THE POWER OF THE MICROPHONE For much of human history vocal music was only as loud as the singer Singers had to project their voices singing loudly and clearly enough to be heard over an orchestra in a large concert hall full of people This singing required special training to maximize volume and projection With the invention of the microphone in 1876 it became possible to project a voice electronically Vocal training was no longer essential in order to be heard The microphone could project lighter more natural voices on earphones at these locations and hear Caruso sing Caruso was an international celebrity a musical superstar whose success outshined all other singers in his lifetime Caruso was also an early fan of technology One of the first musicians to record his music Caruso recorded his song Vesti la Giubba in 1902 for the phonograph Caruso’s song sold more than 1 million copies the first recording to do so 1 Music is often taken for granted today It is everywhere in the grocery store on our car radios in movies and television shows and on our computers phones and MP3 players With a click or the touch of a button we can now hear whatever we want an entire orchestra a rock concert with pounding bass or a new song written by an undiscovered artist on the other side of the world However for most of human history music has not been so readily available In the past music was not 8
recorded or written Once it was written few people had access to printed music Also few people owned instruments The very first instrument was the human voice and the very first music was passed from person to person by memory Music in Western Civilization Music spans all cultures and stems from humankind’s earliest beginnings It is a global phenomenon most likely far older than recorded history And music continues to evolve Western music focuses on music with roots in Europe and European-influenced countries around the world such as the United States Western music began in the ancient cultures of the Mediterranean including ancient Greece and Rome and then spread Background Music Within many public places such as malls dentist offices elevators and restaurants music can be heard This background music also called ambient music is a relatively recent phenomenon In the 1920s George Squier realized music could influence customers and employees For example soft arrangements of well-known songs could make customers stay in stores longer Squier founded Muzak a company that sold specially programmed music to businesses By 2000 ambient music was the most common kind of music heard worldwide Nicknamed elevator music ambient music is heard by more than 100 million listeners each day 2 9
throughout Europe and the globe Today Western music provides a common musical language used by cultures worldwide In turn Western music also borrows from music cultures throughout the world Now more than ever technology connects music cultures everywhere The history of Western music is often told as periods of successive art movements In music however dates and definitions for these artistic periods differ a bit from other kinds of art such as literature painting and architecture The history of music shows some current and common musical elements such as rhythm and beat were not always a part of Western music or were different or not accounted for Other elements that seem modern and innovative may in fact be simply a new twist on an old tradition Cultures from around the world have similar patterns in their music All known cultures both ancient and modern have created music and music is a way to express some of our deepest emotions Music has many functions and is found in most public activities and rituals military marches national anthems graduation ceremonies and religious festivals Music is also incorporated into the most private moments lullabies love songs and tunes in the shower Music is part of the human identity who we 10
Music is incorporated in many facets of our lives including public festivities such as parades are and what we value Millions loved the Great Caruso not because they understood or even enjoyed opera but because they were moved by the powerful emotions in his velvety voice 11
