When I first started studying the history of music, I did not realize what I was getting into. I had thought that music history was somewhat of a trivial pursuit. In fact, I only followed my history of classical music class because I needed the credits. I did not realize how completely fascinating music history could be. You see, in our culture a lot of us do not truly study to comprehend music. For much of the world, music is a language, but for our civilization it is something that we consumed passively. When I began to study about the history of Western music, though, it changed all that for me. I have had some experience using musical instruments, but I have not mastered one enough to truly understand what music is all about. This class taughed me.
When a lot of us think about the music history, it means the history of rock music. We believe that the history is simple because the music is simple. Actually, neither is the case. The historyofmusic, whether you're talking about classical music, rock music, jazz music, or any other kind, is always complicated. New chord structures are set up taking with them new forms of comprehending humanity. New rhythmic patterns are introduced, bringing with them new methods of understanding time. And music shows all of it.
History of Music Today
Even when the class was over, I would not stop learning about the historyofmusic. It had whetted my appetite, and I wanted more. I searched for all the music history volumes that I could get. I even began to research forms of music that had not interested me before in the hopes of developing my musical comprehension further. Although I was in college studying toward a very different subject - a degree in engineering - I had thought about quitting and going back to obtain a degree in musicology. That is how much I am captivated by the issue.
If you never took a class in the history of music, you don't know what you are missing out on. The radio will never sound the same to you again. The whole thing will sound a lot more rich, a lot more luminous, and much more important. A new song can be a sign of a new way of being, and a new way of imagining existence in the world. This is what learning about the history of music signifies to a lot of us.