Music is a complex human art form that has evolved over centuries. It has many different uses, from ceremonial rites and religious ceremonies to entertainment, and even political activism. The vast majority of humans enjoy music in one form or another and the experience can evoke a wide range of emotions, from joy to sadness. The human voice and acoustic instruments are the most common musical forms, but even sounds produced by nature can be music. From the crashing of waves to the squawk of a frog, the world is full of music.
Music encompasses a broad range of sound phenomena that are defined by their rhythm, pitch and tone. The word’music’ derives from the Latin phrase musicum, meaning “art of the muses”. The ancient Greeks believed that nine goddesses, or nymphs, were responsible for the different arts and sciences: Calliope (epic poetry), Clio (history), Euterpe (harp and double pipes), Melpomene (dance and love poetry), Polyhymnia (hymns and sacred poetry), Terpsichore (rhythmic dance music), Thalia (comedy and pastoral poetry) and Urania (astronomy).
Whether it is the complex arrangement of instruments and voices that make up an orchestral piece, or the simple vocalizations of a folk song passed from village to village in 13th century England, a song is music when it can evoke a response in its listener. The reaction may be joyous, sorrowful or any other emotion that the composer and performer might wish to convey.
Modern Western music is organized in the form of a musical score, with specific tones and durations represented by symbols. The symbols are called notes and their positions on the staff determine how high or low a note must be played. The intervals between the notes are also determined by the musical scale a song is written in.
The first examples of music can be dated to the late Upper Paleolithic period (35,000 BP). Early humans developed singing as a way of communication, or simply for fun. Later they began to play rudimentary instruments such as animal bones and rocks as percussion.
As societies became more literate, music began to be formally documented and written down. This allowed the development of new styles and instruments. In the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, artists focused on expressing subjective emotional emotions rather than adhering to strict classical structures. This movement is known as Romanticism and is named after the ‘romances’ of medieval times that tell stories of heroes, chivalry, far away lands and unattainable love.
In the twentieth century, popular music has been heavily involved in social and political issues. The 1960s saw the rise of doo wop, surf music and girl groups. The 1980s began with new wave, then a shift towards silky smooth soul, and ended with the popularity of glam metal. In the 1990s, grunge and gangsta rap made their mark. Alanis Morissette and Imagine Dragons are some of the latest musicians to be big hits. In addition, there has been a return to traditional Native American music and an increase in interest in African American music.