Music’s Evolution: From Oral Tradition to the Digital Age
Oral and Written Transmission of Music
Item 3: Throughout history, there have been two primary channels for disseminating music: oral and written. Oral transmission was the norm in Europe until the 9th century, when the first musical documents appeared. One of the main effects of oral transmission is that the material is often modified during the learning process. However, with the expansion of the repertoire and the emergence of the first polyphonic works, it became necessary to use written notation. This gave rise to the first systems of notation and the first scores.
History of Media Dissemination of Musical Interpretation
The history of music is conditioned by the development of printing. The production and sale of manuscripts had been constant in Europe. Printed music gradually began to compete with the sale of manuscripts.
Main Phases of Lithographic Printing
- A drawing is made with a pencil on the lithographic stone.
- The stone is covered with a thin layer of nitric acid and gum arabic, avoiding the drawn areas.
- The stone is impregnated with ink.
- A sheet of paper is pressed against the stone.
Today, printing is done by the offset process, using photographic plates, written by composers or on machines. During the Enlightenment, the music market increased, and publishers became intermediaries between consumers and songwriters. Composers also stopped working exclusively for the church.
Institutions and the Dissemination of Music
The institutions whose existence has been of great importance for the dissemination of music are academies, societies, and concert halls. These crucial changes in the development of Western music are related to the success of public performances and music as a spectacle.
Academies
An academy is a learned or artistic society. Some, like the Accademia Filarmonica of Verona, turned to musical composition and performance.
Concerts
Concerts were held outside the scope of the courts.
Musical Societies
During the second half of the 19th century, societies dedicated to the music of specific composers began to emerge. In the 1930s, musical societies in Europe appeared to be allied with the recording industry, e.g., the Beethoven Sonata Society.
Disseminating Music Today
We have seen that the transmission of music in the past occurred through printed music or live auditions. In the 20th century, with the invention of media for recording and playing music, there has been a great revolution in the diffusion of music. Today, in the 21st century, this continues to evolve.
Item 2: Music in Everyday Life
Music accompanies us in everyday life: on TV, radio, etc. We can also hear music in theaters, movies, sporting events, leisure clubs, concerts, audio equipment, and also in media like the internet, radio, etc.
Use and Abuse of Music in Society
We are not aware of the amount of music we hear. Too much music in everyday life can lead to us not appreciating it. Abuse of sounds in our society is acoustic contamination due to excessive volume. However, for the population that listens to music, especially youth in adolescence, it is also a sign of identity. As a consequence of advancing technology and the media, the instantaneous exchange of information from anywhere on the planet is a fact. The best-selling music is Anglo-urban folk: pop, rock, etc. Lately, there has been an increased interest in music from other cultures, but often these traits lead to globalization. Until recently, musical education was seen as elitist, but today it is a higher education accessible to the public.
Uses and Functions of Music
Humans have always sought pleasure in things: physical, emotional, and mental. Among all the arts, music is what reaches us with the most intensity. There are other situations where the public and performers fuse, the composer is interpreted, the interpreter is elevated, or the interpreter does not exist.
Functions of Music
- Aesthetic function: listening pleasure
- Identity badge: a symbol of identity
- Medical: therapeutic use
- Commercial: a commercial claim
- Symbolic: an ideological symbol
Genres
- Music by function: functional art music
- According to content: sacred or religious music, profane music
- According to the audience: knowledgeable or classical, traditional folk or popular, commercial
- According to the form: instrumental and vocal music
Live Music
In ancient times, music was associated with religion or magic. In the medieval church, music was present, as were troubadours and minstrels. Music was in the streets, churches, and castles. The first completely independent musician was Beethoven in the 19th century. If you look at a musical spectacle, you will examine several aspects of music as a spectacle: speakers, in addition to the many professional musicians. It covers many functions according to the activities in which it intervenes. Each show, by function, is performed in different settings. The physical space where the show takes place determines the characteristics of the musical interpretation. The behavior of the spectators and the way music affects them are also different.