History of music
Music is found in every known culture and religion, past and present, varying widely between times and places. Since all people of the world, including the most isolated tribal groups, have a form of music, it may be concluded that music is likely to have been present in the ancestral population before the dispersal of humans around the world.
Consequently, the first music may have been invented in Africa and then evolved to become a fundamental constituent of human life. Music history, sometimes called historical musicology, is a highly diverse subfield of the broader discipline of musicology that studies music from a historical point of view. In theory, “music history” could refer to the study of the history of any type or genre of music. Featuring long-forgotten songs and tunes (not to mention jokes!) Green and Matthews paint a vibrant and vivid picture of our musical DNA, mixing the familiar and the obscure, the raucous and the reflective and the courtly and the commonplace.
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The show combines the vigor of the medieval period, the musical intricacy of the Renaissance, the grandeur of the Baroque and the pomp and bombast of Victoriana. Add to that the wit of Blackadder and 1066 And All That and the stage is set for a veritable musical feast!
Ah, the early years and Medieval times. Where men were men and had to prove themselves. Their “worth” was valued on what they did and their honor. Unlike today, they didn’t have lawyers, only the dungeon and the chopping block! The music composed during this era reflects this time well. For example, in Scotland, the bagpipe can be traced back to exist in one form or another for about 3,000 years! Meanwhile, in ancient Greek living, the lyre (an early form of the modern lute) was used to express one’s music.
Even in 1225, one can read about how the musicians and music lovers argued about which animals guts made the best harp strings! Kinda like the way we argue about interconnects and speaker cable of today! The lyre was played with the right hand plucking the string by hand, or by using a plectrum, while the left hand stopped the strings when wished. Well, of course, the lyre is obsolete and closely resembles the modern-day lute than the harp.
The music of this period would be described by us today an elegant and simple. Like our present-day harp music, it’s simplicity and harmonics were of a complimentary order. Very tranquil and romantic. After all, they say music soothes the savage beast. Early Celtic harp music as on the currently available CD titled “The Enchanted Isles” by Carol Thompson (Dorian DOR-90120) should give you a good idea of what I’m referring to. Carol Thompson is a VERY accomplished musician who’s soul and musical ability is not only steeped with traditional music but is also valued to teach other classic ways of performing music.
