How Music Works

How Music Works is David Byrne's bestselling, buoyant celebration of a subject he has spent a lifetime thinking about. Drawing on his own work over the years with Talking Heads, Brian Eno, and his myriad collaborators - along with journeys to Wagnerian opera houses, African villages, and anywhere music exists - Byrne shows how music emerges from cultural circumstance as much as individual creativity. It is his magnum opus, and an impassioned argument about music's liberating, life-affirming power. Now expanded, with a brand new chapter on discovering new music in the digital age.

David Byrne, co-founder of the musical group Talking Heads, has also released several solo albums in addition to collaborating with such noted artists as Twyla Tharp, Robert Wilson, and Brian Eno. His art includes photography and installation works and has been published in five books, including Bicycle Diaries (2009) and How Music Works (2012). His score for 1988's The Last Emperor received Academy, Golden Globe, and Grammy award wins alongside his co-composers. His 2019 Broadway production, American Utopia received a Special Tony Award while his 2013 immersive musical Here Lies Love received four Tony Award nominations including Best Original Score. @DBtodomundo | @davidbyrneofficial