The Role Of Music In Ancient Civilizations

Music was a large part of everyday life in Ancient Greece. The people thought of music as a gift from their gods, associating different instruments with specific gods. Their term for music was not limited strictly to vocal and instrumental melody, but referred to dance, lyrics, and even poetry reading. Music was brought into many facets of life for Ancient Greek citizens, from weddings and funerals, to banquets and religious festivals. Education and Drama were also parts of Ancient Greek life to which music was integral.

Music was a big part of the daily life of ancient Greece. Greek children learned a musical instrument at a young age. Music continued to be a part of their lives throughout adulthood. It was

The artworks of Ancient Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt are both strikingly different and similar at the same time. Consistent is the theme of serving the different gods the two cultures believed in. In Mesopotamia the various city-states each had their own protective deity, and in Egypt they sometimes differed from one dynasty to the next. Whatever the case, with the beginning of kingdoms and rulership came the need to justify a position of power and establish a hierarchy. And as more time passed came also the human need to leave an impression on their world. Looking at the example of the statues of Gudea from the Neo-Sumerian period and the Temple of Ramses II from the New Kingdom of Egypt in the 19th dynasty, will show how both rulers of

Art has undoubtedly become a decisive aspect of our culture; embedded in the way we learn and grow on a daily basis. Art forms such as music, television and dance dominate our society as an outlet of freedom of speech for humanity. The evolution of music has rapidly exceeded its original classifications, developing new genres with greater appeal to an audience, hence its influence on society has expedited. In recent times, lyrics (specifically rap lyrics) have been introduced into the court room as a form of documented confessional evidence, evidently challenging law’s authoritative nature. This essay will closely follow the genre of rap and its relationship with law, through cases based in the United States of America (USA). In addition, the trial of Simon Bikindi in Rwanda and Smith v The Queen will be used to form an acute analysis on the influencing factors of relevance, identity, freedom of speech and current constitutional law.

Although art and music before the Enlightenment era provided an outlet for emotionally intense and dramatic performances which people looked to for entertainment, the Enlightenment period in Europe from the 16th to 18th centuries created a turning point for art and music by adding a level of complexity, a sense of balance, and by incorporating ideas from reality into the art piece which embellished the fine arts genre throughout Europe.

Music is remarkable for its special nature, which it is heritability. Music itselfs does not only give all music notes but innovation and inspiration from

Music has always played a vigorous role in religious celebrations throughout history. Religions across the world have shaped our nations through music. There are various types of music in diverse religions across the world. Music is used to worship in many religions and it is spread across communities of the same religion. Music helps spread the gospel that is being preached.

Music opens the eyes of those who listen centuries after the music was created giving them a stronger understanding of what really occurred during certain time periods. The growth of music has helped to make it easier to decipher each era of the

Music played a significant role in the lives of ancient Greeks. They believed that music fostered one’s relationship with the gods, and some instruments, such as the lyre, were created by the gods. Music and dance were also taught

Throughout the early years of music there were numerous examples of different forms of music that were on the rise while others were deemed to be ushered out. As these new styles of music were becoming more popular they had to fight against groups and individuals that were resisting the change. There were various reasons why people did not approve to new styles of music, including racial tensions, raunchy or obscene movements, and inappropriate movements. Even though there was a lot of resistance to these movements there were a couple key players that helped guide these movements into the national spotlight.

From beginning to end the Bible is full of music and song. The first musician, Jubal, makes his appearance as early as Genesis 4… As we turn the pages, we find many who follow in Jubel’s musical footsteps (Roberts, 2002:84)

Music provided rhythm for chores, such as working in the field, and it was also used to celebrate important events as well as

Music in Ancient Greece was well integrated in their society, it played a large role in various ceremonies from marriages to funerals, as well as entertainment like plays or epic poetry. Although it is believed that music was invented in Africa over 55,000 years ago, music really began and took shape in Ancient Greece. Even the word music came from the Greek word muses who were believed to be the daughters of Zeus and were the patron Goddesses of creativity. There are many references to music in ancient Greece, from drawings on pottery of people playing, as well as literary works that even describe how the instruments sounded. Speaking of instruments, in addition to the voice being used as one, there are several instruments that are known to have existed in Ancient Greece, a few different string instruments including a lyre, a kithara (which is believed to be the ancient equivalent of a guitar), and a barbitos, which is a taller version of a lyre. They also had several wind type instruments including and aulos, pan pipes, a hydraulis (which eventually led to the modern day organ), as well as a salpinx, which was an ancient type of trumpet with a bone mouthpiece that was the origin of the many brass instruments that we know of today. Finally, we also know of several percussion instruments that were used by the ancient Greeks, these include a tympanum, which was like a tambourine, a crotala, and a koudounia. Music was actually one of the main teachings, along with gymnastics

In Ancient Egypt there were a variety of activities that could be enjoyed as entertainment. They had many things for entertainment such as toys, games, hunting and sports.

The feelings that the Ancient Romans had towards music could be described as ambivalent. They admired it and at the same time, they condemned it. Music, nevertheless, played a role in Roman society that, as time passed, became less and less important to the Romans. As a result, much of the information about music in Ancient Rome has been lost in time. However what has been discovered about this topic is quite fascinating, in spite of what it is lacking. The subsequent paragraphs will explain some of the aspects of Roman life regarding music. This includes the history of music in Ancient Rome, the instruments that the Romans played, the uses of music in their society and the impact that music in Rome has had on the music of today.