Topic started by sama (@ 203.143.3.136) on Fri Oct 27 01:01:21 .
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history of music |
Responses:
- From: robin (@ 203.197.44.111)
on: Fri Oct 27 09:45:15 EDT 2000
The beginnings of music are more older than the developments of language. In the beginning the music were simple rhythmic structures based on the time and repetitive temporal patterns. These were the earliest forms of music. The structures of music of its temporal basis of repatative structures in the experience of neurological time is one of the greatest creations of the Human Imagination in the creation of a neurological experience in the levels of the natural phenomenon. That iss the repetative structures, reflected in them the earliest observations of the rhythmic cycles of the natural existence. from here began the association of the rhythmic elements of systematic patterns sequences that were related with the elements of the natural world. These rhythmic patterns were also reflected in the body movements and therefore the primal rhythm around the world is the time structure that closely resembles the heart beat. Thus then motion of body and the brain patterns to temporal structures were the earliest undertandings of the physical world. These temporal structures when combined with frequency patterns developed into music around the world. And the body patterns when formally systematised developed into dances around the world.
The earliesst musical instruments were hollow bones of animals. The oldest of such specimen are 35000 years old.
from these earliest forms of the temporal structures and with the interaction of the development of language there grew the association of words and temporal structures. Further on the development of the written language 5,500 years ago; lead to the development of the epic poem as a new medium which was associated with rhythmic structural patterns. Thus began the tradition of music that the present strains of music trace back to. Thus much of Human history was instrumental music or music with pure time patterns. the phenomenon of songs and epic narration in musical structures are very recent. from here began the tradition of poetic renditions and elaborate metres and formalized structures. Folk music alo developed by this time with the development of large communities by trhe invention of the irrigation and farming. Thus these folk musics gave a community identity to certain sets of people in certain regions. these interaaction of folk muic and formalized sstructures of meters together with associated frequencies lead to the formulation of scales. by the 2000 years ago. Elaborate instruments were developed. The arabic - semitic people developed the violin which the moors and the jewish diapora took to Europe where it flourished centurie later. In India especially in South India the scale was developed with the the elemental structure of the first and the middle note becoming the foundation of the music which today is known as the sa-paa-sa structure. These were accompanied with highly formailzed structures and rule of note selection and composition. leading to the mela kartha ragam system. which has the elemental 72 ragam. This development of music structures was accompanied with the development of dance now called 'Bharatanatyam'.
On the other hand the arabic music had its own tradition of music scales with certain note taking precedence. These were accompanied with the development of elaaborate arabic dance now called the belly dancing. The moors who took the arabic music to spain combined the hand work of the Belly dancing with the footwork of the spanish folk dancers and formed the flamenco which were further elaborated byb the jewish diaspora and the gypsies. The mughals who ruled the persia by the 1400' later developed the darbari from the combination of the spanish flamenco and the elaborate arabic music structures. When they came to Indian sub-continent they brought with them this persian form of the flamenco called darbari (as it was performed in the palaces of the mughals called darbars) and the darbari music mixed with the formalized structures of the ragas of the Indian sub-continent and thus began the tradition of hindustani music.
In Europe by the A.D. 900's plain chants developed from jewish chants in the synagogues. Which were later taken in a new verion by the continental Europeans and formed the plain chants from which developed the formailzed written notation of the gregorian chants. which later became the basis of European classical music.
From the plain songs and the system of written music of sol-fa notation and the diatonic scale developed the system of harmony in European music. this was later formalized by Jean Philip-Rameau in the 1600's and becaame the basis of European music fro the next 300 years. By the late 1670's European music developed elaborate forms of music called chamber music, operas, and sinfonettas (which later developed into large scale symphonies). By the 1750's a movement of music called the baroque tradittion of music developed epitomized by the music of the german compoer J.S. Bach. The baroque muic was followed by the 'classical style' of classical music. of which three of the greatest composers were the german speaking composers Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. These were the first trio of the Classical tradition of european clasical music.
The Karnatic music also had it own trinity of composers Thyagaraja, Muthuswamy dikshitar. Roughly by the same time as the european trinity. They further elaborated the south Indian music with various varnam and geetham.
In Europe the symphonie developed into large cale pure instrumental musics especially with Beethoven music. And later developed further with the composer schumann, Mendelsohn and Brahms. But the muic of europe reached new hights when Composer began to break the old rule of music for greater expression beginning with the music of the German composer Richard Wagner (who fundamentally revolutionized European clasical music). this was further developed by Gustav Mahler, and finally a break away wa made by the German speaking Jewish composer called Arnold choenberg, by his technique of erial music disregarding all formal traditional scales. Thi was finally epitomized in the work of Alban Berg, Bela Bartok and epitomized in the highly mathematical musics of Anton Webern. Anton webern was shot dead by the end of world war II.
Mean while in new orleans in America a new form of muic developed called Jazz. Of which some of the major composers were cott Joplin, louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington. The jazz muic later combined the influences of European clasical music and many new composers ome of whom were George Gershwin, Irving Berlin and Jerome Kern.
After the second world war, popular music took prominance with frank inatra being the greatest of the singer of this phenomenon. and also began the tradition of rock and roll. whose greatest exponent was elvis priesley. In the 1960's poetry and music were combined to make statements of public concern. Of which the greatest were Robert Zimmermann (Bob Dylan) and the musicians who performed at the woodstock in 1969. including Jim Morrison and the doors, and also the britih group Pink Floyd.
Reseaarchers are conducting study on European classical music as a maathematical science by cognitive scientist, cognitive pychologists and cognitive musicologists.
- From: ravi sundaram (@ 192.149.1.187)
on: Fri Oct 27 13:40:51 EDT 2000
1. That music predated lanugage is very much believable. There are many species of birds
that have very well developed musical ability though they are nowhere near getting any linguistic ability.
2. The Blue whales' "songs" are supposed to be
a form of communication, but at very primitive
level.
3. Examples 1 and 2 show that "natural" music can develop without the formal simple rhythmic structure. So I dont understand what robin means
by saying the earliest music was primitive simple
rhythmic structures.
4. The Roma gypsies, took the single stringed
fiddle from Rajasthan, to middle asia and
eventually it blossomed into the four stringed
violin which returned to the homeland and took
a prominant place in Indian, especially, Karnatic
music.
- From: aruLaracan (@ psiphi.umsl.edu)
on: Fri Oct 27 16:23:04 EDT 2000
some small corrections:
(1) most of the beginning portions of robin's articles fall under conjecture, imo.
(2) mELakartA system is very recent while bharatanAtyAm is supposed to have originated from nAtyasAstram!
(3) jean phillipe rameau!! someone remembers him even now :-)))
(4) baroque period was supposed to be from the beginning of 1600 to late 1700. j.s.bach is, therefore, at the end of barouque not the beginning. beethoven who gave a grand finale to the barouque also was the incipient of romantic era (which was followed by so many different eras, it is boring to list them all :-)) )
(5) robin forgot to name chuck berry who gave rock and roll its form (?!). (if i remember correctly, his song johnny be good was a part of the package that was "left" in the voyager!)
(6) most of modern music arose from the americas: jazz, blues, hip-hop, reggae (carribean, so what? :-) ), rock and roll, acid, base, salt :-))) .
(7) there are very few intensely political bands around. (corporate money buys them out!) midnight oil is one of the vocal political bands who have managed to stay together as a band for nearly 25 years now!!!!
(8) Reseaarchers are conducting study on European classical music as a maathematical science by cognitive scientist, cognitive pychologists and cognitive musicologists.
robin, can you please elaborate on this. are you talking about the "classical music enhances the short term memory" study by gordon shaw, ucb?
- From: robin (@ 202.54.92.114)
on: Fri Oct 27 16:31:20 EDT 2000
the rajastani banjarans left Indiaa in a.d. 1000 while the arabic version of the violin existed from from 2000 years ago. The chinese had it from A.D. 900. Moreover it doe not matter who invented it first or where. The invention of the violin or the non invention of the violin is not a determinant of the quality of music. What matters is the truth of the muic. thatss all. It doenot matter where the instruments are developed. What matter is how one use it to drwa it complete power. There is no homeland for music it is apolitical and trancend race, religion and culture. and let it remain so.
So lets talk world music my friend.
please give me more information on the south Indian tradition of music.
Can you please recommend me good recording of mridangam solo and as accompaniment.
- From: robin (@ 202.54.92.114)
on: Fri Oct 27 16:40:44 EDT 2000
my dear friend AruLaracan my attempt wa to only give the outline of the major compoer not that bach was the firt or telemann was the first. and yes my introduction is conjucture. Also I wont be able to give all names. I have missed lot of name like Philip gla and john cage. And as far a research in cognitive science goe it involves in a wide range of tudie of the cognitive scientists from linguitics to neuropsychology and concept formation and mathematical model of memory. I am myelf engaged in research ussing the music in the tudy of the linguitic repreentation and thought process in the cognitive science. It i ued widely in AI by Marvin Minsky.
If you Think I have mised few point or lot of points then please add it.
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