Eras of Music
In this article, Hailie gives insight to the evolution of music through the eras by exploring the growth of folk, art, and popular music.
Eras of music: Not taylor's version
By Hailie Zintzun
Music is a timeless expression of art and creativity that has been cultivated and revolutionized numerous times through the ages. There have been countless genres and styles of music that have emerged in recent years alone. Each decade brings a new kind of innovation to music, whether that be a mixture between two different genres or a new style altogether. This musical exploration is an intriguing correlation between the genre’s integral traits and the popular qualities of the time in which it was produced. In the modern age, some have taken to sorting music into three main categories: folk music, art music, and popular music. Each category has an extensive array of subcategories within itself, making the particular three main categories serve as more of a general impression of musical taste rather than definite interpretations of musical generals. By understanding more about the three categories, a person may be surprised to realize that their favorite artist falls under a different category than one would have assumed, and that there is more to their genre of music than what one previously thought.
Folk music is a homage to many different cultures. According to MasterClass, “Traditional folk music includes several genres, such as traditional Appalachian music, bluegrass, railroad songs, protest songs, cowboy songs, sea shanties, jug music, and more.” Some of the earlier days of folk music included West African work songs, which later would give way to gospel spirituals and the more modern genre that is the blues. English, Scottish, and Irish folk music traditionally involved ballads that captured a certain story. Traditional Cajun music was influenced by French settlers, and is considered its own part of folk music. Folk music became a more widespread form of music starting in the 1930s, and was generally popularized in the 1960s. The Carter Family is considered to be the main group responsible for creating the reputation of folk music as we know it today. Following the folk music revival, artists such as John Denver, Bob Dylan, Arlo Guthrie, Simon & Garfunkel, Paul and Mary, and Joni Mitchell became names that would play a large part in continuing the folk music tradition and building upon the foundations that the Carter Family had made for its legacy. Contemporary folk music is a continuously favored distinction of music. Regardless of the wide variety of subgenres contained within folk music, there are three aspects that remain the same in most folk songs. Having acoustic instruments is one of the reasons why folk music is set apart from other musical genres, as it is one of the reasons why it retains the quality that the roots of folk music surfaced from several generations ago. A majority of folk music is sung in the English language, with the exception of traditional Cajun music. Regional authenticity is one of the most essential aspects of folk music, carrying the true heart and intent of the genre and its core of continuing to celebrate diversity and local traditions. Folk music is truly incomparable to any other, its distinctiveness still managing to attract attention to the genre in the modern day while serving as a reminder of past traditions.
Dating back as early as the 18th century, art music is a term that refers to music that is cultivated with a certain amount of structural and theoretical practices, applying itself to musical traditions often found in classical music. WorldAtlas describes art music to be “highly formalized music in which most if not all elements are specified in advance in written form, and not improvised or left to the performer’s discretion. Art music refers to classical traditions that focus on formal styles, inviting technical and detailed deconstruction and criticism, and at the same time requiring significantly more effort by the listener.” The origin of art music is thought to be based on Western classical music. However, the genre has expanded and now includes jazz and rock. The significance of art music is the concept behind it. Commercial music is a term to indicate music that is made to please a certain audience or to imitate a kind of style that has been previously successful. Art music is the opposite of this, as its creation usually resides in the desire to try new concepts, achieve sounds that have not been heard before, or bring to life an idea that none have ever dared to venture into fruition. Overall, the intention of art music is what sets it apart from other musical forms.
Classical music covers an expansive time period. The Renaissance is known to be an era of innovation, where music began to be printed and widely distributed. This led to the Baroque period, where instrumental music and orchestras were starting to resemble those that we are now familiar with. Styles like the concerto and the sonata thrived during this period, with composers such as Bach, Vivaldi, and Handel being leaders during this time. The Classical period of music is perhaps the best-known era of music, and the most closely associated with the genre of art music. During this period, Mozart and Beethoven were two composers who would become known as staples of classical music itself. The change to combining wind with string instruments to provide a more vast, harmonial sound forever altered the way orchestral music would be arranged, and the formation of fully-equipped symphony orchestras would be a significant result of this. The Romantic period further expanded symphonies and brought about music literature that involved themes of passion and intense expression of the self and the human experience. The popularity of classical music in the modern era is strongly due to the advances in film and video game music. Many artists in the modern age have preferred to deviate from classical music traditions, and now interpret the genre in a sense that mirrors their own image.
Rock and Roll is a kind of art music that has truly re-defined the genre as a whole. As put by the Musicians Institute College of Contemporary Music, “Emerging in the 1950s, rock and roll revolutionized music with its blend of blues, rhythm and blues, and country music. Icons like Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry brought it into the mainstream, capturing the spirit of youth and rebellion.” While an individual might assume rock and roll has little to do with classical music, both are considered to be art music as they are progressive forms of music that challenge traditional structures and themes. Art music is a kind of music that takes special care beyond just the initial experience of the audience, and longs to dive into a deeper form of meaning through its arrangements.
Popular music is exactly what one would likely presume it to be from its name. It is the kind of music that is “of the times,” and often serves the mainstream audience. Popular music can cover a majority of music genres and, for this reason, those that were previously stated to be in the folk or art category can be considered as “popular music” just the same. Rock and Roll, when not met with particularly challenging or particular arrangements, for example, is often a genre put under this category. Technology has evolved to a point where its influence on music and the interpretation of its popularity have been notable. Using electronic instrumentation and technology to create music gave way to new subgenres of art music that have allowed for musical self-expression in a way that was not available in the past. Subgenres such as techno, house, and trance continue to grow as the music industry grows with each generation. Popular music is meant to be enjoyed by an audience that does not necessarily require any musical experience or comprehension. It serves as both a form of entertainment and an art form. Pop music is a genre that falls into this category, and it is the one that is more often associated with it. After the long reign of hip-hop, in the late 1990s, pop music took its own rise to popularity. The focus on rhythm and speech that generated from hip-hop greatly influenced the pop genre. Britney Spears, the Spice Girls, and the Backstreet Boys are just a few names of popular pop artists and bands that were produced during this new era of music. Just as public taste and creativity promoted the prominently positive response to pop, it may soon shift to a different mainstream music category as time goes on. Popular music can never be a definite term, for the idea of popularity is fleeting and inconsistent. Thus, this category is one that will only be determined by the preferences of the population at any given time.
Folk, art, and popular music all have made an impression on the era in which they were produced, just as that same period of time made an irreversible change to their own creations. As seen by its centuries-long expansion, music has a vast amount of qualities, with a little something to offer everyone. Regardless of one’s preferences or the taste of the times, the beauty of music is that it is able to be enjoyed long after the age of its creation. It would be a wasted opportunity to not take advantage of this fact, and to explore the endless sources of music that can be discovered, due to the countless artists who brought them to completion.
