Broad, Literary Review 'From an 18,000-year-old ornate conch shell to the costume Beyoncé wore to the 2017 Grammys, Eleanor Chans highly original thesis examines the connection between music and art throughout history. She reveals how the visual and the audible have always been inextricably linked' Hannah Beckerman, Observer '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, Sunday Times-bestselling author of Fall of Civilizations 'With grace and passion, Ms. Chan makes the case for music as a catalyst for submerged emotions so intense, so combustible, they can generate more art. It's a fascinating way to see songs, airs and symphonies: full of lost moments and feelings, waiting to stir within us and leap before our eyes' Wall Street Journal 'A mind-expanding exploration of music as a history of human interactions with the world... Erudite, beautifully written and bursting with ideas, Chans Duet opens our ears and eyes to the deep, creative entanglements of music and the visual arts' Professor Jill Burke, author of How to be a Renaissance Woman 'Frankly joyous... A dizzy ride, but a thought-provoking, breathlessly enjoyable one' Country Life 'A swooping, capacious and beautiful history of how we see music, of the intrinsic connection of eye and ear. The scope is breathtaking: no genre, context, or artefact seems out of bounds for Chans brilliant and insightful analysis... 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 'I really enjoyed Duet: An Artful History of Music and having a chance to explore the very human desire to decorate time... The book is a gem' Eleanor Janega, author of The Once and Future Sex and host of Gone Medieval podcast 'With erudition and elegance, classically trained musician and art historian Chan explores how music is viscerally linked to visual art. This illuminating and impassioned deep dive holds many treasures' Publishers Weekly
