A good piece of music is what we all need on any occasion. It is very rare to find a person that hates music. Though people have different tastes in music, they love at least a single music style. It is a universal language that heals the mind. Language is not a problem for music because anyone can use music to convey feelings like sorrow, happiness, love, etc. In order to appreciate something, it is better to know its history. You can understand the evolution of music by mining the details of ancient music. It is believed that music is first defined and identified from nature. The animals’ and birds’ cries are examples of music. An exact period can not be determined as the origin of music. It is believed that music was originated from the sounds and rhythms that occurred naturally. Even now certain music patterns are limited to natural sounds. Some people believe that music came before the existence of man. The human voice might be the first musical instrument as it can make a variety of sounds like singing, whistling, and humming. As the first evidence of a musical instrument, the archaeologists have discovered a flute made out of bone.
What is the purpose of developing music?
There are 4 reasons for the development of music. These include dance, personal entertainment, communication, and rituals. In ancient times, music is mainly used for religious purposes. But when it comes to the modern era music has become a part of our lives. Can you imagine an occasion of your life without traces of music? There may be some instances. But it is rare.
Prehistoric Music
Music must be originated before recorded history. Some pieces of evidence prove that drum-based and percussion instruments were used in prehistoric times. Very simple musical instruments were used to generate music in the prehistoric era. Those were used in religious ceremonies as representations of animals. The shreds of evidence are taken from American Indians and African Natives who still have a connection with the use of music for ancient religious practices.
When it comes to the development of musical instruments, it is believed that harps and flutes are created by Egyptians around 4000BCE while in 3500 BCE lyres and double reeded clarinet came to use.
There is a number of evidence to show that the instruments like trumpets were introduced during this period. The first trumpet was valveless. It was manipulated with lips to change pitch.
The guitar has become a very essential instrument in all music items. Hittites found it in 1500 BCE. This was a masterpiece in the history of music because the use of frets to change the pitch of a vibrating string was introduced with the guitar. The later invention of the guitar leads to the discovery of several musical instruments including violin and harpsichord.
Records of songs that are mixed with vocals and instruments related 700 BCE have been found by archeologists. It is one of the turning points in the history of music.
The oldest musical instrument of the world was designed by Neanderthals. It is called Divje Babe Flute that is about 50000 to 60000 years old.
Ancient Music
Music that came after prehistoric music was called Ancient Music. The first written song was discovered from Ugarit in Syria and it was written in cuneiform and a part of the Hurrian songs. There was a complete musical composition which is having musical notations dated to the 1st or 2nd century AD and it is called Seikilos epitaph.
Romantic Music
It was said that music became much expansive as well as emotional in the Romantic Period. Examples of those include the art pieces of the composers like Chopin, Belini, Berioz, and Schumann. The orchestra became a part of urban society and meantime the size of it also got increased. This happens in the late 19th century.
Indus valley civilization is believed as one civilization in which music had some improvements. Musical instruments like seven holed flutes and different stringed typed instruments were excavated from the archeological sites in these civilizations.
Development of music in ancient Greece
Greece is the place where the roots of classical music lie. All classical art is originated based in Greece. The octave scale or the keystone of modern music was developed by the mathematician Pythagoras in 600 BCE.
Greeks had ample leisure time. So they make a passion to learn artistic skills. So music was very popular in Greece. There were so many music events in Greece around 400 BCE. One example is trumpet competitions held in Greece.
Aristotle is the first person to write music theory scientifically. He made a method of notation in 350 BCE. Even today those notations are studied.
Music in Renaissance
The renaissance period was the time in which harmony and polyphony into music were added. Religious music had a vast development in the renaissance period. Some new forms like masses, anthems, psalms, and motels were also added to music in this era. Many instruments were introduced in this period. So the use of instruments in music was very much popular. Among the newly introduced instruments sackbut, cornet harpsichord, percussion instruments like bells, small drums were popular.
The invention of the printing machine was a turning point in the history of music. It influenced the spreading of music in Europe.
There were many famous composers also in this Renaissance period. Josquin des Prez was one of the most famous composers in Europe who is still regarded as a noble character.
Baroque Music
The baroque era was a very important period in music history. It was started in 1600 and expanded till 1750. Baroque music started with the first written opera. Baroque composers including English, German, Spanish and Portuguese musicians wrote small ensembles that had used some musical instruments. Those were comprised of strings, woodwinds, and brass. Several major kinds of music were coming to use in this period which is still used. The late Baroque music style was enriched with complex rich ornaments. Violin, double bass, harp oboe, and viola were the prominent instruments used in this period. There are many important composers in the Braque era and Francoise Couperin, Arcangelo Corelli, and Philipp Telemann are a few of them.
Classical Music Era
Opera was not disappeared in the Classical Music Era. Operas were composed in native languages. So it was very easy to understand and feel by the general public. But musical instruments replaced operas and other sung forms to some extent. The middle-class society got more access to music which had the aristocratic monopoly. The composers tried to create simple music that was easy to understand by the middle-class people. The piano was the primary musical instrument used in the classical period. The famous composers in this era are Franz Xaver Richter, Carl Stamitz, and Johann Stamitz.
Music in 20th and 21st Century
The 20th century is a milestone in music due to the development of technology. The music listening habit of people became more popular because of the radio, new media, and technologies. New musical instruments came into use in this period. Electronic instruments and amplification of music were introduced in this period. New forms of music were also introduced. Music performances were very much populated due to the visual performances and recording of performances. Among the famous music, styles that prevailed in this century Jazz, chance music, serialism, 12 tone system, minimalism, and neoclassical music styles were prominent.
To Sum Up
The history of music has a broad range to discover. If you are a music lover, then digging into the early footprints of music will be quite interesting. A piece of ancient music still calms over just like today’s masterpieces.
