MUZIC        

MUSIC ART
                       ABOUT MUSIC

• Music is an art form and cultural activity whose medium is sound organized in time. The common elements of music are pitch (which
governs melody and harmony), rhythm (and its associated concepts tempo, meter, and articulation), dynamics (loudness and softness),
and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture (which are sometimes termed the "color" of a musical sound). Different styles or types of
music may emphasize, de-emphasize or omit some of these elements. Music is performed with a vast range of instruments and vocal
techniques ranging from singing to rapping; there are solely instrumental pieces, solely vocal pieces (such as songs without instrumental
accompaniment) and pieces that combine singing and instruments. The word derives from Greek μουσική (mousike; "art of the Muses").[1]
• In its most general form, the activities describing music as an art form or cultural activity include the creation of works of music (songs,
tunes, symphonies, and so on), the criticism of music, the study of the history of music, and the aesthetic examination of music.
Ancient Greek and Indian philosophers defined music as tones ordered horizontally as melodies and vertically as harmonies. Common
sayings such as "the harmony of the spheres" and "it is music to my ears" point to the notion that music is often ordered and pleasant to
listen to. However, 20th-century composer John Cage thought that any sound can be music, saying, for example, "There is no noise, only
sound."[2]
• The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of music vary according to culture and social context. Indeed,
throughout history, some new forms or styles of music have been criticized as "not being music", including Beethoven's Grosse Fuge
string quartet in 1825,[3] early jazz in the beginning of the 1900s[4] and hardcore punk in the 1980s.[5] There are many types of music,
including popular music, traditional music, art music, music written for religious ceremonies and work songs such as chanteys. Music
ranges from strictly organized compositions–such as Classical music symphonies from the 1700s and 1800s, through to spontaneously
played improvisational music such as jazz, and avant-garde styles of chance-based contemporary music from the 20th and 21st centuries.
• music and scores to customers.
PART.2 (ABOUT MUSIC)

• Music can be divided into genres (e.g., country music) and genres can be further divided into subgenres (e.g.,
country blues and pop country are two of the many country subgenres), although the dividing lines and
relationships between music genres are often subtle, sometimes open to personal interpretation, and
occasionally controversial. For example, it can be hard to draw the line between some early 1980s hard rock
and heavy metal. Within the arts, music may be classified as a performing art, a fine art or as an auditory art.
Music may be played or sung and heard live at a rock concert or orchestra performance, heard live as part of a
dramatic work (a music theater show or opera), or it may be recorded and listened to on a radio, MP3 player,
CD player, smartphone or as film score or TV show.
• In many cultures, music is an important part of people's way of life, as it plays a key role in religious rituals,
rite of passage ceremonies (e.g., graduation and marriage), social activities (e.g., dancing) and cultural
activities ranging from amateur karaoke singing to playing in an amateur funk band or singing in a community
choir. People may make music as a hobby, like a teen playing cello in a youth orchestra, or work as a
professional musician or singer. The music industry includes the individuals who create new songs and musical
pieces (such as songwriters and composers), individuals who perform music (which include orchestra, jazz
band and rock band musicians, singers and conductors), individuals who record music (music producers and
sound engineers), individuals who organize concert tours, and individuals who sell recordings and sheet music
and scores to customers.
 Etymology 

• The word derives from Greek μουσική (mousike; "art of the Muses").[1] In
Greek mythology, the nine muses were the goddesses who inspired literature,
science, and the arts and who were the source of the knowledge embodied in the
poetry, song-lyrics, and myths in the Greek culture. According to the Online
Etymological Dictionary, the term "music" is derived from "mid-13c., musike,
from Old French musique (12c.) and directly from Latin musica "the art of music,"
also including poetry (also [the] source of Spanish musica, Italian musica,
Old High German mosica, German Musik, Dutch muziek, Danish musik)." This is
derived from the "...Greek mousike (techne) "(art) of the Muses," from fem. of
mousikos "pertaining to the Muses," from Mousa "Muse" (see muse (n.)). Modern
spelling [dates] from [the] 1630s. In classical Greece, [the term "music" refers to]
any art in which the Muses presided, but especially music and lyric poetry."[6]
As a form of art or entertainment

• 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 the
piano. With the advent of sound recording, 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 their
favourite songs and take them with them on a portable cassette player or
MP3 player. Some music lovers create mix tapes of their favorite songs, which
serve as a "self-portrait, a gesture of friendship, prescription for an ideal party...
[and] an environment consisting solely of what is most ardently loved."[7]
As a form of art or entertainment (part 2)*

• Amateur musicians can compose or perform music for their own pleasure, and derive their income
elsewhere. Professional musicians are employed by a range of institutions and organisations, including
armed forces (in marching bands, concert bands and popular music groups), churches and synagogues,
symphony orchestras, broadcasting or film production companies, and music schools. Professional
musicians sometimes work as freelancers or session musicians, seeking contracts and engagements in
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 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 the jam band scene, live, improvised jam sessions are preferred to studio recordings.
Composition
Main article: Musical composition

• 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 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, the composer typically orchestrates 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.
• Michel Richard Delalande 
Composition
Main article: Musical composition
(part 2)*

• Even when music 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 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 a performer.[citation needed]
• 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 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 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 more 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 is broad enough the creation of popular music and traditional music songs and instrumental pieces and
to include spontaneously improvised works like those of free jazz performers and African percussionists such as Ewe drummers.
Notation
Main article: Musical notation

• In the 2000s, 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 also often provides
instructions on how to perform the music. For example, the sheet music for a song may state that the song is a "slow blues" or a "fast
swing", which indicates the tempo and the genre. To read music 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 style and period of music. In the 2000s, notated music is produced as sheet music or, for individuals with
computer scorewriter programs, as an image on 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 a genre. In genres requiring
musical improvisation, the performer often plays from music where only 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, 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 the location of the notes to be played on the instrument using a diagram of the guitar or bass
fingerboard. Tabulature was also used in the Baroque era to notate music for the lute, a stringed, fretted instrument.
Improvisation
Main article: Musical improvisation

• Musical improvisation is the creation of spontaneous music, often within (or based on) a pre-
existing harmonic framework or chord progression. Improvisation is the act of instantaneous
composition by performers, where compositional techniques are employed 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 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. In the Classical era, solo performers and singers improvised virtuoso
cadenzas during concerts. However, in 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. At the same time, some modern
composers have increasingly included improvisation in their creative work. In
Indian classical music, improvisation is a core component and an essential criterion of
performances.
Theory
Main article: Music theory

• Music theory encompasses the nature and mechanics of music. It

often involves identifying patterns that govern composers'
techniques and examining the language and notation of music. In a
grand sense, music theory distills and analyzes the parameters or
elements of music – rhythm, harmony (harmonic function), melody
, structure, form, and texture. Broadly, music theory may include
any statement, belief, or conception of or about music.[8] People
who study these properties are known as music theorists. Some
have applied acoustics, human physiology, and psychology to the
explanation of how and why music is perceived
Elements
Main article: Aspect of music

• Music has many different fundamentals or elements. Depending on 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, UK and USA. All three curriculums identify pitch, dynamics, timbre and texture as
elements, but the other identified elements of music are far from universally agreed. Below is a list of the three
official versions of the "elements of music":
• Australia: pitch, timbre, texture, dynamics and expression, rhythm, form and structure.[9]
• UK: pitch, timbre, texture, dynamics, duration, tempo, structure.[10]
• USA: pitch, timbre, texture, dynamics, rhythm, form, harmony, style/articulation.[11]
• 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.[12]
• The phrase "the elements of music" 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".
Rudimentary elements

• n the 1800s, the phrase "the elements of music" and the phrase
"the rudiments of music" were used interchangeably.[13][14] The
elements described in these documents refer to aspects of music
that are needed in order to become a musician, Recent writers
such as Estrella [15] seem to be using the phrase "elements of
music" in a similar manner. A definition which most accurately
reflects this usage is: "the rudimentary principles of an art,
science, etc.: the elements of grammar."[16] The UK's curriculum
switch to the "inter-related dimensions of music" seems to be a
move back to using the rudimentary elements of music.
Perceptual elements

• Since the emergence of the study of psychoacoustics in the 1930s, most lists of elements of music
have related more to how we hear music than how we learn to play it or study it. C.E. Seashore,
in his book Psychology of Music,[17] identified four "psychological attributes of sound". These
were: "pitch, loudness, time, and timbre" (p. 3). He did not call them the "elements of music"
but referred to them as "elemental components" (p. 2). Nonetheless these elemental components
link precisely with four of the most common musical elements: "Pitch" and "timbre" match
exactly, "loudness" links with dynamics and "time" links with the time-based elements of rhythm,
duration and tempo. This usage of the phrase "the elements of music" links more closely with
Webster's New 20th Century Dictionary definition of an element as: "a substance which cannot be
divided into a simpler form by known methods"[18] and educational institutions' lists of elements
align with this list as well.
• Writers of lists of "rudimentary elements of music" vary their lists depending on their personal
priorities. However, in relation to the perceptual elements of music, it should be possible to
identify a list of discrete elements which can be independently manipulated to achieve an
intended musical effect. It seems at this stage that there is still research to be done in this area.
Analysis of styles

• Some styles of music place an emphasis on certain of these fundamentals,

while others place less emphasis on certain elements. To give one example,
while Bebop-era jazz makes use of very complex chords, including
altered dominants and challenging chord progressions, with chords changing
two or more times per bar and keys changing several times in a tune, funk
places most of its emphasis on rhythm and groove, with entire songs based
around a vamp on a single chord. While Romantic era classical music from
the mid- to late-1800s makes great use of dramatic changes of dynamics,
from whispering pianissimo sections to thunderous fortissimo sections, some
entire Baroque dance suites for harpsichord from the early 1700s may use a
single dynamic. To give another example, while some art music pieces, such
as symphonies are very long, some pop songs are just a few minutes long.
Description of elements
Pitch and melody

• 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 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 is much
easier for listeners to discern the pitch of a single note played on a piano than to try to discern the pitch of a crash cymbal
that is struck.
• The melody to the traditional song "Pop Goes the Weasel"  Play (help·info)
• A melody (also called a "tune") is a series of pitches (notes) sounding in succession (one after the other), often in a rising and
falling pattern. The notes of a melody are typically created using pitch systems such as scales or modes. Melodies also often
contain notes from the chords used in the song. The melodies in simple folk songs and traditional songs may use only the notes
of a single scale, the scale associated with the tonic note or key of a given song. For example, a folk song in the key of C (also
referred to as C major) may have a melody that uses only the notes of the C major scale (the individual notes C, D, E, F, G, A,
B and C; these are the "white notes" on a piano keyboard. On the other hand, Bebop-era jazz from the 1940s and
contemporary music from the 20th and 21st centuries may use melodies with many chromatic notes (i.e., notes in addition to
the notes of the major scale; on a piano, a chromatic scale would include all the notes on the keyboard, including the "white
notes" and "black notes" and unusual scales, such as the whole tone scale (a whole tone scale in the key of C would contain the
notes C, D, E, F♯, G♯ and A♯). A low, deep musical line played by bass instruments such as double bass, electric bass or tuba is
called a bassline.
Harmony and chords

• Harmony refers to the "vertical" sounds of pitches in music, which means pitches that are
played or sung together at the same time to create a chord. Usually this means the notes
are played at the same time, although harmony may also be implied by a melody that
outlines a harmonic structure (i.e., by using melody notes that are played one after the
other, outlining the notes of a chord). In music written using the system of major-minor
tonality ("keys"), which includes most classical music written from 1600 to 1900 and most
Western pop, rock and traditional music, the key of a piece determines the scale used,
which centres around the "home note" or tonic of the key. Simple classical pieces and
many pop and traditional music songs are written so that all the music is in a single key.
More complex Classical, pop and traditional music songs and pieces may have two keys
(and in some cases three or more keys). Classical music from the Romantic era (written
from about 1820–1900) often contains multiple keys, as does jazz, especially Bebop jazz
from the 1940s, in which the key or "home note" of a song may change every four bars or
even every two bars.
Rhythm

• Rhythm is the arrangement of sounds and silences in time. Meter animates time in
regular pulse groupings, called measures or bars, which in Western classical, popular
and traditional music often group notes in sets of two (e.g., 2/4 time), three (e.g., 3/4
time, also known as Waltz time, or 3/8 time), or four (e.g., 4/4 time). Meters are made
easier to hear because songs and pieces often (but not always) place an emphasis on the
first beat of each grouping. Notable exceptions exist, such as the backbeat used in
much Western pop and rock, in which a song that uses a measure that consists of four
beats (called 4/4 time or common time) will have accents on beats two and four, which
are typically performed by the drummer on the snare drum, a loud and distinctive-
sounding percussion instrument. In pop and rock, the rhythm parts of a song are played
by the rhythm section, which includes chord-playing instruments (e.g., electric guitar,
acoustic guitar, piano, or other keyboard instruments), a bass instrument (typically
electric bass or for some styles such as jazz and bluegrass, double bass) and a drum kit
player.
Texture

• Musical texture is the overall sound of a piece of music or song. The texture of a piece or sing is determined by how the melodic, rhythmic,
and harmonic materials are combined in a composition, thus determining the overall nature of the sound in a piece. Texture is often
described in regard to the density, or thickness, and range, or width, between lowest and highest pitches, in relative terms as well as more
specifically distinguished according to the number of voices, or parts, and the relationship between these voices (see common types below).
For example, a thick texture contains many 'layers' of instruments. One of these layers could be a string section, or another brass. The
thickness also is affected by the amount and the richness of the instruments. Texture is commonly described according to the number of and
relationship between parts or lines of music:
• monophony: a single melody (or "tune") with neither instrumental accompaniment nor a harmony part. A mother singing a lullaby to her baby
would be an example.
• heterophony: two or more instruments or singers playing/singing the same melody, but with each performer slightly varying the rhythm or
speed of the melody or adding different ornaments to the melody. Two bluegrass fiddlers playing the same traditional fiddle tune together
will typically each vary the melody a bit and each add different ornaments.
• polyphony: multiple independent melody lines that interweave together, which are sung or played at the same time. Choral music written in
the Renaissance music era was typically written in this style. A round, which is a song such as "Row, Row, Row Your Boat", which different
groups of singers all start to sing at a different time, is a simple example of polyphony.
• homophony: a clear melody supported by chordal accompaniment. Most Western popular music songs from the 19th century onward are
written in this texture.
• Music that contains a large number of independent parts (e.g., a double concerto accompanied by 100 orchestral instruments with many
interweaving melodic lines) is generally said to have a "thicker" or "denser" texture than a work with few parts (e.g., a solo flute melody
accompanied by a single cello).
Timbre or "tone color"

• Timbre, sometimes called "color" or "tone color" is the quality or sound of a voice or instrument.[19]
Timbre is what makes a particular musical sound different from another, even when they have the
same pitch and loudness. For example, a 440 Hz A note sounds different when it is played on oboe,
piano, violin or electric guitar. Even if different players of the same instrument play the same note,
their notes might sound different due to differences in instrumental technique (e.g., different
embouchures), different types of accessories (e.g., mouthpieces for brass players, reeds for oboe and
bassoon players) or strings made out of different materials for string players (e.g., gut strings versus
steel strings). Even two instrumentalists playing the same note on the same instrument (one after the
other) may sound different due to different ways of playing the instrument (e.g., two string players
might hold the bow differently).
• The physical characteristics of sound that determine the perception of timbre include the spectrum,
envelope and overtones of a note or musical sound. For electric instruments developed in the 20th
century, such as electric guitar, electric bass and electric piano, the performer can also change the
tone by adjusting equalizer controls, tone controls on the instrument, and by using
electronic effects units such as distortion pedals. The tone of the electric Hammond organ is controlled
by adjusting drawbars.
Expression

• xpressive qualities are those elements in music that create change in music without changing the main pitches or substantially changing the
rhythms of the melody and its accompaniment. Performers, including singers and instrumentalists, can add musical expression to a song or
piece by adding phrasing, by adding effects such as vibrato (with voice and some instruments, such as guitar, violin, brass instruments and
woodwinds), dynamics (the loudness or softness of piece or a section of it), tempo fluctuations (e.g., ritardando or accelerando, which are,
respectively slowing down and speeding up the tempo), by adding pauses or fermatas on a cadence, and by changing the articulation of the
notes (e.g., making notes more pronounced or accented, by making notes more legato, which means smoothly connected, or by making notes
shorter).In music, form describes how the overall structure or plan of a song or piece of music,[20] and it describes the layout of a
composition as divided into sections.[21] In the early 20th century, Tin Pan Alley songs and Broadway musical songs were often in AABA
32 bar form, in which the A sections repeated the same eight bar melody and the B section provided a contrasting melody and/or harmony
for 8 bars. From the 1960s onward, Western pop and rock songs are often in verse-chorus form, which is based around a sequence of verse
and chorus ("refrain") sections, with new lyrics for most verses and repeating lyrics for the choruses. Popular music often makes use of
strophic form, sometimes in conjunction with the twelve bar blues.[citation needed]
• In the tenth edition of The Oxford Companion to Music, Percy Scholes defines musical form as "a series of strategies designed to find a
successful mean between the opposite extremes of unrelieved repetition and unrelieved alteration."[22] Examples of common forms of
Western music include the fugue, the invention, sonata-allegro, canon, strophic, theme and variations, and rondo. Scholes states that
European classical music had only six stand-alone forms: simple binary, simple ternary, compound binary, rondo, air with variations, and
fugue (although musicologist Alfred Mann emphasized that the fugue is primarily a method of composition that has sometimes taken on
certain structural conventions.[23])
• Where a piece cannot readily be broken down into sectional units (though it might borrow some form from a poem, story or programme), it is
said to be through-composed. Such is often the case with a fantasia, prelude, rhapsody, etude (or study), symphonic poem, Bagatelle,
impromptu, etc.[citation needed] Professor Charles Keil classified forms and formal detail as "sectional, developmental, or variational."[24]
History

• Prehistoric music can only be theorized based on findings from paleolithic archaeology sites. Flutes are often discovered, carved from bones in which lateral holes have been pierced; these are thought to have been blown at one end like the Japanese shakuhachi. The Divje Babe flute, carved from a cave bear femur, is thought to be at least 40,000 years old. Instruments such as the seven-holed
flute and various types of stringed instruments, such as the Ravanahatha, have been recovered from the Indus Valley Civilization archaeological sites.[27] India has one of the oldest musical traditions in the world—references to Indian classical music (marga) are found in the Vedas, ancient scriptures of the Hindu tradition.[28] The earliest and largest collection of prehistoric musical instruments
was found in China and dates back to between 7000 and 6600 BC.[29] The Hurrian song, found on clay tablets that date back to approximately 1400 BC, is the oldest surviving notated work of music.
• Ancient Egypt
• Main article: Music of Egypt
• Musicians of Amun, Tomb of Nakht, 18th Dynasty, Western Thebes
• The ancient Egyptians credited one of their gods, Thoth, with the invention of music, with Osiris in turn used as part of his effort to civilize the world. 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.[30]
Percussion instruments, lyres and lutes were added to orchestras by the Middle Kingdom. Cymbals[31] frequently accompanied music and dance, much as they still do in Egypt today. Egyptian folk music, including the traditional Sufi dhikr rituals, are the closest contemporary music genre to ancient Egyptian music, having preserved many of its features, rhythms and instruments.[32][33]
• Asian cultures
• Indian women dressed in regional attire playing a variety of musical instruments popular in different parts of India
• Gangubai Hangal
Durga

• See also: Music of Iran, Music of Afghanistan, Music of Tajikistan, Music of Sri Lanka, and Music of Uzbekistan
• Indian classical music is one of the oldest musical traditions in the world.[34] The Indus Valley civilization has sculptures that show dance[35] and old musical instruments, like the seven holed flute. Various types of stringed instruments and drums have been recovered from Harappa and Mohenjo Daro by excavations carried out by Sir Mortimer Wheeler.[36] The Rigveda has elements of present
Indian music, with a musical notation to denote the metre and the mode of chanting.[37] Indian classical music (marga) is monophonic, and based on a single melody line or raga rhythmically organized through talas. Silappadhikaram by Ilango Adigal provides information about how new scales can be formed by modal shifting of the tonic from an existing scale.[38] Hindustani music was influenced
by the Persian performance practices of the 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 also many songs emphasising love and other social issues.
• Asian music covers the music cultures of Arabia, Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Chinese classical music, the traditional art or court music of China, has a history stretching over around three thousand years. It has its own unique systems of musical notation, as well as musical tuning and pitch, musical instruments and styles or musical genres. Chinese music is pentatonic-
diatonic, having a scale of twelve notes to an octave (5 + 7 = 12) as does European-influenced music. Persian music is the music of Persia and Persian language countries: musiqi, the science and art of music, and muzik, the sound and performance of music (Sakata 1983).
• References in the Bible
• Main article: History of music in the biblical period
• "David with his harp" Paris Psalter,
c. 960, Constantinople
• Music and theatre scholars studying the history and anthropology of Semitic and early Judeo-Christian culture have discovered common links in theatrical and musical activity between the classical cultures of the Hebrews and those of later Greeks and Romans. The common area of performance is found in a "social phenomenon called litany," a form of prayer consisting of a series of invocations or
supplications. The Journal of Religion and Theatre notes that among the earliest forms of litany, "Hebrew litany was accompanied by a rich musical tradition:"[39]
• "While Genesis 4.21 identifies Jubal as the "father of all such as handle the harp and pipe," the Pentateuch is nearly silent about the practice and instruction of music in the early life of Israel. Then, in I Samuel 10 and the texts that follow, a curious thing happens. "One finds in the biblical text," writes Alfred Sendrey, "a sudden and unexplained upsurge of large choirs and orchestras, consisting of
thoroughly organized and trained musical groups, which would be virtually inconceivable without lengthy, methodical preparation." This has led some scholars to believe that the prophet Samuel was the patriarch of a school, which taught not only prophets and holy men, but also sacred-rite musicians. This public music school, perhaps the earliest in recorded history, was not restricted to a priestly
class—which is how the shepherd boy David appears on the scene as a minstrel to King Saul."[39]
• Antiquity
• Major ancient Western cultures have had a major influence on the development of music. The history of music in Western cultures can be traced back to Ancient Greek times. Ancient Greek society produced the first Western philosophers, some of whom wrote theories about music. Music was an important part of Ancient Greek culture, and in turn, influenced the Ancient Roman culture.
• Ancient Greece
• Music was an important part of social and cultural life in Ancient Greece. Musicians and singers played a prominent role in Greek theater.[40] Mixed-gender choruses performed for entertainment, celebration, and spiritual ceremonies.[41] Instruments included the double-reed aulos and a plucked string instrument, the lyre, principally the 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 a flowering of music development. Greek music theory included the Greek musical modes, that 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 first work written on the subject of music theory is Harmonika Stoicheia.[42]
• Middle Ages
• Léonin or Pérotin
Breves dies hominis

• Musical notation from a Catholic Missal, c. 1310–1320

• The medieval era (476 to 1400), which took place during the Middle Ages, started with the introduction of monophonic (single melodic line) chanting into Roman 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 that the chant melodies could be written down, to facilitate the use
of the same melodies for religious music across the entire 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 Roman 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 and Guillaume de Machaut.
• Renaissance
• T.L. de Victoria
Amicus meus

• Allegory of Music, by Filippino Lippi

• Renaissance music (c. 1400 to 1600) was more focused on secular (non-religious) 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 printing press, all notated music was hand-copied). The increased availability of sheet music helped to spread musical styles more
quickly 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 Dufay,
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Thomas Morley, and Orlande de Lassus. As musical activity shifted from the church to the aristocratic courts, kings, queens and princes competed for the finest composers. Many leading important composers came from the Netherlands, Belgium, and northern 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.
• Baroque