The Music of Man

Like another reviewer, I also borrowed this series on VHS from my local library. The late great musical genius Yehudi Menuhin narrates an entertaining and enlightening series on the history of music and man.

This was not just a series about the history of western or classical music. This was an account of the inseparable and interwoven history of man and his music.

Besides sharing his wealth of musical knowledge, Yehudi interviews and jams with musical greats from the various genre's and different cultures of the world.

Going back to ancient mans trance inducing rhythms to exploring the roots of modern rock music, this series had it all.

Sad that it is not available on DVD for music enthusiasts all over the world to enjoy, and for me to see the episodes that were not available so many years ago at my local library.

I saw those TV programs long time ago, possibly shortly after they were made. I remember seeing Menuhin playing a particularly heartfelt account of Bartok's sonata for solo violin. He talks to other musicians and goes through the history of western classical music in a way that was both highly entertaining and informative. I remember one scene when he visits Glenn Gould and talks to him about recording and performing. At that time Gould decided to give up giving live performances and only did recordings. Gould defended his posture and was seen later recording some Bach and sort of conducting the sound engineers to achieve the sound he wanted. There are not many programs that go through the history of classical music in such a way and I wish programs like that were available.

Yehudi Menuhin travels through history and around the world exploring music from its primitive roots to its modern expressions in this British TV miniseries. Menuhin, a truly great (and late) violinist, has a deep understanding of and a passionate interest in his subject and presents insights you would never find anywhere else. I remember particularly his jam sessions with Ravi Shankar and with a French Canadian fiddler, but the whole series is exceptional and I wish I'd been able to record it, because it's a moving and timeless piece.

I used to borrow this series from my local library on VHS tape but I guess it wore out. I'd love to get a copy but can't find it anywhere. I even wrote to CBC with no response, I'll try again.

I especially liked the episode with Glenn Gould. And there was one where Yehudi Menuhin was in a barn where a musician had built a huge musical mobile. It was energized by two people sitting on a teeter-totter. Wheel rims, bed springs, chunks of steel and the guts of a piano added to the sound effects.

So if anyone has an idea of where a copy could be found, that would be great. Thanks

Contrary to the information displayed in IMDb, this mini-series dates from the late 1970's (I think it was released in 1978 or 1979). Like so many outstanding programs produced by CBC from that era, it seems to have vanished without a trace. These days, of course, every piece of worthless dreck put out by CBC (and others) is available either on DVD or on their website. They seem to have no interest in either re-broadcasting or releasing this great, high-quality material (assuming they haven't disposed of it already). Anyway, this was one of the most thoughtful and stimulating programs about music history I've ever seen. I'm glad at least I still have memories of it. I would love to see it again. However, considering the low-brow, anti-archival mentality of CBC executives, I doubt it will ever see the light of day again. Hope I'm wrong!