Prelude -- Airs of an ancient age -- Towards harmony -- A question of scale -- Make a note of this -- Renaissance and beyond -- Instruments of progress -- Pitch in time -- Sound science -- Experiments and electronica -- Did The Beatles play out of tune? -- Microtonal magic -- Songs of the cosmos -- Music on the brain -- Einstein's violin

"From the earliest of civilisations, humans have found ways to make music, whether through makeshift drums or artfully drilled bone flutes. But how did music -- effectively little more than a series of certain tones and rhythms -- become so integral to the human experience? Untangling the curious links between notes and number, musical perception, psychology and physics, David Darling examines the fascinating science behind music, from its Palaeolithic origins to the present." -- Back cover texts