Divje Babe Flute
The word “music” originates from the Greek and means “(art) of the muses”. Music can be loosely defined as a form of art, which uses the medium sound for its execution. Ancient philosophers, up until modern times, debate what constitutes music but the musicologist, Jean-Jacques Nattiez, points out that with music, “…there is no single and intercultural universal concept defining what music might be.”
Some speculate that the earliest instrument is thought to have been found in the northwest region of Slovenia, a Divje Babe flute, approximately 40,000 years old, carved out of a cave bear femur. The oldest and largest collection of musical instruments was found in China, dating back to 7000 and 6600 BC. Music is noted even during Biblical times in the form of litany, a form of worship consisting of a series of prayers or invocations. In the 800s, an Arab scholar, known as al-Farabi, played and came up with a variety of musical instruments and wrote a book titled “Great Book of Music”.
In ancient Greece, music played an important role in society, where mixed gender choruses would perform for both social events and spiritual rituals. They had a variety of instruments, such as, the double-reed aulos, plucked string instruments, and the lyre. Young boys were taught music as a vital part of their education, from as young as six years of age. The importance the Greek gave to music spread across the west, reaching other parts of Europe quickly. The traditions of Indian music are of the oldest in the world, likewise, Asian and Arabian cultures have rich music histories dating from hundreds to thousands of years back.
Music evolved quickly over the years and by the 1600s, during the Baroque period, many musical instruments had been made. Commercial printing helped make music easier to share in a shorter span of time across more countries thereby reaching a greater number of people. Beethoven made his appearance in the Romantic era of the 1800s with a more expressive and dramatic style of music. Music became more emotional and moving than in earlier times, when it was more about strictly following procedure of composition. By the late 1800s, the orchestra became much larger in size and concerts were gaining popularity within urban societies.