La Breve storia della musica di Massimo Mila

No history of music book has been as successful as that of Mila, who has known numerous editions and reprints from 1946 to 2014. Its wide diffusion is an indication of the popular function that it has exercised over more than seventy years, therefore of a specific pedagogical quality. This essay outlines the process that led Mila to write his Breve storia della musica. It examines the structure, method and style of the book to account for what might be considered the “secret” of its success: a concise language and comprehensive content. In highlighting the link between the author’s reasons for writing the volume and its formal characteristics, the essay seeks to demonstrate the factors responsible for the pedagogical quality of Bsm as evidenced by its usability and resultant popularity.