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
Chapter 2 Ancient Influences Music seems to have existed since the human species began The oldest paintings on cave walls date from 32,000 BCE Even older ancient instruments exist Very little is known about ancient music from prehistoric times before people kept written records Even after record keeping began the history of music is difficult to trace because music was largely an oral tradition passed from one person to another by voice and instrument Most cultures had no methods of music notation or ways of writing music As a result music historians do not know how music sounded in ancient cultures Nevertheless records and artifacts provide some clues about how Western music developed 12
In ancient civilizations such as Greece people believed their gods created music and instruments 13
