Episode · Freakonomics Radio · 2026-05-01
Books mentioned on 673. What Is Money?
That’s what the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang wanted to learn. So he turned Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations into an oratorio.
Stephen Dubner discussed Messiah by George Frideric Handel and others, The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith, The Song of Songs, and Little Match Girl Passion by David Lang. David Lang discussed David Copperfield by Charles Dickens.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Messiah
Discussed“We recently made a three-part series about an almost 300-year-old oratorio that still has a grip on a lot of people today, Handel's Messiah. During our reporting, we spent some time with the New York Philharmonic as they rehearsed and performed Messiah.”
Where to get it
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The Wealth of Nations
The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith is a foundational 1776 text by the Scottish thinker often regarded as the father of modern economics, exploring free markets, capitalism, and the mechanics of national wealth.
Discussed“One day, our producer Zach Lipinsky heard about a future Philharmonic oratorio called The Wealth of Nations. You may recognize that title. It is a book published in 1776 by the Scotsman Adam Smith, who is widely seen as the father of modern economics”
Where to get it
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The Song of Songs
Discussed“This is a piece called Just. The lyrics are drawn from Song of Songs, a book of love poems in the Hebrew Bible.”
Where to get it
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David Copperfield
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens is a classic 1850 semi-autobiographical novel that follows the emotional and professional maturation of its titular hero from an impoverished childhood to adulthood.
Discussed“You are reminding me of the part of David Copperfield where Mr. Micawber says, "If you have 20 pounds of annual expense, and at the end of the year, you have 20 pounds and 1 pence, you are a rich person.”
Where to get it
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Little Match Girl Passion
Discussed“That's actually the best thing that the Pulitzer Prize is good for is getting one's parents off one's back. Lang won his Pulitzer in 2008 for a choral piece called The Little Match Girl Passion.”
Where to get it
