Evolution of music
We say universe has evolved. Has music too evolved.?
There are varied opinions on these. People look at music as a continuous element that has traveled through their lives, along with them, lingering as a companion and as an emotional crutch. .
To answer this question, we need more insights and analysis on the subject. For instance we have only seven notes, but we have seen unbelievable changes in the realm of music.
Maybe the sound has changed. But music continues to be the single factor that needs no tweaking nor changes.
People say the universe has evolved over centuries. But many opine that music is already an evolved element. There are only 7 notes and what we have been hearing are different permutation combination those seven notes. The most intriguing thing about music is how the same notes, when combination changes, sound fresh and new!
The same sa re ga , when composed as re ga sa , gives a different emotion. The notes used for emoting happiness can be jumbled up to sound like a pathos tune. So, is music an anagram that moves places, interchanges places and when solved this way or that, presents itself in varied forms, all brilliant!
Back in the cave man days of civilization, the sounds of morning birds chirping, the surreal rythm of feet landing on dried autumn leaves, the wind buzzing through the crevices of tree branches and twigs, the hum of the bees, the clear and pristine tinke of the stream , the pitter patter of raindrops hitting the ground …..all these were natural notes of the universe. Noone arranged them; noone composed them. The howls of the nocturnal animals caused a haunting effect, which till today, is used in horror films. So, nature was the earliest composer. As man learnt to produce sounds by activating his vocal chords, additional sounds were introduced. The evolution of sounds into words were later used as lyrics.
With civilisations expanding and passing through spaces of the earth, languages came into force. What was a good word for one, became an unparliamentary word for another. Hence , perceptions came into the picture. Perceptions became dimensions and dimensions added layers to everything, including music.
Then with 18th century flourishing, Joseph Haydn, an Austrian musician became the ambassador of western classical music and he took his music far and wide top reach people. .
Some of the greatest Western composers who have stood the test of time and still stand tall are
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
Amadeus Mozart (1756–91)
Johannes Brahms (1833–97
Richard Wagner (1813–83)
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–93)
Many followed suit and modified classical music to contemporary understanding. Contemporary music started acquiring new facets ; so genres were developed. Genres started branching out to sub genres. These sub genres transfused themselves into each other and that marked the birth of fusion music. Each country, each state, each region and each patch of civilization saw enthralling variations in music.
Starting with the Grand Piano , blending with string instruments like violin , wind instruments like the flute and saxophone, man kept adding more and more choices to bring about varied taste in music.
Guido D’Arezzo was the one who gave us the much-needed scale. Beethovan was known as the father of romantic music. Operas became a connoisseur ‘s delight. During this romantic era, tube instruments came into use.
Coming to India, our country is known for its rich and valuable heritage and culture. Our earlier forms of fine arts were revolved around God, divinity and morals. Our earlier music told us stories. Stories of victory, failure, love, loss , joy and melancholy moments of life.
Each State of our glorious country started fusing and creating their own music forms. No State of ours had one style. Every State has variety of genres that proved our mettle.
The North came up with Hindustani as their classical music and the South came up with Carnatic as their classical music.
The North East poured raw and sepia folk patterns. Then , Tamilnadu started experimenting with various forms and styles.
With the advent of cinema, came a new genre that people could identify with. Stories around the music or music around the stories, made it practically easy for people to relate to. So music became a part of everyday life.
Whether you are a musician or not, you cannot deny the importance of music in your daily life. No day can pass us if the day has no music for our ears or for our senses. Blessed are those who can sing or play an instrument. They merge with music and the musicians become music.
Music is a blessing from the heavens. Music is the passion of expression. Music is imperative in life. Music IS life!
