Technology In Electronic Music In The 20th And 21st Century

5,500 year old instruments have been found in what was once known as Sumer. They mostly comprise of lyres, lutes, drums, rattles, harps and wooden and bone wind instruments. The instruments were composed of organic material so very few have remained after thousands of years. What we do have knowledge of Sumerian instruments comes mainly from reliefs, plaques, seals and mosaics that have been discovered. Clay tablets written in cuneiform describe numerous instruments as well as how they were

For as long as mankind has walked on this earth, music has been an important part of our culture and lifestyles. Each walk of life beats to a different drum. Different cultures use music for many aspects of their lives; for religious purposes, for celebrations, for comfort, for sorrow, for relaxation, for sports, for dances, for energy, for learning, for sleeping, and for sexual experiences. Everyone uses music for something. Music connects with people and reaches them in ways that words simply cannot. Music is a representation of what feelings sound like. It expresses emotion and brings that characteristic out from within us; it tells us a story. Every generation has its’ own sound and different music styles have emerged and become

Perhaps an even greater example of technology’s influence on the music industry is told with the

The period between 1995 and 2005 is very memorable in America’s history. There are several incidences and occurrences that unfolded which helped in shaping and framing the current United States of America. The bombing of Oklahoma City is a major epic event that still lingers in the minds of most Americans. However, there is much to contemplate and deduce based on the incidence of 19th April 1995. The music industry also experienced drastic changes between this time frame and analyzing these changes is pivotal in understanding the history of America and may assist in predicting the changes to be expected within the next one decade. Evolution and advancement in technology are also a crucial part of the discussion of American history and the emergence of the digital era. It is, therefore, worth appreciating and acknowledging the past since it forms part of our identity.

Music has evolved too many different forms that we recognize today. We trace this development throughout time. Beginning in the middle ages, we have seen advancement from the Gregorian chant all the way to the Jazz of the 20th century. The current events, politics, religion, technology and composers can shape musical eras during time. Here I will look at the middle ages, renaissance, baroque, classical, romantic and twentieth century periods. I hope that a better understanding can be reached to why, when, where and who are the reasons for musical evolution.

Music can be observed as one of the oldest pieces of art and entertainment. The industry is evolving at a hasty rate, with all thanks to the exponential growth of technology. Trends have come and gone over time since media productions are compelled to accompany these changes in technology in order to keep profit. With these advancements, the experience for the music industry and the user has terrifically changed. In this essay, I argue that there has been a drastic evolution in how the way music is recorded and consumed over several centuries. Throughout this period, several pioneers have met the needs to organize craze and association of a feasible business standard for the future of the music industry.

Technology and music have always been interlinked. As technology improves ways of recording and distributing music improves. Over history we have gone from scratchy records to clear and portable MP3s. New and innovative technology have helped to shape America’s culture as a nation.

Throughout the many years of time, music has been associated with the lives of humans. Ranging from the oldest recorded music in 1888, The Lost Chord, to Motherese, or the way that mothers “sing” to their babies to communicate to them, to our modern music of radio stations blaring our favourite song while we drive from place to place. Music has found its place within human lives, intertwining its existence with ours. Incredibly enough, humans have found a way to harness music with our very hands and create elegant melodies from tools. Beginning with instruments that look like a guitar, instruments that look like a flute and instruments that look like a drum, we began making controlled music with rhythms and harmonies. As years passed and civilization began to grow, musicians came to be. These ancient musicians played music for others on the instruments that they would make and performed for many.

There is no genre of modern music that it is not intertwined by the roots of classical influence. In fact, it is quite a marvel to sit back and listen to how music is evolving so swiftly,however, remains very coherent in its classical influence. By simply listening to different decades of music, it is immediately apparent that certain patterns, rhythms, and instruments are constantly replicated to explore new creations. One of the tools that has presented these changes for years is the phonograph. The phonograph, similarly to music, has evolved as well, displaying multi-faceted capabilities. The adaptability of the phonograph is an amazing achievement. To understand this achievement of adaptability, it will be important to understand; the history

Music has played a vital role in human culture and evidence based on archaeological sites can date it back to prehistoric times. It can be traced through almost all civilizations in one form or another. As time has progressed so has the music and the influences it has on people. Music is an important part of popular culture throughout the world, but it is especially popular in the United States. The music industry here is, and has been, a multi-million dollar business that continues to play an important role in American popular culture. This is also a art form and business that is forever changing as the times and more importantly, technology changes. Technology has changed the way music is made as well as how it is produced,

Technology is gradually plays a part of abundance in popular music by continuously emerging songs with the use of technological devices. With the experimental use of electronic music instrument, it sparked a new development for artists to blend in synthesizer sound into their compositions and left a mark in the music industry (Pinch and Bijsterveld, 2003, pp. 536 - 537). Synthesizer played a crucial role in popular music through the impact of the mechanical instrument to deliver a new electronic sound to inspire bands like Kraftwerk who played a critical role towards electronic music. As the instrument matured quickly, it shaped up the modern music world progressively through the new direction sound to have people forgetting the strange sound it once perceived from the listeners (“Champions of sound; Man and machine in perfect harmony, Kraftwerk were the Beatles with synthesizers, says Mark Edwards”, 2009, p. 29).

There is an increasing mutual exchange as the synthetic and the human-made equally invades what we once thought of as natural. In electronic music, the human element that people input in their work is crucial to say the least. People provide the unpredictable pieces in their work to make it stand out from the rest. Most robotic or technologic generated music often is in the form of a pattern. Without human interface, electronic music, for the most part, is predictable. When electronic music is played without the human element, a sense of something that is missing usually occurs. Today, technological advances allow electronics to replace most of the human interactions. Now technology can mimic the sounds of non-electronic instruments. Instruments such as the flute, violin, and guitar are just some of these mimicked sounds that could be replaced. In this “genre” the human body is often held as a relatable tool. The audience notices the human element and realizes that they can create such works as well. Electronic music to some may feel that it is missing the human component in the normalized concept of seeing the artist. However, when developing the art itself, electronic music, whether it be in live performances, editing the material, or commercializing the music for use, the human element is still very prominent. The human component is implicated in music directly or indirectly.

This piece will demonstrate an understanding of the developments in 20th century music, with a detailed view on the path and expansion of electro-acoustic technology and of the vernacular. This will also be highlighting the theoretical ideas that made these large developments possible and the technological innovations that created the foundations for both these areas.

The origins and developments of Electronic Dance Music initially started with the development of the synthesizer. It was with these first uses of synthesized sounds that prompted the development of sequencers, sampling, effects processing, musical instrument digital interface (MIDI), use of computer technology, hard disk recording systems and modern day virtual studio technology (VST’s). These all fundamentally build the genre of electronic music, as we know it today. The development of this new technology brought many new genres to music, mostly popular, Electronic Dance Music being one of these.

Technology and music have always had a connection; a marriage. As one progresses, the other