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1、Introduction of Music Music, artful arrangement of sounds across time, is part of virtually every culture on Earth. But it varies widely among cultures in style and structure. Definitions of music can change dramatically over a short time, as they have across the world during the 20th century. Can

2、 music exist without sound? Some philosophers argue that music should be defined as a kind of “mental image” and that the physical aspects of sound are simply by-products of this image. If you think you can have a musical experience by imagining the sound of a piece of music, then you think music ca

3、n exist without sound. But most musical experiences involve producing or listening to physical characteristics of sound such as pitch and timbre. Although there is no general agreement as to exactly what music communicates or how it communicates it, some individuals and governments have believed t

4、hat music possesses great powers of communication. Most ancient Greek philosophers believed that listening to music based on certain of the modes in use at the time was beneficial to the development of a young person’s character, and warned that listening to music based on certain other modes would

5、have harmful effects. For centuries Chinese beliefs about music were influenced by the philosophy of Confucius, whichmusic was not to entertain but to purify one's thoughts. Although there is no general agreement as to exactly what music communicates or how it communicates it, some individuals and

6、governments have believed that music possesses great powers of communication. Most ancient Greek philosophers believed that listening to music based on certain of the modes in use at the time was beneficial to the development of a young person’s character, and warned that listening to music based on

7、 certain other modes would have harmful effects. For centuries Chinese beliefs about music were influenced by the philosophy of Confucius, which music was not to entertain but to purify one's thoughts. Introduction of Blues Blues, type of music developed during the late 19th century by African A

8、merican performers. Blues embraces a variety of styles, including downhome or country blues, boogie-woogie, classic blues, jump blues, and Chicago (urban) blues. Blues directly or indirectly influenced the vast majority of popular music during the 20th century, including jazz, rock, rhythm and blues

9、 (R&B), and gospel. As a form and style, blues most likely first appeared in the 1890s, a quarter century after the Civil War (1861-1865) officially ended slavery in the United States. Jazz and ragtime also first appeared around this time. Although freedom did not substantially change the material

10、conditions of the majority of African Americans, it did have a tremendous effect on the mindset of those born into freedom. It is therefore probably no accident that the first generation born outside of slavery would develop a new music that more accurately reflected their worldview and the social s

11、ituations in which they lived. Introduction of Jazz Jazz is a type of music first developed by African Americans around the first decade of the 20th century. Jazz grew up alongside the blues and popular music, and all these genres overlap in many ways. However, critics generally agree about whethe

12、r artists fall squarely in one camp or another. Although exceptions occur in some styles, most jazz is based on the principle that an infinite number of melodies can fit the chord progressions of any song. The musician improvises new melodies that fit the chord progression, which is repeated again

13、and again as each soloist is featured, for as many choruses as desired. In recent years jazz has become a legitimate worldwide international phenomenon, with most top U.S. artists regularly touring Europe and Japan. Most developed countries have a jazz scene to some degree, and in some—such as Japa

14、n, Italy, and Denmark—jazz is flourishing. It has been estimated that the Japanese buy as many jazz recordings as Americans do, even though Japan has less than half the population of the United States. European and Japanese jazz musicians such as Italian pianist Franco D’Andrea, Italian clarinetist

15、Mauro Negri, and British saxophonist John Surman are also being recognized among the best jazz musicians in the world. Jazz is also more open to women than ever before. In the early days of the music, it was a kind of "boys club.” In the 1930s and 1940s all-women groups were formed as one way to c

16、ombat these limits. In the 1960s women were sometimes included in bands, but this would provoke comment. Female jazz performers began to gain more acceptance in the genre beginning in the 1970s. Some of these female artists include pianists Renee Rosnes and Geri Allen, composer and bandleader Maria

17、Schneider, saxophonist and composer Jane Ira Bloom, and the big band Diva led by drummer Sherrie Maricle. Introduction of Rock Music Rock Music is a group of related music styles that have dominated popular music in the West since about 1955. Rock music began in the United States, but it has i

18、nfluenced and in turn been shaped by a broad field of cultures and musical traditions, including gospel music, the blues, country-and-western music, classical music (see Music, Western), folk music, electronic music, and the popular music of Asia, Africa, and Latin America (see Worldbeat). In additi

19、on to its use as a broad designation, the term rock music commonly refers to music styles after 1959 predominantly influenced by white musicians. Other major rock-music styles include rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll), the first genre of the music; and rhythm-and-blues music (R&B), influen

20、ced mainly by black American musicians. Each of these major genres encompasses a variety of substyles, such as heavy metal, punk, alternative, and grunge. While innovations in rock music have often occurred in regional centers—such as New York City, Kingston, Jamaica, and Liverpool, England—the infl

21、uence of rock music is now felt worldwide. Introduction of Classical Music Classical Music is a popular term for the Western tradition of art music that began in Europe in the Middle Ages and continues today. It includes symphonies, chamber music, opera, and other serious, artistic music. More narrowly, the “classical” style refers to the work of the Viennese classical school, a group of 18th-century composers that includes Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven, which is the epitome of what is called classical music.