'An extraordinarily wide-ranging and stimulating book, which covers everything from technology to politics, from Haydn to hip hop, from Monteverdi to MTV'  Noel Malcolm, Sunday Telegraph Once musicians such as Mozart were little more than court servants; now they are multimillionaire superstars wielding more power than politicians. How did this extraordinary change come about? Tim Blanning's brilliantly enjoyable book examines how everything from the cult of the romantic to technology and travel all fed the inexorable rise of music in the West, making it the most dominant and ubiquitous of the art forms. Encompassing balladeers, the great composers, jazz legends and rock gods, this is an enthralling story of power, patronage, creativity and genius.   'A triumph of engaging and informative writing'  Time Out 'Entertaining . illuminating . he writes with lucidity, grace and wry wit'  Rupert Christiansen, Spectator 'He moves with effortless assurance between forms and modes'  Boyd Tonkin, Independent, Books of the Year 'Gracefully written, entertaining and informative . a fine, readable book'  Alexander Waugh, Literary Review.