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102-551: The ground bass, if there is one, may typically descend stepwise from the tonic to the dominant pitch of the scale ; the harmonies given to the upper parts may emphasize the circle of fifths or a derivative pattern thereof. Though it originally emerged during the late sixteenth century in Spanish culture, having reputedly been introduced from the New World , as a quick dance-song characterized by suggestive movements and mocking texts,

204-421: A chord progression (a sequence of chords), which is the norm in small jazz and blues groups. Rehearsals of orchestras, concert bands and choirs are led by a conductor. Rock, blues and jazz bands are usually led by the bandleader. A rehearsal is a structured repetition of a song or piece by the performers until it can be sung or played correctly and, if it is a song or piece for more than one musician, until

306-408: A computer screen . In ancient times, music notation was put onto stone or clay tablets. To perform music from notation, a singer or instrumentalist requires an understanding of the rhythmic and pitch elements embodied in the symbols and the performance practice that is associated with a piece of music or genre. In genres requiring musical improvisation , the performer often plays from music where only

408-407: A music box , barrel organ , or digital audio workstation software on a computer. Music often plays a key role in social events and religious ceremony . The techniques of making music are often transmitted as part of a cultural tradition. Music is played in public and private contexts, highlighted at events such as festivals and concerts for various different types of ensembles. Music is used in

510-637: A "self-portrait, a gesture of friendship, prescription for an ideal party... [and] an environment consisting solely of what is most ardently loved". Amateur musicians can compose or perform music for their own pleasure and derive income elsewhere. Professional musicians are employed by institutions and organisations, including armed forces (in marching bands , concert bands and popular music groups), religious institutions, symphony orchestras, broadcasting or film production companies, and music schools . Professional musicians sometimes work as freelancers or session musicians , seeking contracts and engagements in

612-421: A broad prevalence of the primary (often triadic) harmonies: tonic, dominant , and subdominant (i.e., I and its chief auxiliaries a 5th removed), and especially the first two of these. These chords may also appear as seventh chords : in major, as I , or in minor as i or rarely i : The tonic is distinguished from the root , which is the reference note of a chord, rather than that of the scale. In music of

714-522: A clear distinction are arbitrary and historically unfounded." In fact, the two genres were sometimes combined in a single composition, as in the Cento partite sopra passacagli , from Toccate d’intavolatura di cimbalo et organo, partite di diverse arie ... (1637), by Girolamo Frescobaldi , and the first suite of Les Nations (1726) as well as in the Pièces de Violes (1728) by François Couperin . Frescobaldi , who

816-461: 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

918-451: A fashion. The closest word to mean music in Chinese , yue , shares a character with le , meaning joy, and originally referred to all the arts before narrowing in meaning. Africa is too diverse to make firm generalizations, but the musicologist J. H. Kwabena Nketia has emphasized African music's often inseparable connection to dance and speech in general. Some African cultures, such as

1020-450: 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

1122-530: A good idea to have the term 'tone center' refer to the more general class of which 'tonics' (or tone centers in tonal contexts) could be regarded as a subclass." Thus, a pitch center may function referentially or contextually in an atonal context, often acting as an axis or line of symmetry in an interval cycle . The term pitch centricity was coined by Arthur Berger in his "Problems of Pitch Organization in Stravinsky". According to Walter Piston , "the idea of

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1224-543: 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

1326-558: A new diversity in theatre music , including operetta , and musical comedy and other forms of musical theatre. In the 19th century, a key way new compositions became known to the public was by the sales of sheet music , which middle class amateur music lovers would perform at home, on their piano or other common instruments, such as the violin. With 20th-century music , the invention of new electric technologies such as radio broadcasting and mass market availability of gramophone records meant sound recordings heard by listeners (on

1428-514: A performer learns a song " by ear ". When the composer of a song or piece is no longer known, this music is often classified as "traditional" or as a "folk song". Different musical traditions have different attitudes towards how and where to make changes to the original source material, from quite strict, to those that demand improvisation or modification to the music. A culture's history and stories may also be passed on by ear through song. Music has many different fundamentals or elements. Depending on

1530-426: A performer. Although a musical composition often uses musical notation and has a single author, this is not always the case. A work of music can have multiple composers, which often occurs in popular music when a band collaborates to write a song, or in musical theatre, when one person writes the melodies, a second person writes the lyrics, and a third person orchestrates the songs. In some styles of music, such as

1632-522: A piece are hierarchically referenced. Scales are named after their tonics: for instance, the tonic of the C major scale is the note C . The triad formed on the tonic note, the tonic chord , is thus the most significant chord in these styles of music. In Roman numeral analysis , the tonic chord is typically symbolized by the Roman numeral "I" if it is major and by "i" if it is minor. In very much conventionally tonal music, harmonic analysis will reveal

1734-521: A plaintive four- bar phrase through a continuous kaleidoscope of musical expression in both major and minor modes . However, recently it has been proposed that Bach's "Ciaccona" (he used the Italian form of the name, rather than the French "Chaconne") is really cast in the form of a French theatrical dance known as the "passacaille", although it also incorporates Italian and German style features as well. After

1836-438: 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

1938-442: A set of variations on a harmonic progression, as opposed to a set of variations on a melodic bass pattern (to which is assigned the term passacaglia ), while other theorists of the same period make the distinction the other way around. In actual usage in music history, the term "chaconne" has not been so clearly distinguished from passacaglia as regards the way the given piece of music is constructed, and "modern attempts to arrive at

2040-457: A song may state the song is a "slow blues" or a "fast swing", which indicates the tempo and the genre. To read notation, a person must have an understanding of music theory , harmony and the performance practice associated with a particular song or piece's genre. Written notation varies with the style and period of music. Nowadays, notated music is produced as sheet music or, for individuals with computer scorewriter programs, as an image on

2142-521: 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

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2244-520: A strong, insistent back beat, and a catchy melody." The traditional rhythm section for popular music is rhythm guitar, electric bass guitar, 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

2346-401: A theme of four measures (or a close multiple thereof). (In more recent times the chaconne, like the passacaglia, need not be in 4 time; see, for instance, Francesco Tristano Schlimé 's Chaconne/Ground Bass, where every section is built on seven-beats patterns) [REDACTED] Media related to Chaconnes at Wikimedia Commons Tonic (music) In music , the tonic is

2448-609: A unified classical tonality replaced by nonclassical (in this case nondominant) centricity in a composition is perfectly demonstrated by Debussy's Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune ". The tonic includes four separate activities or roles as the principal goal tone, initiating event, generator of other tones, and the stable center neutralizing the tension between dominant and subdominant. Tonic Supertonic Sp Mediant Dp , Tkp , tP , [D](Sp) Subdominant Dominant Submediant Tp , sP , tCp Leading tone D̸ Subtonic dP Music Music

2550-426: A variety of settings. There are often many links between amateur and professional musicians. Beginning amateur musicians take lessons with professional musicians. In community settings, advanced amateur musicians perform with professional musicians in a variety of ensembles such as community concert bands and community orchestras. A distinction is often made between music performed for a live audience and music that

2652-436: 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 ( c.  1400 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

2754-512: Is pentatonic - diatonic , having a scale of twelve notes to an octave (5 + 7 = 12) as does European-influenced music. 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

2856-476: Is C. However, relative keys (two different scales that share a key signature ) have different tonics. For example, C major and A minor share a key signature that feature no sharps or flats, despite having different tonic pitches (C and A, respectively). The term tonic may be reserved exclusively for use in tonal contexts while tonal center or pitch center may be used in post-tonal and atonal music: "For purposes of non-tonal centric music, it might be

2958-513: Is a core component and an essential criterion of performances. Music is composed and performed for many purposes, ranging from aesthetic pleasure, religious or ceremonial purposes, or as an entertainment product for the marketplace. When music was only available through sheet music scores, such as during the Classical and Romantic eras, music lovers would buy the sheet music of their favourite pieces and songs so that they could perform them at home on

3060-412: 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,

3162-402: Is broad enough to include the creation of popular music and traditional music songs and instrumental pieces as well as spontaneously improvised works like those of free jazz performers and African percussionists such as Ewe drummers . Performance is the physical expression of music, which occurs when a song is sung or piano piece, guitar melody, symphony, drum beat or other musical part

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3264-428: Is called aleatoric music , and is associated with contemporary composers active in the 20th century, such as John Cage , Morton Feldman , and Witold Lutosławski . A commonly known example of chance-based music is the sound of wind chimes jingling in a breeze. The study of composition has traditionally been dominated by examination of methods and practice of Western classical music, but the definition of composition

3366-440: 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

3468-514: Is not the case worldwide, and languages such as modern Indonesian ( musik ) and Shona ( musakazo ) have recently adopted words to reflect this universal conception, as they did not have words that fit exactly the Western scope. Before Western contact in East Asia , neither Japan nor China had a single word that encompasses music in a broad sense, but culturally, they often regarded music in such

3570-427: Is notated relatively precisely, as in classical music, there are many decisions that a performer has to make, because notation does not specify all of the elements of music precisely. The process of deciding how to perform music that has been previously composed and notated is termed "interpretation". Different performers' interpretations of the same work of music can vary widely, in terms of the tempos that are chosen and

3672-463: Is often characterized as a highly versatile medium for expressing human creativity . Diverse activities are involved in the creation of music, and are often divided into categories of composition , improvisation , and performance . Music may be performed using a wide variety of musical instruments , including the human voice . It can also be composed, sequenced, or otherwise produced to be indirectly played mechanically or electronically, such as via

3774-486: Is one of the earliest known examples of a "chacona", written down by Spanish musician Juan Arañés . Outstanding examples of early baroque chaconnes are Monteverdi's "Zefiro torna" and "Es steh Gott auf" by Heinrich Schütz . One of the best known and most masterful and expressive examples of the chaconne is the final movement from the Violin Partita in D minor by Johann Sebastian Bach . This 256-measure chaconne takes

3876-469: 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

3978-417: Is performed in a studio so that it can be recorded and distributed through the music retail system or the broadcasting system. However, there are also many cases where a live performance in front of an audience is also recorded and distributed. Live concert recordings are popular in both classical music and in popular music forms such as rock, where illegally taped live concerts are prized by music lovers. In

4080-429: Is played. In classical music, a work is written in music notation by a composer and then performed once the composer is satisfied with its structure and instrumentation. However, as it gets performed, the interpretation of a song or piece can evolve and change. In classical music, instrumental performers, singers or conductors may gradually make changes to the phrasing or tempo of a piece. In popular and traditional music,

4182-450: Is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of form , harmony , melody , rhythm , or otherwise expressive content . Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all human societies. Definitions of music vary widely in substance and approach. While scholars agree that music is defined by a small number of specific elements , there is no consensus as to what these necessary elements are. Music

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4284-414: Is used in a number of different contexts. The two most common contexts can be differentiated by describing them as the "rudimentary elements of music" and the "perceptual elements of music". Pitch is an aspect of a sound that we can hear, reflecting whether one musical sound, note, or tone is "higher" or "lower" than another musical sound, note, or tone. We can talk about the highness or lowness of pitch in

4386-406: The Baroque period , the chaconne fell into decline during the 19th century, though the 32 Variations in C minor by Beethoven suggest its continuing influence. However, the form saw a very substantial revival during the 20th century, with more than two dozen composers contributing examples (see below). The chaconne has been understood by some nineteenth and early twentieth-century theorists to be

4488-757: The Old French musique of the 12th century; and the Latin mūsica . The Latin word itself derives from the Ancient Greek mousiké ( technē )— μουσική ( τέχνη )—literally meaning "(art) of the Muses". The Muses were nine deities in Ancient Greek mythology who presided over the arts and sciences . They were included in tales by the earliest Western authors, Homer and Hesiod , and eventually came to be associated with music specifically. Over time, Polyhymnia would reside over music more prominently than

4590-666: 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 music covers a swath of music cultures surveyed in the articles on Arabia , Central Asia , East Asia , South Asia , and Southeast Asia . Several have traditions reaching into antiquity. Indian classical music

4692-666: The Songye people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Tiv people of Nigeria, have a strong and broad conception of 'music' but no corresponding word in their native languages. Other words commonly translated as 'music' often have more specific meanings in their respective cultures: the Hindi word for music, sangita , properly refers to art music , while the many Indigenous languages of

4794-689: 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

4896-477: 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

4998-529: The blues , a composer/songwriter may create, perform and record new songs or pieces without ever writing them down in music notation. A piece of music can also be composed with words, images, or computer programs that explain or notate how the singer or musician should create musical sounds. Examples range from avant-garde music that uses graphic notation , to text compositions such as Aus den sieben Tagen , to computer programs that select sounds for musical pieces. Music that makes heavy use of randomness and chance

5100-460: The chord changes and form of the song are written, requiring the performer to have a great understanding of the music's structure, harmony and the styles of a particular genre e.g., jazz or country music . In Western art music, the most common types of written notation are scores, which include all the music parts of an ensemble piece, and parts, which are the music notation for the individual performers or singers. In popular music, jazz, and blues,

5202-405: The common practice period , the tonic center was the most important of all the different tone centers which a composer used in a piece of music, with most pieces beginning and ending on the tonic, usually modulating to the dominant (the fifth scale degree above the tonic, or the fourth below it) in between. Two parallel keys have the same tonic. For example, in both C major and C minor, the tonic

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5304-427: 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 ). The music of the Classical period (1730 to 1820) aimed to imitate what were seen as

5406-413: The jam band scene, live, improvised jam sessions are preferred to studio recordings. Music notation typically means the written expression of music notes and rhythms on paper using symbols. When music is written down, the pitches and rhythm of the music, such as the notes of a melody , are notated. Music notation often provides instructions on how to perform the music. For example, the sheet music for

5508-423: 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

5610-470: The recording and reproduction of music has historically included sheet music , microphones , phonographs , and tape machines , with playback of digital musics being a common use for MP3 players , CD players , and smartphones . The modern English word ' music ' came into use in the 1630s. It is derived from a long line of successive precursors: the Old English ' musike ' of the mid-13th century;

5712-457: 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

5814-592: 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

5916-455: The 20th and early 21st century, as "common practice" Western art music performance became institutionalized in symphony orchestras, opera houses, and ballets, improvisation has played a smaller role, as more and more music was notated in scores and parts for musicians to play. At the same time, some 20th and 21st century art music composers have increasingly included improvisation in their creative work. In Indian classical music , improvisation

6018-549: The Americas have words for music that refer specifically to song but describe instrumental music regardless. Though the Arabic musiqi can refer to all music, it is usually used for instrumental and metric music, while khandan identifies vocal and improvised music. 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

6120-412: 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

6222-437: 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

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6324-662: 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

6426-478: The Western art music tradition, improvisation was an important skill during the Baroque era and during the Classical era. In the Baroque era, performers improvised ornaments, and basso continuo keyboard players improvised chord voicings based on figured bass notation. As well, the top soloists were expected to be able to improvise pieces such as preludes . In the Classical era, solo performers and singers improvised virtuoso cadenzas during concerts. However, in

6528-487: 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

6630-463: The chaconne by the early eighteenth century had evolved into a slow triple meter instrumental form. Alex Ross describes the origins of the chacona as actually having been a sexily swirling dance that appeared in South America at the end of the sixteenth century and quickly spread to Europe. The dance became popular both in the elite courts and in the general population. "Un sarao de la chacona"

6732-599: 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. The Baroque era of music took place from 1600 to 1750, coinciding with

6834-462: The composer typically orchestrates his or her own compositions, but in musical theatre and in pop music, songwriters may hire an arranger to do the orchestration. In some cases, a songwriter may not use notation at all, and instead, compose the song in her mind and then play or record it from memory. In jazz and popular music, notable recordings by influential performers are given the weight that written scores play in classical music. Even when music

6936-477: 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

7038-406: The creation of music notation , such as a sheet music "score", which is then performed by the composer or by other singers or musicians. In popular music and traditional music, the act of composing, which is typically called songwriting, may involve the creation of a basic outline of the song, called the lead sheet , which sets out the melody , lyrics and chord progression . In classical music,

7140-499: The definition of "element" being used, these can include pitch, beat or pulse, tempo, rhythm, melody, harmony, texture, style, allocation of voices, timbre or color, dynamics, expression, articulation, form, and structure. The elements of music feature prominently in the music curriculums of Australia, the UK, and the US. All three curriculums identify pitch, dynamics, timbre, and texture as elements, but

7242-432: 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

7344-491: The double-reed aulos and a plucked string instrument , the lyre , principally a special kind called a kithara . 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 , that eventually became the basis for Western religious and classical music. Later, influences from

7446-424: The first scale degree ( [REDACTED] ) of the diatonic scale (the first note of a scale) and the tonal center or final resolution tone that is commonly used in the final cadence in tonal (musical key -based) classical music , popular music , and traditional music . In the movable do solfège system, the tonic note is sung as do . More generally, the tonic is the note upon which all other notes of

7548-694: 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

7650-650: 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

7752-466: The key elements of the art and philosophy of Ancient Greece and Rome: the ideals of balance, proportion and disciplined expression. (Note: the music from the Classical period should not be confused with Classical music in general, a term which refers to Western art music from the 5th century to the 2000s, which includes the Classical period as one of a number of periods). Music from the Classical period has

7854-499: The late Romantic period, composers explored dramatic chromatic alterations of tonality , such as extended chords and altered chords , which created new sound "colors." The late 19th century saw a dramatic expansion in the size of the orchestra, and the Industrial Revolution helped to create better instruments, creating a more powerful sound. Public concerts became an important part of well-to-do urban society. It also saw

7956-450: The later part of the Classical era, as it began to move towards Romanticism. Romantic music ( c.  1820 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

8058-489: The location of the notes to be played on the instrument using a diagram of the guitar or bass fingerboard. Tablature was used in the Baroque era to notate music for the lute , a stringed, fretted instrument. Many types of music, such as traditional blues and folk music were not written down in sheet music ; instead, they were originally preserved in the memory of performers, and the songs were handed down orally , from one musician or singer to another, or aurally, in which

8160-480: 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,

8262-427: 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

8364-440: The modern classical concert, religious processions, classical music festivals or music competitions . Chamber music , which is music for a small ensemble with only one or a few of each type of instrument, is often seen as more intimate than large symphonic works. Musical improvisation is the creation of spontaneous music, often within (or based on) a pre-existing harmonic framework, chord progression , or riffs . Improvisers use

8466-416: The more general sense, such as the way a listener hears a piercingly high piccolo note or whistling tone as higher in pitch than a deep thump of a bass drum . We also talk about pitch in the precise sense associated with musical melodies , basslines and chords . Precise pitch can only be determined in sounds that have a frequency that is clear and stable enough to distinguish from noise. For example, it

8568-702: The new subject matter. Composers continued to develop opera and ballet music, exploring new styles and themes. In the years after 1800, the music developed by Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert introduced a more dramatic, expressive style. In Beethoven's case, short motifs , developed organically, came to replace melody as the most significant compositional unit (an example is the distinctive four note figure used in his Fifth Symphony ). Later Romantic composers such as Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , Antonín Dvořák , and Gustav Mahler used more unusual chords and more dissonance to create dramatic tension. They generated complex and often much longer musical works. During

8670-459: The notes of the chord, various scales that are associated with each chord, and chromatic ornaments and passing tones which may be neither chord tones nor from the typical scales associated with a chord. Musical improvisation can be done with or without preparation. Improvisation is a major part of some types of music, such as blues , jazz , and jazz fusion , in which instrumental performers improvise solos, melody lines, and accompaniment parts. In

8772-719: The oldest, c.  43,150–39,370 BP. 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

8874-574: The other identified elements of music are far from universally agreed upon. Below is a list of the three official versions of the "elements of music": In relation to the UK curriculum, in 2013 the term: "appropriate musical notations " was added to their list of elements and the title of the list was changed from the "elements of music" to the "inter-related dimensions of music". The inter-related dimensions of music are listed as: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure, and appropriate musical notations. The phrase "the elements of music"

8976-553: The other muses. The Latin word musica was also the originator for both the Spanish música and French musique via spelling and linguistic adjustment, though other European terms were probably loanwords , including the Italian musica , German Musik , Dutch muziek , Norwegian musikk , Polish muzyka and Russian muzïka . The modern Western world usually defines music as an all-encompassing term used to describe diverse genres, styles, and traditions. This

9078-573: The parts are together from a rhythmic and tuning perspective. Many cultures have strong traditions of solo performance (in which one singer or instrumentalist performs), such as in Indian classical music, and in the Western art-music tradition. Other cultures, such as in Bali , include strong traditions of group performance. All cultures include a mixture of both, and performance may range from improvised solo playing to highly planned and organized performances such as

9180-695: The past and nature. Romantic music expanded beyond the rigid styles and forms of the Classical era into more passionate, dramatic 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

9282-428: The performers have more freedom to make changes to the form of a song or piece. As such, in popular and traditional music styles, even when a band plays a cover song , they can make changes such as adding a guitar solo or inserting an introduction. A performance can either be planned out and rehearsed (practiced)—which is the norm in classical music, jazz big bands , and many popular music styles–or improvised over

9384-469: The piano. With the advent of the phonograph , records of popular songs, rather than sheet music became the dominant way that music lovers would enjoy their favourite songs. With the advent of home tape recorders in the 1980s and digital music in the 1990s, music lovers could make tapes or playlists of favourite songs and take them with them on a portable cassette player or MP3 player. Some music lovers create mix tapes of favourite songs, which serve as

9486-401: The playing or singing style or phrasing of the melodies. Composers and songwriters who present their own music are interpreting their songs, just as much as those who perform the music of others. The standard body of choices and techniques present at a given time and a given place is referred to as performance practice , whereas interpretation is generally used to mean the individual choices of

9588-504: The production of other media, such as in soundtracks to films, TV shows, operas, and video games. Listening to music is a common means of entertainment . The culture surrounding music extends into areas of academic study , journalism , philosophy , psychology , and therapy . The music industry includes songwriters, performers, sound engineers , producers, tour organizers, distributors of instruments, accessories, and publishers of sheet music and recordings . Technology facilitating

9690-705: The radio or record player) became the main way to learn about new songs and pieces. 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

9792-428: 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 . "Composition" is the act or practice of creating a song, an instrumental music piece, a work with both singing and instruments, or another type of music. In many cultures, including Western classical music, the act of composing also includes

9894-535: The second half, rock music did the same. Jazz is an American musical artform that originated in the beginning of the 20th century, 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

9996-616: 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. 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

10098-586: The standard musical notation is the lead sheet , which notates the melody, chords, lyrics (if it is a vocal piece), and structure of the music. Fake books are also used in jazz; they may consist of lead sheets or simply chord charts, which permit rhythm section members to improvise an accompaniment part to jazz songs. Scores and parts are also used in popular music and jazz, particularly in large ensembles such as jazz " big bands ." In popular music, guitarists and electric bass players often read music notated in tablature (often abbreviated as "tab"), which indicates

10200-463: The traditional Sufi dhikr 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 , in fact it

10302-496: 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

10404-414: Was probably the first composer to treat the chaconne and passacaglia comparatively, usually (but not always) sets the former in major key, with two compound triple-beat groups per variation, giving his chaconne a more propulsive forward motion than his passacaglia, which usually has four simple triple-beat groups per variation. Both are usually in triple meter , begin on the second beat of the bar , and have

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