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About History of Music

The history of music covers the historical development and evolution of music from prehistorical times to present day. Though definitions of music vary wildly throughout the world, every known culture partakes in it, and music is thus considered a cultural universal.

The origins of music remain highly contentious; commentators often relate it to the origin of language, with much disagreement surrounding whether music arose before, after or simultaneously with language. The music of prehistoric cultures is first firmly dated to c. 40,000 BP of the Upper Palaeolithic by evidence of bone flutes, though it remains unclear whether or not the actual origins lie in the earlier Middle Palaeolithic period (300,000 to 50,000 BP). Ancient music was present in the major Chinese, Egyptian, Greek, Indian and Iranian/Persian societies.

Prehistoric Music - Music has evolved alongside the rest of civilisation. Instruments likely transformed over time, moving from simple percussion on rocks to more sophisticated string and wind instruments.

Music in Ancient Greece and Rome. As with most cultural matters in the ancient Western world, the Greeks were the artists and innovators, and the Romans were the ones who spread their works throughout the empire. It’s easy to forget that famous Greek works such as The Iliad and The Odyssey were not read dryly from textbooks like we do today; rather, they would have been sung accompanied by a lyre, usually as part of a celebration or important event.

Music in the Medieval Era was almost unrecognizable compared to the beginning. Early medieval music was wrapped up in simple liturgical compositions such as Gregorian chants, which involved a single singer, instrument, or line, without accompanying harmony or chords. That all changed in the 13th and 14th centuries as polyphonic musical genres emerged, bringing richer and more complex sounds to the church and the secular world.

Are music history lessons expensive?

Music history lessons are interesting and anyone can benefit from them. From children to adults, everyone can find a passion about music and music history and learn something new. With the TutorExtra platform you can browse many teachers and choose the best for you. The lessons vary from £10-£50 depending on what level of education you need.