Did you know that there are over1300 genre's of music? Music can be assessed on basis of "arousal", "valence" and "depth". Though it can be segregated into many genres and styles it is often arbitrary and it's closely related forms could overlap.
A few music styles are:
African Folk
Asian Hip-Hop
Avant-Garde Jazz
Blues Latin
Caribbean Pop
Country R&B and Soul
Easy listening Rock
Electronic Classical music
All the styles above are segregated further into various types and genres.
The World's earliest melody is the "Hurrian Hymn No.6" whereas the oldest musical composition having survived in it's entirety is a first century A.D. Greek tune known as the " Seikilos Epitaph" which was found engraved on an ancient marble column used to mark a woman's gravesite in Turkey.
The Seikilos Epitaph image credits: Wikipedia
Music in each culture is greatly influenced by the culture itself including all the other facts like social and economic factors, the religion present, climate and access to technology. Music depends on the emotions, situation, artist and ideas that an artist wants to express to the world.
Music History is a subdivision of Musicology and History which studies Music in a chronological manner.[ particularly Western music ]
The chronological order goes from Prehistoric music to Popular music today. Prehistoric music or Primitive music includes all the music produced by the preliterate cultures, however it is much appropriate to refer to non-European music as "Folk", "Traditional" or " Indigenous" music.
The origin of music seems to be unknown as it occurred prior to recorded history and some believe the origin of music could have been naturally occurring sounds and rhythms. It is also believed that the first musical instrument could have been the human voice itself which could produce a vast array of sounds such as singing, humming and whistling.
The Dvije Babe Flute image credits: Wikipedia
The World's oldest musical instrument is a cave bear femur called the " Divje Babe Flute " dating between 50,000 to 60,000 years old produced by the Neanderthals. Though there are theories of it not being a musical instrument but the femur having gotten gnawed by carnivores to produce holes.
[ The bone flute found in the Hohle Fels cave]
Another musical instrument which is a bone flute estimated to be over 35,000 years old was discovered in 2008 near Ulm, Germany in the Hohle Fels cave. It is a five-holed flute with a V-shaped mouthpiece and made of vulture wing bone. The oldest known wooden pipes were found near the Greystones, Ireland in 2004. A wood lined pit contained a group of six flutes made from yew wood and between 30 to 50 cm long without any finger hole, tapered at one end is believed to have once been strapped together.
Music has been present in human life for so long and plays a very important part in human history. Music influences our emotions in different ways and brings people together. Music is a way of expression that was/is/will be present in our lives forever.
[image credits: National Geographic]
cover image credits: the gathering place
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