Music is always changing and has been for over thousands of years. It has influenced different cultures and civilizations. From prehistoric times to modern day, music has developed numerous times. Where did music come from? When did it start? Most importantly, how did it evolve?
According to most historians, the first forms of music were grunting and moaning of early cavemen. However, there was no way to record early music. In fact, music notation was discovered centuries later by Guido D’Arezzo. Before that, music had to be memorized and passed down, but if it was not, it was gone forever. Music notation has helped many famous musicians and composers record their masterpieces on paper. Harrison Birtwistle, a British composer, once said, “I wrote music as soon as I knew notation.¨ Early music notation was only made up of bars and notes. As time passed, markings have developed such as octaves, staffs, clefs, and many others. These marks gave more detail on how to play the notes and also made it easier to read …show more content…
Musical instruments have also changed how music developed. Many instruments were invented and has ever since influenced composers from all periods of time. These instruments can shape the music in many ways depending on how the composer wants the instrumentalists to play. For example, J.S. Bach’s pieces are from the Baroque Period, so one would expect to play very stretched dynamics and dramatic markings. In contrast, Béla Bartók’s works in the Classical Period shows more articulation and chords. Some artists even have their own style. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s, “Rondo Alla Turca” is famously known to be played in a very specific form of style. While evolving music, many instruments of the same family have created ensembles through time and brought whole new genres into the world. Jazz, for example, first boomed in the early 20th century, simply by grouping and harmonizing brass instruments