The Evolution of Music Essay - 2161 Words

Throughout history, music has evolved and branched off into many different categories, each of which have distinct styles and orchestrations; there is classical music that is centuries old and today there is modern contemporary music that is often synthesized or played with electronic instruments. There are also many ways that the two styles can cross over each other; this is seen in popular music and a lot of video game music. Though many people cannot see any similarities between modern and classical music, modern music is really an evolution of classical music; the roots of modern music go back to classical era. The term â€Å"classical music† refers to the western influence, not the eastern influence of Asia; the two are very different†¦show more content†¦One of the greatest composers of music, even though it was only slightly notated at the time, was Guillaume de Machaut (d. 1377), â€Å"one of the undisputed pinnacle geniuses of Western music†¦Ã¢â‚¬  His most famous piece was the four-voice Mass of Notre Dame, which maintained his reputation through the changes in fashion (Roberge). After almost a millennium’s worth of music was composed and contributed, the style of music began to change with the next era. From 1400 to 1600 A.D., the Renaissance was a period of a rediscovery of Greek ideals for musicians to explore possibilities of their art. It was during this time that ideas were able to better circulate, because individualism began to increase, and the printing of music helped to preserve and distribute musical ideas (History). Also, as opposed to the medieval period, the Renaissance began to expand upon the type of sound that was created by adding the voices of women in choirs, as well as expanding instrumental music. The texture of music also began to change, with homophonic and polyphonic compositions. Sacred vocal polyphony was used rather than monophony in the form of masses and motets, while secular pieces also inc luded madrigals and songs. Instrumental pieces usually were short during this time, and were for dancing (History).Show MoreRelatedThe Evolution Of Rap Music921 Words   |  4 PagesThe Evolution of Rap Rap music is undeniably one of the most popular music genres today. What is rap? Rap is really a very old word. You can find the term popping up as early as the 15th and 16th century in Britain. The word rap actually meant to strike or to hit. After a few centuries a slight variation of this definition appeared which meant to speak or talk. 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