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Sound Tracks: An Archaeological Journey Through Our Musical Past
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Expected 27 Oct 26Win a free print copy of this book!
16 days and 15:53:24
20 copies available
U.S. only
A breathtaking archaeological journey that illuminates the unsung role of music and sound in shaping human civilization
What if you could hear the history of the world through a bronze bell buried deep in the ground? Or a fine, old terra-cotta pot? Or a long, hollow strip of a mammoth's tusk?
In Sound Tracks, Graeme Lawson explores our rich and ancient history of music-making through sixty musical objects and the thrilling accounts of the archaeological digs in which they were discovered. We stumble upon a German harmonica found on a 19th century American battlefield, a 1,300-year-old Peruvian flask designed to warble like a bird, a Stone Age flute calcified within the unlikely depths of a cave in Southwestern France—all the while unearthing the vibrant worlds of the people that once made music and meaning with them.
One of the world’s foremost archaeologists, Lawson leaves no stone unturned, ushering the reader from the present day all the way back to the dawn of time, revealing music’s role as an essential medium through which we commemorate our histories, form our identities, and communicate our dreams for the future. Expansive in its scope and brimming with lively, unforgettable insights, Sound Tracks lends an ear to an unheard past, offering an exhilarating new portrait of music as an ancient and magical force.
What if you could hear the history of the world through a bronze bell buried deep in the ground? Or a fine, old terra-cotta pot? Or a long, hollow strip of a mammoth's tusk?
In Sound Tracks, Graeme Lawson explores our rich and ancient history of music-making through sixty musical objects and the thrilling accounts of the archaeological digs in which they were discovered. We stumble upon a German harmonica found on a 19th century American battlefield, a 1,300-year-old Peruvian flask designed to warble like a bird, a Stone Age flute calcified within the unlikely depths of a cave in Southwestern France—all the while unearthing the vibrant worlds of the people that once made music and meaning with them.
One of the world’s foremost archaeologists, Lawson leaves no stone unturned, ushering the reader from the present day all the way back to the dawn of time, revealing music’s role as an essential medium through which we commemorate our histories, form our identities, and communicate our dreams for the future. Expansive in its scope and brimming with lively, unforgettable insights, Sound Tracks lends an ear to an unheard past, offering an exhilarating new portrait of music as an ancient and magical force.
416 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication October 27, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Archeology has always fascinated me, thanks to my dad’s collection of old National Geographics that I would read through when bored. And, I have always loved music since grade school, learning piano and singing in choirs, and as an adult attending orchestra concerts. So, this book is a perfect match for my interests.
Moving backward in time, Graeme Lawson tells the stories of sixty musical instruments discovered by archeologists, tracing a history of humanity’s love of music. From pieces of recovered instruments, Lawson resurrects its place in history.
Some traditions leave no trace, like the willow whistles made of tree bark slid off the branch in one piece and given a small hole and mouthpiece. It dries out in days or hours, decaying and leaving to trace, yet they are a living tradition across Northern Europe and as far south as Turkey. Lawson imagines instruments that have left no trace that were made by prehistoric humans. Forty-five and a half thousand years ago hand stencils were made by spraying ochre; perhaps using hollow containers that also made sounds.
A delightful and interesting read.
Thanks to Knopf for a free book through NetGalley.
Moving backward in time, Graeme Lawson tells the stories of sixty musical instruments discovered by archeologists, tracing a history of humanity’s love of music. From pieces of recovered instruments, Lawson resurrects its place in history.
Some traditions leave no trace, like the willow whistles made of tree bark slid off the branch in one piece and given a small hole and mouthpiece. It dries out in days or hours, decaying and leaving to trace, yet they are a living tradition across Northern Europe and as far south as Turkey. Lawson imagines instruments that have left no trace that were made by prehistoric humans. Forty-five and a half thousand years ago hand stencils were made by spraying ochre; perhaps using hollow containers that also made sounds.
A delightful and interesting read.
Thanks to Knopf for a free book through NetGalley.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
My thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor- Knopf for an advance copy of this book that digs into the past to explain the love of music, how we have always been drawn to sound, what it can show us from materials, to design, even to where it came from, and what this tells us about ourselves and our past.
I have always felt that history is constantly being taught wrong to people. One can't get an understanding from a rote speech, honed over years of teaching about this that and the other thing. Maybe today they have an AI video showing the same thing, told by a celebrity with a slightly wonky voice. This is how I learned history, and why I was confined to certain interests for so long. Americans have no understanding of their own history, believing what they are told by loud voices, and what the choose to believe, mostly to their own detriment. The past is not about facts, its about actions, and its about objects. Also music. Music links us to the past, people playing simple flute while farming a field, waiting for the battle to start, or watching a prized instrument fall into the sea. They played music, our Air buds give us music. But it is something to share, and something that might make the past more real. More relatable. Sound Tracks An Archaeological Journey Through Our Musical Past by Graeme Lawson is a look at history through a variety of uncovered objects, taken from Earth, recovered from the sea, or found by chance, that shows us the importance of music to people from the modern day to the far distant past.
Graeme Lawson is an archeologist who has spent much time at digs, sifting carefully what he finds, a small piece of metal, even a small clay pipe, that was made to be something more. All in hopes of understanding the past and the people of the time. Lawson is also a musician, so he has an interest in not only classical instruments, but things that many might not consider instruments, creating things that might not be considered music. The aforementioned clay pipe with some added holes to make a whistle. A bit of metal from an early harmonica, played while waiting for the start of battle. Even a violin from under the sea, waterlogged, but still full of stories. This book is about what is music, what did people long ago think of music, and what does it tell us. The book starts with the modern day, like an archeological dig would, looking at what is modern and one the surface, going deeper, finding more items that are broken, some that keep secrets, and some that tell us more about ourselves than we expected.
A really interesting book, one that covers a lot of different subjects. What is music, what would be considered music. A man just blowing on some bark to lift his spirits. More elaborate works longer pieces. Also what can these relics tell us. Some tell about the wealth, the free time of people. Some give evidence about a wrecked ship. Lawson addresses a lot of questions, and does this quite well. Never lecturing, always doing a good job explaining, and making things clear. Even the science which sounds fascinating, Lawson makes it easy to understand. And so interesting that I wanted to know more.
A book that looks at music, sound, people, history, manufacturing and even a bit of forensic science and research techniques. A book that was more than I expected and one that I quite enjoyed.
I have always felt that history is constantly being taught wrong to people. One can't get an understanding from a rote speech, honed over years of teaching about this that and the other thing. Maybe today they have an AI video showing the same thing, told by a celebrity with a slightly wonky voice. This is how I learned history, and why I was confined to certain interests for so long. Americans have no understanding of their own history, believing what they are told by loud voices, and what the choose to believe, mostly to their own detriment. The past is not about facts, its about actions, and its about objects. Also music. Music links us to the past, people playing simple flute while farming a field, waiting for the battle to start, or watching a prized instrument fall into the sea. They played music, our Air buds give us music. But it is something to share, and something that might make the past more real. More relatable. Sound Tracks An Archaeological Journey Through Our Musical Past by Graeme Lawson is a look at history through a variety of uncovered objects, taken from Earth, recovered from the sea, or found by chance, that shows us the importance of music to people from the modern day to the far distant past.
Graeme Lawson is an archeologist who has spent much time at digs, sifting carefully what he finds, a small piece of metal, even a small clay pipe, that was made to be something more. All in hopes of understanding the past and the people of the time. Lawson is also a musician, so he has an interest in not only classical instruments, but things that many might not consider instruments, creating things that might not be considered music. The aforementioned clay pipe with some added holes to make a whistle. A bit of metal from an early harmonica, played while waiting for the start of battle. Even a violin from under the sea, waterlogged, but still full of stories. This book is about what is music, what did people long ago think of music, and what does it tell us. The book starts with the modern day, like an archeological dig would, looking at what is modern and one the surface, going deeper, finding more items that are broken, some that keep secrets, and some that tell us more about ourselves than we expected.
A really interesting book, one that covers a lot of different subjects. What is music, what would be considered music. A man just blowing on some bark to lift his spirits. More elaborate works longer pieces. Also what can these relics tell us. Some tell about the wealth, the free time of people. Some give evidence about a wrecked ship. Lawson addresses a lot of questions, and does this quite well. Never lecturing, always doing a good job explaining, and making things clear. Even the science which sounds fascinating, Lawson makes it easy to understand. And so interesting that I wanted to know more.
A book that looks at music, sound, people, history, manufacturing and even a bit of forensic science and research techniques. A book that was more than I expected and one that I quite enjoyed.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
A lovely trip through time to learn about fascinating archeological musical finds. I love the author's approach by taking us backwards through time. Through this approach, he shares a series of key discoveries to connect our past to our present and demonstrate that the technology and commitment to instruments and their craft has existed for probably as long as humans and human-like species have been on earth. As a non-musician, I was a little worried it would be too dense in music theory, but I was pleasantly surprised that was not the case. The only reasons I didn't give it five stars were that some of the findings felt quite repetitive and it was somewhat eurocentric - though it's possible that this is because this has been the focus of archeology to this point, or it's just provided the best conditions for survival. Either way, I very much enjoyed this book and learned a lot along the way
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A fantastic jaunt through time. From the more recent musical instruments to the oldest lyres found Graeme Lawson takes us in a journey to find where music began. The bulk of the novel focuses on the myriad of musical instruments that have been found at archeological sites. Each chapter going further and further back in time until we meet our oldest ancestors. It is at the closing of the book that Lawson addresses where we think our penchant for music first originated from and how that gene would carry through the ages to modern human kind.
On a non book note, it would be incredibly fun to have and containing the sounds that these instruments make. And maybe even have a song or two.
On a non book note, it would be incredibly fun to have and containing the sounds that these instruments make. And maybe even have a song or two.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews