Origins and prehistory from
Geissenklösterle, Germany, dated around BP. It is often debated to what extent the origins of music will ever be understood, and there are competing theories that aim to explain it. Many scholars highlight a relationship between the origin of music and the
origin of language, and there is disagreement surrounding whether music developed before, after, or simultaneously with language. A similar source of contention surrounds whether music was the intentional result of
natural selection or was a byproduct
spandrel of evolution. The earliest influential theory was proposed by
Charles Darwin in 1871, who stated that music arose as a form of
sexual selection, perhaps via mating calls. Darwin's original perspective has been heavily criticized for its inconsistencies with other sexual selection methods, though many scholars in the 21st century have developed and promoted the theory. Other theories include that music arose to assist in organizing labor, improving long-distance communication, benefiting communication with the
divine, assisting in community cohesion, or as a defense to scare off predators.
Prehistoric music can only be theorized based on findings from
paleolithic archaeology sites. The disputed
Divje Babe flute, a perforated
cave bear femur, is at least 40,000 years old, though there is considerable debate surrounding whether it is truly a
musical instrument or an object formed by animals. The earliest objects whose designations as musical instruments are widely accepted are
bone flutes from the
Swabian Jura, Germany, namely from the
Geissenklösterle,
Hohle Fels, and
Vogelherd caves. Dated to the
Aurignacian (of the Upper Paleolithic) and used by
Early European modern humans, from all three caves there are eight examples, four made from the
wing bones of birds and four from
mammoth ivory; three of these are near complete. Three flutes from the Geissenklösterle are dated as the oldest, BP.
Antiquity mural of people playing
music.|left The earliest material and representational evidence of Egyptian musical instruments dates to the
Predynastic period, but the evidence is more securely attested in the
Old Kingdom when
harps,
flutes, and
double clarinets were played. Percussion instruments,
lyres, and
lutes were added to orchestras by the
Middle Kingdom.
Cymbals frequently accompanied music and dance, much as they still do in
Egypt today. Egyptian
folk music, including the traditional
Sufi rituals, are the closest contemporary
music genre to
ancient Egyptian music, having preserved many of its features, rhythms and instruments. The "
Hurrian Hymn to Nikkal", found on
clay tablets in the ancient
Syrian city of
Ugarit, is the oldest surviving notated work of music, dating back to approximately 1400 BCE. Music was an important part of social and cultural life in
ancient Greece and was one of the main subjects taught to children. Musical education was considered important for the development of an individual's soul. Musicians and singers played a prominent role in
Greek theater, and those who received a musical education were seen as nobles and in perfect harmony (as can be read in the
Republic, Plato). Mixed gender
choruses performed for entertainment, celebration, and spiritual ceremonies. Instruments included the double-reed and a plucked
string instrument, the
lyre, principally a special kind called a . Music was an important part of education, and boys were taught music starting at age six. Greek musical literacy created significant musical development. Greek
music theory included the Greek
musical modes, which eventually became the basis for Western
religious and
classical music. Later, influences from the
Roman Empire, Eastern Europe, and the
Byzantine Empire changed Greek music. The
Seikilos epitaph is the oldest surviving example of a complete musical composition, including musical notation, from anywhere in the world. The oldest surviving work written about music theory is
Harmonika Stoicheia by
Aristoxenus.
Asian cultures Asian music covers a swath of music cultures surveyed in the articles on
Arabia,
Central Asia,
East Asia,
South Asia, and
Southeast Asia. These traditions, with several reaching into antiquity, share historical ties through trade, religion and philosophical exchange, yet preserve their unique local aesthetics and performance styles.
Indian classical music is one of the oldest musical traditions in the world. Sculptures from the
Indus Valley civilization show dance and old musical instruments, like the seven-holed flute. Stringed instruments and drums have been recovered from
Harappa and
Mohenjo Daro by excavations carried out by
Mortimer Wheeler. The
Rigveda, an ancient Hindu text, has elements of present Indian music, with musical notation to denote the meter and mode of chanting. Indian classical music (marga) is
monophonic, and based on a single melody line or
raga rhythmically organized through
talas. The poem
Cilappatikaram provides information about how new scales can be formed by modal shifting of the tonic from an existing scale. Present day
Hindi music was influenced by
Persian traditional music and
Afghan Mughals.
Carnatic music, popular in the southern states, is largely devotional; the majority of the songs are addressed to the Hindu deities. There are songs emphasizing love and other social issues. , there are variants across Indonesia, especially in
Java and
Bali.
Indonesian music has been formed since the
Bronze Age culture migrated to the
Indonesian archipelago in the 2nd-3rd centuries BCE. Indonesian traditional music uses percussion instruments, especially
kendang and
gongs. Some of them developed elaborate and distinctive instruments, such as the
sasando stringed instrument on the island of Rote, the
Sundanese angklung, and the complex and sophisticated
Javanese and
Balinese gamelan orchestras. Indonesia is the home of
gong chime, a general term for a set of small, high pitched pot gongs. Gongs are usually placed in order of note, with the boss up on a string held in a low wooden frame. The most popular form of Indonesian music is gamelan, an ensemble of tuned
percussion instruments that include
metallophones,
drums,
gongs, and
spike fiddles along with
bamboo suling (like a
flute).
Chinese classical music, the traditional art or court music of China, has a history stretching over about 3,000 years. It has its own unique systems of musical notation, as well as musical tuning and pitch, musical instruments and styles or genres. Chinese music is
pentatonic-
diatonic, having a scale of twelve notes to an octave (5 + 7 = 12) as does European-influenced music.
Western classical Early music from a Catholic
Missal, –1320 The
medieval music era (500 to 1400), which took place during the
Middle Ages, started with the introduction of
monophonic (single melodic line)
chanting into
Catholic Church services.
Musical notation was used since ancient times in
Greek culture, but in the Middle Ages, notation was first introduced by the Catholic Church, so chant melodies could be written down, to facilitate the use of the same melodies for religious music across the Catholic empire. The only European Medieval repertory that has been found, in written form, from before 800 is the monophonic
liturgical plainsong chant of the Catholic Church, the central tradition of which was called
Gregorian chant. Alongside these traditions of
sacred and
church music there existed a vibrant tradition of
secular song (non-religious songs). Examples of composers from this period are
Léonin,
Pérotin,
Guillaume de Machaut, and
Walther von der Vogelweide.
Renaissance music ( to 1600) was more focused on secular themes, such as
courtly love. Around 1450, the
printing press was invented, which made printed
sheet music much less expensive and easier to mass-produce (prior to the invention of the press, all notated music was hand-copied). The increased availability of sheet music spread musical styles quicker and across a larger area. Musicians and singers often worked for the church, courts, and towns. Church choirs grew in size, and the church remained an important patron of music. By the middle of the 15th century, composers wrote richly polyphonic sacred music, in which different melody lines were interwoven simultaneously. Prominent composers from this era include
Guillaume Du Fay,
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina,
Thomas Morley,
Orlando di Lasso, and
Josquin des Prez. As musical activity shifted from the church to aristocratic courts, kings, queens and princes competed for the finest composers. Many leading composers came from the Netherlands, Belgium, and France; they are called the Franco-Flemish composers. They held important positions throughout Europe, especially in Italy. Other countries with vibrant musical activity included Germany, England, and Spain.
Common practice period Baroque The Baroque era of music took place from 1600 to 1750, coinciding with the flourishing of the
Baroque artistic style in Europe. The start of the Baroque era was marked by the penning of the first
operas.
Polyphonic contrapuntal music (music with separate, simultaneous
melodic lines) remained important during this period. German Baroque composers wrote for small
ensembles including
strings,
brass, and
woodwinds, as well as for
choirs and keyboard instruments such as
pipe organ,
harpsichord, and
clavichord. Musical complexity increased during this time. Several major musical forms were created, some of them which persisted into later periods, seeing further development. These include the
fugue, the
invention, the
sonata, and the
concerto. The late Baroque style was polyphonically complex and richly ornamented. Important composers from the Baroque era include
Johann Sebastian Bach (
Cello suites),
George Frideric Handel (
Messiah),
Georg Philipp Telemann, and
Antonio Vivaldi (
The Four Seasons).
Classicism was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. The music of the Classical period (1730 to 1820) aimed to imitate what were seen as the key elements of the art and philosophy of Ancient Greece and Rome: the ideals of balance, proportion, and disciplined expression. Music from the Classical period has a lighter, clearer, and considerably simpler texture than the
Baroque music which preceded it. The main style was
homophony, where a prominent
melody and a subordinate chordal
accompaniment part are clearly distinct. Classical instrumental melodies tended to be almost voicelike and singable. New genres were developed, and the
fortepiano, the forerunner to the modern piano, replaced the Baroque era
harpsichord and
pipe organ as the main keyboard instrument (though pipe organ continued to be used in sacred music, such as Masses). Importance was given to
instrumental music. It was dominated by further development of musical forms initially defined in the Baroque period: the
sonata, the concerto, and the
symphony. Other main kinds were the
trio,
string quartet,
serenade, and
divertimento. The sonata was the most important and developed form. Although Baroque composers also wrote sonatas, the Classical style of sonata is completely distinct. All of the main instrumental forms of the Classical era, from string quartets to symphonies and concertos, were based on the structure of the sonata. The instruments used
chamber music and orchestra became more standardized. In place of the
basso continuo group of the Baroque era, which consisted of harpsichord, organ, or lute along with a number of bass instruments selected at the discretion of the group leader (e.g., viol, cello, theorbo, serpent), Classical chamber groups used specified, standardized instruments (e.g., a string quartet would be performed by two violins, a viola, and a cello). The practice of improvised chord-playing by the continuo keyboardist or lute player, a hallmark of Baroque music, underwent a gradual decline between 1750 and 1800. One of the most important changes made in the Classical period was the development of public concerts. The aristocracy still played a significant role in the sponsorship of concerts and compositions, but it was now possible for composers to survive without being permanent employees of queens or princes. The increasing popularity of classical music led to a growth in the number and types of orchestras. The expansion of orchestral concerts necessitated the building of large public performance spaces. Symphonic music including symphonies, musical accompaniment to ballet, and mixed vocal/instrumental genres, such as opera and
oratorio, became more popular. The best known composers of Classicism are
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach,
Christoph Willibald Gluck,
Johann Christian Bach,
Joseph Haydn,
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,
Ludwig van Beethoven, and
Franz Schubert. Beethoven and Schubert are also considered to be composers in the later part of the Classical era, as it began to move towards Romanticism.
Romanticism , 1868). The man at the piano is composer
Franz Schubert. Romantic music ( to 1900) from the 19th century had many elements in common with the
Romantic styles in literature and painting of the era. Romanticism was an artistic, literary, and intellectual movement was characterized by its emphasis on emotion and individualism as well as glorification of all the past and nature. Romantic music expanded beyond the rigid styles and forms of the Classical era into more passionate, dramatic, and expressive pieces and songs. Romantic composers such as
Wagner and
Brahms attempted to increase emotional expression and power in their music to describe deeper truths or human feelings. With symphonic
tone poems, composers tried to tell stories and evoke images or landscapes using instrumental music. Some composers promoted
nationalistic pride with patriotic orchestral music inspired by
folk music. The emotional and expressive qualities of music came to take precedence over tradition. Romantic composers grew in idiosyncrasy, and went further in the
syncretism of exploring different art-forms in a musical context, (such as literature), history (historical figures and legends), or nature itself.
Romantic love or longing was a prevalent theme in many works composed during this period. In some cases, the formal structures from the classical period continued to be used (e.g., the
sonata form used in
string quartets and
symphonies), but these forms were expanded and altered. In many cases, new approaches were explored for existing genres, forms, and functions. Also, new forms were created that were deemed better suited to the new subject matter. Composers continued to develop opera and ballet music, exploring new styles and themes. There was a vast increase in music listening as the radio gained popularity and
phonographs were used to replay and distribute music; anyone with a radio or record player could hear operas,
symphonies, and
big bands in their own living room. During the 19th century, the focus on sheet music had restricted access to new music to middle and upper-class people who could read music and who owned pianos and other instruments. Radios and record players allowed lower-income people, who could not afford an opera or symphony concert ticket, to hear this music. As well, people could hear music from different parts of the country, or even different parts of the world, even if they could not afford to travel to these locations. This helped to spread musical styles. The focus of
art music in the 20th century was characterized by exploration of new rhythms, styles, and sounds. The horrors of World War I influenced many of the arts, including music, and composers began exploring darker, harsher sounds.
Traditional music styles such as
jazz and
folk music were used by composers as a source of ideas for classical music.
Igor Stravinsky,
Arnold Schoenberg, and
John Cage were influential composers in 20th-century art music. The invention of sound recording and the ability to edit music gave rise to new subgenres of classical music, including the
acousmatic and
musique concrète schools of electronic composition. Sound recording was a major influence on the development of popular music genres, because it enabled recordings of songs and bands to be widely distributed. The introduction of the
multitrack recording system had a major influence on
rock music, because it could do more than record a band's performance. Using a multitrack system, a band and their music producer could overdub many layers of instrument tracks and vocals, creating new sounds that would not be possible in a live performance. Jazz evolved and became an important genre of music over the course of the 20th century, and during the second half, rock music did the same. Jazz is an American musical artform that originated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of
African and European music traditions. The style's West African pedigree is evident in its use of
blue notes,
improvisation,
polyrhythms,
syncopation, and the
swung note. Rock music is a genre of
popular music that developed in the 1950s from
rock and roll,
rockabilly,
blues, and
country music. The sound of rock often revolves around the electric or acoustic guitar, and it uses a strong
back beat laid down by a
rhythm section. Along with the guitar or keyboards, saxophone and blues-style harmonica are used as soloing instruments. In its "purest form", it "has
three chords, a strong, insistent back beat, and a catchy melody." The traditional rhythm section for popular music is rhythm guitar, electric bass guitar, and drums. Some bands have keyboard instruments such as organ, piano, or, since the 1970s,
analog synthesizers. In the 1980s, pop musicians began using digital synthesizers, such as the
DX-7 synthesizer, electronic
drum machines such as the
TR-808, and synth bass devices (such as the
TB-303) or
synth bass keyboards. In the 1990s, an increasingly large range of computerized hardware musical devices and instruments and software (e.g.
digital audio workstations) were used. In the 2020s,
soft synths and computer music apps make it possible for
bedroom producers to create and record types of music, such as
electronic dance music, in their home, adding sampled and digital instruments and editing the recording digitally. In the 1990s, bands in genres such as
nu metal began including
DJs in their bands. DJs create music by manipulating recorded music, using a
DJ mixer. == Creation ==