The Music of Man

The Music of Man

1978 1 Seasons 8 Episodes ⭐ 10.0 Documentary

An exploration of the world's music. Yehudi Menuhin has created this expansive survey of musical traditions from five continents. With panoramic vision and infectious enthusiasm, he takes us from primeval rhythms of Africa to the symphonies of Beethoven, from plainsong to jazz, from Swiss yodeling to Irish jig, from steel drum to electronic synthesizer. The Music of Man was a series of eight hour-long specials with host Yehudi Menuhin, following the development of music from its beginnings at the dawn of history to the electronic experiments, jazz and rock of our own time. Menuhin, the renowned violinist, conductor and humanist, participated both as violin soloist and conductor throughout the series, and was also co-writer.

An exploration of the world's music. Yehudi Menuhin has created this expansive survey of musical traditions from five continents. With panoramic vision and infectious enthusiasm, he takes us from primeval rhythms of Africa to the symphonies of Beethoven, from plainsong to jazz, from Swiss yodeling to Irish jig, from steel drum to electronic synthesizer. The Music of Man was a series of eight hour-long specials with host Yehudi Menuhin, following the development of music from its beginnings at the dawn of history to the electronic experiments, jazz and rock of our own time. Menuhin, the renowned violinist, conductor and humanist, participated both as violin soloist and conductor throughout the series, and was also co-writer.

Seasons & Episodes

EP 1

The Quiver of Life

The first program tells how music began 35,000 years ago with hollowed-out animal bones. In India and China, music was a

EP 2

The Flowering of Harmony

With the growth of music from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance came a blending of many voices. Palestrina and Gabriell

EP 3

New Voices for Man

At the height of the Renaissance in Italy Monteverdi wrote the first opera, a form of entertainment instantly popular th

EP 4

The Age of the Composer

The works of Vivaldi, Bach, Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven and Schubert established music as an accessible and popular art for

EP 5

The Age of the Individual

The era of Western industrialization and the Romantic movement brought with it the grand piano and the huge symphony orc

EP 6

The Parting of the Ways

During the pre-World War I era the music of Stephen Foster, Scott Joplin and John Philip Sousa influenced the popular mu

EP 7

The Known and the Unknown

Between the two World Wars the pace of life quickened. Jazz became enormously popular in both Europe and America. In cla

EP 8

Sound or Unsound

The post-war exploration of music, impelled by the LP, the transistor radio and the television, has taken Western music

Popular Cast

Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin
self, presenter