Books › The Rest Is Noise
The Rest Is Noise
First published 2007 · 640 pages
A sweeping, symphonic journey through the turbulent twentieth century, heard through the brilliant and chaotic music it produced.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like sitting in a grand, dimly lit concert hall while the history of the twentieth century crashes over you in waves of sound. It is an immersive, deeply intellectual experience that moves at a steady, deliberate pace, guiding you through the glittering salons of pre-war Vienna, the terrifying shadow of totalitarian regimes, and the avant-garde lofts of downtown New York. The prose is remarkably elegant, translating the abstract, often abrasive noise of modern music into vivid, emotional landscapes. It is a book of profound cultural synthesis, blending art, politics, and human struggle. This will delight cultural omnivores and history enthusiasts who crave a sweeping, passionate narrative that makes the chaotic modern world suddenly, beautifully legible.
- Mood
- intellectual
- immersive
- turbulent
- awe-inspiring
- Tone
- erudite
- passionate
- analytical
- sweeping
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- intersection of art and politics · cultural upheaval · evolution of sound · artistic rebellion · burden of history
- The writing
- Elegant, deeply descriptive, and sonorous, translating complex auditory experiences into vivid, accessible language.
- The arc
- Moves from the glittering optimism of the fin de siècle through the shattering traumas of mid-century totalitarianism, arriving at a fragmented but vibrant modern pluralism.
- Who it's for
- Cultural omnivores and history buffs who want to understand how the chaotic sounds of the twentieth century reflect its political upheavals.
Content notes
- war
- antisemitism
- political oppression
- fascism
About the book
Winner of the 2007 National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism A New York Times Book Review Top Ten Book of the Year Time magazine Top Ten Nonfiction Book of 2007
Newsweek Favorite Books of 2007 A Washington Post Book WorldBest Book of 2007
In this sweeping and dramatic narrative, Alex Ross, music critic for The New Yorker, weaves together the histories of the twentieth century and its music, from Vienna before the First World War to Paris in the twenties; from Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Russia to downtown New York in the sixties and seventies up to the present. Taking readers into the labyrinth of modern style, Ross draws revelatory connections between the century's most influential composers and the wider culture. The Rest Is Noise is an astonishing history of the twentieth century as told through its music.
Description from Open Library.
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