Rooted: How Black and Brown People Created Classical Music

By: Vincent Sneed

Narrated by: DeeDee Ash

This highly captivating audiobook takes listeners on a journey through the history of classical music. However, author and music educator Vincent Sneed demonstrates that this history does not begin in Europe, but instead, the origins of classical music reside in places such as Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Sneed details how the music of composers such as Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven would never have existed if it had not been the ingenuity and innovation of black and brown people. Sneed also shows the readers how Islamic and Jewish peoples were instrumental in the formation of the music that would later become primarily associated with Christianity. Finally, Sneed educates listeners on the importance of teaching this history in music classrooms around the world and how to implement this message of cultural unity into our society.

©2025 Vincent Sneed (P)2026 Vincent Sneed