Evelyn Glennie

"It is my belief that there is no such thing as silence," declares profoundly Evelyn Glennie. In Listen World , the Grammy Award-winning percussionist challenges misconceptions about deafness, and asserts instead the incredible world of sound she lives in. Having dedicated her entire life to breaking boundaries, Glennie now seeks to transform the entire world - to listen, and to teach others to listen.Listen World is an incredible insight into the mind behind a musical revolution. From innovative collaborations with choreographers to the incorporation of technology into her work, from her performance at the 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony to her production of Shakespeare, Glennie has undoubtedly changed the way we think of sound in the world. More than that, her autobiography gives an unprecedented sense of the character, passion and heart behind it all. In listening to her story, every reader moves one step closer to the compassionate, sensitive, and individual new world she imagines."I've never met anyone who listens with as much of herself--mind, body, and heart--as does Dame Evelyn Glennie. Her listening is a bridge, a profound and self-giving attentiveness that can heal what can't be cured. I was blessed to learn from Evelyn what it means to truly listen, and I trust you will be as well."--Michael Verde, Founder of Memory Bridge"In this immensely personal book, Evelyn Glennie asks us to listen with our whole being to the magic of music"--Keith Howard, Professor of Music, SOAS, University of London"This book is an invitation to tap into the wonders of listening, what that means to you and everything you engage in. What happens when you engage with the chatter in your head? When you travel to school and college. Is listening only about sound or can our whole body be a resonating chamber? Is listening about observing? How can we begin to enhance our relationship to 'listening' and how can it influence all the decisions you make from minute to minute? My experience is that listening is an activity that never sleeps... even when we are asleep we continue to listen What an opportunity we have to re-engage, rethink, revisit our everyday lives to make what we do much more vivid and meaningful, and as a result, feel part of the wonders of the world?"-- Evelyn Glennie

Music Stones is a fascinating account of the surprising and little-known ways in which stone has been used to create music. The use of stone instruments (lithophones) is thought to date back to prehistoric times, but here the focus is on a more recent interest being shown in the sound of stone. This all began in 1785, when Peter Crosthwaite, from Keswick in England’s Lake District, assembled his set of Music Stones, collected from the foot of Mount Skiddaw. From the 1840s onwards a succession of so-called rock bands from Keswick were inspired to produce bigger and better instruments and perform widely on them, including, in one case, playing at Buckingham Palace for Queen Victoria. The story continues into the twentieth century when, in 1949, the unearthing of an ancient set of tuned stone slabs in Vietnam, led to a revival of interest in lithophones in that country. A connection is also made between the sound of stone and the process of stone-carving, with particular reference to the work of Barbara Hepworth, as well as other sculptors such as Pinuccio Sciola, who was to become known internationally for his sound sculptures. Another focus is on the world of experimental music, in which some musicians and composers, keen to challenge ideas of what might constitute a musical instrument, have explored a range of geological possibilities, from vast rocky landscapes through to tiny pebbles. In the final chapter, a selection of contemporary practitioners write about their own musical involvement with the sound of stone.