...History of Music History of Music Music has been around sense the dawn of time. When man first started to discover music it was not the kind of music we have today. All it consisted of was grunts, moans, and banging things. Music has evolved just as much as the people that created it. From Chromagnum men to musician and from grunting too classical music, rock, and rap. The first people imitated music from nature. They mimicked the sound from their every day life. It had no rhythm, beat, or tune it was just noise, but later turned into what we now call music. Ancient people used music for much more than entertainment they used it in every day life. They would yell and scream during battle, blow a horn as a warning, have ceremonies to honor the dead or bring the rain, signal danger, to show your importance in society, it was also used as a healing power. On the front lines of battle would be a soldier that would be holding a drum or a flute. When this was a common act the instruments would be spread around to different cultures after a battle. This brought on a new way of looking at music. Around the 16th century people started to collect instead of play music. A persons hands and feet were the first of all the instruments and is still the most common, because every one has them. A persons hands and feet were readily available, and easy to use. The drum is the second most common percussion instrument. Like most of the other instruments the drum was found by accident...
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...Music history, sometimes called historical musicology, is the highly diverse subfield of the broader discipline of musicology that studies the composition, performance, reception, and criticism of music over time. Historical studies of music are for example concerned with a composer's life and works, the developments of styles and genres (such as baroque concertos), the social function of music for a particular group of people (such as music at the court), or the modes of performance at a particular place and time (such as the performance forces of Johann Sebastian Bach's choir in Leipzig). In theory, "music history" could refer to the study of the history of any type or genre of music (e.g., the history of Indian music or the history of rock). In practice, these research topics are nearly always categorized as part of ethnomusicology or cultural studies, whether or not they are ethnographically based. The methods of music history include source studies (esp. manuscript studies), paleography, philology (especially textual criticism), style criticism, historiography (the choice of historical method), musical analysis, and iconography. The application of musical analysis to further these goals is often a part of music history, though pure analysis or the development of new tools of music analysis is more likely to be seen in the field of music theory. (For a more detailed discussion of the methods see the section on "Research in Music History" below) Some of the intellectual products...
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...Most modern musicians take sheet music for granted. Sheet music abounds in printed form and can even be downloaded from the Internet. It's a far cry from the days of oral tradition. Centuries ago, there were few ways to pass on music other than to "hum a few bars" until the listener caught on. The available manuscripts had to be painstakingly marked out by a transcriptionist and were limited in number. In fact, while many songs were known on a wide scale, they were likely spread about by travelling minstrels and troubadours. They were certainly not available in printed form at the local music shop. Prior to the invention of the printing press in the mid 15th century, very few private citizens owned or had access to sheet music. The ones in...
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...Luis Matos Introduction to Music Term Paper 28 April 2012 The History of Electronic Music Electronic music is one of the most inspiring and artistic forms of music in the world today. Even though electric music is not a new style or form of music, it’s still changing and evolving today. Electric music can vary from instruments like Theremin, synthesizer, and the keyboard to simple computers. These instruments create/synthesize or manipulate sound. Electric music was first introduced in the mid-20th century by Thaddeaus Cahill. He introduced the Dynamaphone which was an array of dynamos that produced many pitches. This was the first instance of electronic music. While this wasn’t a particular instrument it still proved that pitches could be released through electronics. For some time after the Dynamaphone was introduced, there were no real significant advances in electronic music. Many speculated what the “future” of music would sound like, but nothing was introduced until the year 1919. That year was when the Theremin was introduced. “The Theremin is a purely melodic electronic musical instrument typically played by moving the hands in the electromagnetic fields surrounding two projecting antennae” (Webster 1). This instrument was the first and only instrument that could be played without actually touching it. It was created by Lev Termen in Russia. In the United States he is known as non-other than Leon Theremin. This instrument is monophonic and has two rods. One rod...
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...songs to aid the labor movement. Joe Hill strongly believed that music is a powerful way promote or spread political messages. Joe hill compose his songs in a very unique way. For example, he utilized traditional popular American songs and changed to his own lyrics in order to promote political messages. Many of his songs consist of irony, which directly convey political messages. His musics are very engaging, and creating a strong influence for many workers. The film clip of Bound for Glory is a perfect example of how protest songs are “magnetic” and their functionality. The goal of protest songs is to attract outsides into the movement and recruit new members for the union. This clip portrays Joe Hill’s music performance. The movie clip took place during great depression, where poor workers gathered together seeking for work opportunity. Joe Hill’s role in this film clip is to bring his political songs to live. The scene shows how the protest song brought these isolated workers into attention and they are very passionate about his music and they soon form into an organization. Musical forms such as spiritual, work songs, field-holler and blues have similar background and origins. These form of music are very similar to each other and they typically reflect to the conditions in which the song creators were born and experienced. Mostly enslaved African Americans create this form of music and these forms of music can be trace back to the traditional African culture. In the...
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...Art may come in the form of painting, music, theater, cinema, dance and sculpture. Art is not limited to these categories, but these are the most common. As a child, my first exposure to art was in the form of music. Growing up in Western Kentucky, bluegrass played a large part of my life. My grandfather taught me to play the banjo and guitar starting at the age of 4. I first experienced painting in elementary school beginning in the 1st grade. Cinema has always been a part of my life, but I had not considered it art until I was able to properly define it. I experienced dance in high school while taking an elective ballroom dancing course for a semester. I have experienced theater, but not enough to form an opinion about it. Lastly, sculpture had a small influence when I briefly experimented with it in high school art classes. The most valuable and influential form of art to myself is music. Music has always been a large part of my life. In total, I play 5 instruments. Guitar is the primary instrument I choose to play. My grandfather taught me as a child and I have continued to play every day for many years. I began to perform at a young age in churches and community functions. Later, in high school I started a band with a few other local musicians and we played together for about 4 years. Currently I am in a band composed of all military members; we often play in different small venues in Las Vegas, Nevada. Without music, I would not fell like a complete person. It has played...
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...Questions to Consider: Europe 1. How is the history of European and Arabic cultural contact reveal through musical characteristics in places such as Spain and Bulgaria? In Spain, the authentic flamenco had just a singer. It had a strained type of timbre and melisma was used a lot. It shows that there was Arabic influence because they also had that type of style. And because they also used a guitar as accompaniment, it showed there was European influence because they liked harmony. Bulgarian music also had harmonies but with voices. This was a European characteristic. Their music is very colorful and lively and I think that was Arabic influence. 2. What defines a music as "classical" as opposed to "folk" in the European context? How has "classical" music influenced "folk" music style and performance and vice versa? In the European context, classical music is the highest class of music. Folk is a position relative to classical music. Folk music was meant for the common people. It was the opposite of classical music. Folk played classical music and folk music started to interest higher class people. They wanted to become part of a tradition. Classical music started using some folk themes. 3. Drone is especially prominent in many European music traditions. What are some specific manifestations and how does drone relate to the overall sound? Drone is used in many countries in Europe. For example: Scotland, Ireland, and Hungary. In Scotland and Ireland they use bagpipes...
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...Shakespeare once wrote, “if music be the food of love, play on”. Hundreds of years later, music continues to be a influential part of society. Although music affects the lives of many, culture is the largest influencer of music itself. As wars are fought and history is made, music continues to allow the majority and minority voice to be heard. The progression of cultural viewpoints in America created many musical compositions expressing varying opinions of their respective era. During a time of impending war, patriotism was at an all time high, but an underlying tone of unrest among civilians became prominent as well. Much of the early 20th century was structured around the first World War. While they attempted to boost morale both on the frontlines and at home, songs like “You’re a Grand Old Flag” began to spread across the country (Cohan, “You’re a Grand Old Flag” 1906 http://www.loc.gov/teachers/lyrical/songs/old_flag.html ). With catchy lyrics claiming “every heart beats true for the red, white, and blue,” people began to feel pride and supported any endeavors to protect their flag’s reputation. And while many people fell into this norm of patriotism and hoo-rah mentality, many began to fear the havoc the war could bring. This was evident in songs like “I Didn’t Raise My Boy to be a Soldier,” a ballad where a mother expresses her concern and uneasiness at the thought of her son at war (Bryan, Piantadosi, “I Didn’t Raise My Boy to be a Soldier” 1915 https://www.archeophone...
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...History of Music Therapy The idea of utilizing music as a form of healing influence had been around since before the times of Aristotle and Plato, but the profession of music therapy formally began during the period of World War I and World War II when musicians of all kinds from amateurs who played in the local community as well as professionals who would travel all around the world came together to go to veteran hospitals, especially those in the United States, to play for the injured soldiers from the wars suffering from both physical and emotional trauma. With time, physicians began to take note of the positive effects the music had on the patients and soon, hospitals began to hire musicians full-time and the need for colleges to begin...
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...Blues music is most commonly a combination of drums, guitar, piano and vocals. This genre of music originated in the south during the nineteenth century, and was especially popular amongst african american slaves. It’s seeds were first planted on southern plantations. It was first only sung by people classified as african americans, but then prospered and overtook the world of music amongst most cultures. Blues main effect on history, was it’s help with racial conflict. African americans were perceived as slaves during the 19th century, however african american musicians enjoyed a less limited and more luxurious lifestyle. White people first became interested in their music mid 19th century. They were then hired as professional musicians...
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...HISTORY OF MUSIC VIDEOS. PART 1: BRIEF HISTORY OF MUSIC VIDEOS. In 1894, sheet music publishers used a ‘magic lantern’ to project a series of still images on to screen simultaneously to live performance. This was later known as the ‘illustrated song’. This was the first step towards producing music videos. In 1926, many musical short films were produced with the use of ‘talkies’. They were usually six minutes long. Some short cartoons were also made by animation artist Max Fleischer. In 1930’s, popular artists songs were performed during cartoons. The early animated movies by Walt Disney like Silly Symphonies were built around music. Promotional clips were films popular in the 1940’s. They were usually short and normally accompanied by musical selections which were usually just a band on a movie set. Musical films were an important initial step to music videos. Many popular music videos have copied the style of Hollywood musicals from 1930’s to the 1950’s. In the late 1950's, the Scopitone, a visual jukebox was invented in France and was used by French artistes to produce films to accompany their songs. In 1964, The Beatles starred in their first feature film. They then went on to do another feature film filmed in color in London. The title track of this film was in black-and-white and is one of the prime models of the modern performance-style music video. In 1965, The Beatles started making promotional clips for distribution and broadcasts in other countries so they...
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...The idea of music as a healing influence which could affect health and behavior is as least as old as the writings of Aristotle and Plato. The 20th century profession formally began after World War I and World War II when community musicians of all types, both amateur and professional, went to Veterans hospitals around the country to play for the thousands of veterans suffering both physical and emotional trauma from the wars. The patients' notable physical and emotional responses to music led the doctors and nurses to request the hiring of musicians by the hospitals. It was soon evident that the hospital musicians needed some prior training before entering the facility and so the demand grew for a college curriculum. A very brief historical glimpse of this fascinating profession follows, below. Earliest references The earliest known reference to music therapy appeared in 1789 in an unsigned article in Columbian Magazine titled "Music Physically Considered." In the early 1800s, writings on the therapeutic value of music appeared in two medical dissertations, the first published by Edwin Atlee (1804) and the second by Samuel Mathews (1806). Atlee and Mathews were both students of Dr. Benjamin Rush, a physician and psychiatrist who was a strong proponent of using music to treat medical diseases. The 1800s also saw the first recorded music therapy intervention in an institutional setting (Blackwell’s Island in New York) as well as the first recorded systematic experiment...
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...Booker Lee and the County Fair (Booker Lee, for short) is a local Gettysburg, Pennsylvania band that plays music described as alternative country. The band consists of two sets of siblings. Josh is the lead singer and also plays guitar, while his brother Dan plays the bass guitar. Kirsten plays the keyboard and also sings backup vocals, while her brother Jack plays the drums. Dan is the lead guitarist, while oddly enough, his sister Anne is tending the bar. The venue, The Garryowen Irish Pub (The GO, for short), is popular amongst locals and tourists alike. They serve authentic Irish food and beverages, and the atmosphere makes it feel as if you are experiencing a little slice of Ireland, right here in Pennsylvania. Ilsa, who has been a good friend of mine since Middle School, has been a patron of The Garryowen since she turned 21 in 2006. She now helps the bar's owner Kevin with his paperwork as well as waitressing and bar tending. Ilsa says the band's guitarist Dan often joins his friend Ali playing cover songs upstairs, at what they call “The GO too”. The atmosphere upstairs at the Garryowen is more relaxed and homely. Couches, benches and coffee tables occupy the space next to the small bar. Dan and Ali sit in old arm chairs next to one another, while patrons make themselves comfortable in any available space, including the floor. Josh explained that Booker Lee & the county fair has a very strong local following. The band stopped playing shows when one of the members...
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...Rap music is undoubtedly a standout amongst the most prevalent music genres to date however how well do you know the history of rap? Go along with me as I bring a walk down the memory lane and return to the origin of what we know today as Hip-Hop. Number of years back in Africa "griots", where town story tellers who played basic handmade instruments while they told stories of their family and local occasions. This style of talking while music is playing is rap music at ots root structure. The griot is still a noteworthy type of correspondence in Africa still right up 'til the present time. This griot tradition extended when Africans were caught without wanting to, transported to America and constrained into subjugation. One way they would...
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...December 11, 2008 Special Projects Dr. Karin Sehmann The History and Evolution of Gospel Music The culture of African Americans dates back to the beginning of times in Africa. So many things were carried across the world such as culture, art, music, and different cultural practices. The music of African Americans has transcended across different cultures. Gospel music is one of the sacred forms of music for African Americans. This is one of the hottest music genres currently out, and it is not only meant to relay a message to people but change their hearts in the process and help people endure positive out takes on life. Gospel music has a long rich tradition with great contributors such as Thomas Dorsey, Mahalia Jackson, Whitney Houston, and Kirk Franklin. Things such as gospel music workshops and conventions exist today to educate individuals on this peculiar style of music. Recently, I held a gospel music workshop and many things were involved in putting it together. The following paper will discuss my research on the evolution of gospel music and elaborate more on why I decided to do a gospel music workshop. African American gospel music has been implemented with secular and non-African American elements. This has caused many individuals to wonder “what is gospel music?” This musical phenomenon has moved beyond the walls of the “black church” and includes many aspects (Wise 1). Gospel music can be defined from a cultural, spiritual, or musical perspective...
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