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The history of music essay
The history of music essay
History of Music
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Music is a story of somebodies feelings and thought put into note form and all put to a central beat. Harry Styles said that, “There is a song for every emotion.” This is due to the amount of times of happiness and sadness through history. The technology available at the time is the translator that changes emotions into something that is audible. History has affected music in ways such as the mood of the area at the time of the creation, the amount advances in technology at the time, and popular trends at the time. The mood of a place at a certain time in history has dictated the style of music since the first creating of it. A prime example of this was in America during the 1920’s. The great depression had hit and the economy had hit an all time low. Life had become extremely hard for the middle class and lower class citizens. It was a time of sorrow and depression. This same time was also the rise in popularity for Jazz and the Blues. Many of these songs were slow but slightly peppy. Many of the songs had lyrics that talked about the shortness of money or any other problems such as lost love. …show more content…
Different devices can change music immensely. For example, many people think of an instrument as something that involves keys, valves, or strings, but the truth is that something as simple as your voice or as complicated as a computer can create music just the same as a traditional instrument. Before fancy sound boards and computers were around to manipulate music into almost unnatural perfection, there was just a person with their instrument and an audience. If somebody messed up then it would be heard, but the world wouldn’t end. Now it is completely absurd to hear music that is not completely perfect thanks to the use of sound editing software, autotune, and lip
As the United States entered the 1920's it was not as unified as one might think. Not one, but two societies existed. The Black society, whose ancestors had been oppressed throughout the ages, and the White society, the oppressors of these men and women. After emancipation the Whites no longer needed the Blacks, but were forced to live with them. The Blacks despised the Whites, but even so they became more like them in every way. Even though these two races had grown so similar over the past century and a half, they were still greatly diversified. One aspect of this great diversity was the difference in music trends. The White society was still in love with the European classical music. The Blacks on the other hand had created something all their own. Jazz, Blues, and Ragtime originated in New Orleans in the 19th century, but by the 1920's it had become famous throughout America. The Whites tried to suppress the Blacks with new laws, but the power of this strengthened race was too great. The Negro music of the 20th century had a huge affect ...
If one were to look back into the world’s history, one would find that an important and consistent element is the world of music. Music has presented itself in various forms throughout its spread and through our identification of its magical realm, people have been fortunate enough to come across a means of relation. Whether it is blues and reggae or rap and pop rock, there is music out there for everyone. Music can serve as a stabilizer for some, a relaxant to others, and to many a form of inspiration.
Soul had a great cultural impact on the music industry during the 1960's, especially considering that record labels such as Motown, Stax, and Fame had several important soul artists under contract. While Motown was considered by some to be a more restrained (pop) type of soul, musicians such as Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder and groups such as the Supremes and the Temptations released many successful records in combination. Both Stax and Fame Records decided to take a different approach, and many of the tracks issued out of their respective studios were of a grittier, southern soul style, which some consider to be more true to the roots of African American culture. Some southern soul musicians include Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, and Aretha Franklin. During the civil rights movement and more so after Martin Luther King was assassinated, some soul artists began incorporating a "black power" element within their music. For example, take James Brown's single "Say It Loud, I'm Black and Proud".
Music is an art and a wonderful gift to human race. It soothes, stimulates and makes us feel happy. It affects our moods in many different ways from lullaby to war cry for changes in the society. Music is actually distinct to different people. Above all, it has a transformational importance that is captured in its art and nature. Music draws our emotions and it has an impact of bridging different cultures across the continents. Slave songs were very vital channels through which all kind of information was conveyed both positive and negative.
In the 20’s, the era right after World War I, music and dancing became a focus. Many musicians were moving Northward from southern cities such as New Orleans, which was a main focus for what would become jazz music. As these musicians came up to more urban cities, they introduced the country to a world of music based on Caribbean music tones and southern blues. Syncopation was common in the songs that were known in this area, as were the common bluesy sounds and rhythms of those gospel songs and old hymns. This would all greatly influence the jazz creation. Jazz began as a music type that was focused more on orchestral sounds and bigger bands than smaller bands, such as seen with Whiteman, and this was evident in the types of dances and music the people listened to, with large piece orchestras. In this time period, there were big bands, but few solos or focus on jazz technique individually, as the bands showcased the overall sound of the band’s polyrhythmic and polyphonic sound more than its homophonic solo sounds. People such as Louis Armstrong began to be interested in focusing more on chords than melodies and on solos than group collective improvisation, and this started the move to a new wave of jazz: swing.
From powerful pieces capable of captivating an audience, to slow ballads able to soothe and mellow the listener, jazz is everywhere. Its sound is unique and recognizable, and is applicable in countless situations. It can fit any mood and adapt to the sound and tone that is desired. With its distinctly American roots there is a reason it is so popular and well known in the country. At one time there was an era where it first grew and dominated the music society. Nicknamed “The Jazz Era”, the 1920’s was a crazy and energetic time where jazz took the music industry by storm (Kallen 8). It was in this time period that the genre flourished in society and grew into the presence that it has today. I am certain at some point in your life you have heard
Music is all around us. It is interesting to see the progress of technology in music and how it has shaped our culture.
Music defines our culture. As Americans, we listen to music while we drive our cars, are at work, doing housework, studying, etc. We have songs for special occasions: Christmas, Hanukah, birthdays, weddings, parties, etc. We have taken songs from the various cultures that make us diverse: Arabic, German, Mexican, Native American, etc. We have many genres: country, hip-hop, rap, pop, blues, jazz, rock, heavy metal, etc. And although we may think of music as simple and easy, looking at all this makes one realize how diverse and complex our music truly is. Two things that contribute to this diversity are theme and symbolism.
Since the earliest days of human civilization music has been a key tool for communication of stories which carried emotions through them. If we think back to our youngest years of life music has surrounded us whether it was from our parents singing us lullabies or from some sort of toy that played music we can say that musical melodies have helped shape or lives one way or another. Once we start growing up and figuring out who we are our musical preferences change; some people like classical and some like punk. We start to befriend people who like the same music as us and eventually we may attend a musical event. Our lives somewhat revolve around the music that we listen to.
It has been scientists' belief that music must have been present in the ancestral population prior to the dispersal of humans around the world. Therefore it is believed that music must have been in existence for at least 50,000 years, with the first music being invented in Africa and then evolving into becoming a fundamental constituent of human life. Any culture of music is influenced by the aspect of their culture, including their social and economic organization, climate, and access to technology. People express their emotions and ideas through their music. Music expresses the situations and how music is listened to and played. The attitude towards music players and composers varies between regions and periods of history. Music history" is the distinct subfield of musicology and history which studies music (particularly western art music) from a chronological perspective. ("History of Music")
Music is continually around us. It is what we wake up to in the mornings, what we listen to as we drive, and what we begrudgingly tap our feet to as we wait for the elevator doors to open. Even when we were young, our mothers sang lullabies, proving that music has always been a piece of our lives. We have unknowingly allowed music to become part of who we are. It has influenced our emotions, choices, and our ability to learn and heal. In fact, it effects how we handle the different situations that we come to face. Music has woven itself into everything we are.
By the turn of the century and for the next few decades, artists of all nationalities were
...hese uses of music result in something good for that person, then an attitude is formed, in which music becomes a sort of rule that sets some of the standards, that our social behavior is made of.
In today’s world technology has evolved and is still evolving to better for everyone in the world. Most importantly from what I saw music technology to what artists use have done a phenomenal out take on the way it brought out music production. Within this music programing on computers plays a big role.
Music is said to be the speech of angels. It has the beauty of loneliness, the pain of strength and freedom, and the disappointment and never-satisfied love. Music is verbal poetry. It encompasses a great many emotions, feelings, and desires and often represents rage, love, happiness, sorrow and despair. "Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art." (Parker) Music is a form of art. It allows a human being to take all the dry, technically boring but difficult techniques and uses them to create and simplify emotion. Plato once said, "Education in music is most sovereign because more than anything else rhythm and harmony find there way to the inmost soul and take strongest hold upon it." Music is one thing science cannot duplicate: humanism, feeling, and emotion.