Running head: MUSIC IMPACT IN HISTORY 1

Music Impact in History

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Introduction

Music is a universal language that holds a deal of power in history. Through the appeal of

music to the emotion of people, it has the ability to break complex issues into things that are

related to love, fear, and friendship. Through this, music has the ability to expand people’s

horizons and opens their minds and ideas. Music and history of the society are related intimately.

Music is a good reflection of social conditions that includes the factors that facilitate or impede

social change in the society. The development of music techniques has revolutionized the ways

in which people get access to music. The power of music has had great impacts on history in

areas such as morality, culture, and emotions.

Popular music usually reflects particular culture in history. Through music, cultures are

changing more frequently than before through the reflection of music styles that are developing

rapidly. There were places such as Europe where music remains the same in the last hundreds of

years. In the medieval times, music remained constant, and reflected the culture of the people.

The current changes in music industry shows the changes in the society worldview. The changes

in society explains why the tastes in music changes rapidly today; without dominant cultural

stabilizer like the church music whose influence in history is undeniable. Music has the ability to

transmit the cultural and historical ideas worldwide through a touch of a button in the modern

media (Burkholder & Grout, 2014). Through music, the modern society is prone to the continued

and arbitrary changes. In other words, historical culture and music flow together. What the past

generation used to listen as music, the current generation deem it as lame. In the few years to

come the music that the current generation think is cool, it will be outdated.

The history of war and politics has been intertwined with music under the totalitarianism.

Classical music was blared constantly in the Nazi life. For the first time, classical music was seen
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to have lost moral stature when Nazi embraced it. This has been a reason some of the music

composers tied to scrap the classical forms of music and try to get alternatives (Holthus, 2017).

Under Stalin, the focus was on the Soviet music that was practiced to ensure that the ideologies

of the soviet were reflected. The Soviet-style music reflected the western modernism. The post-

war democracy had the musical agenda in history. The psychological warfare unit of the

American government in Austria and Germany worked to reduce the influence of the tainted

musicians like Richard Strauss who use their unwise thought to thank God when Hitler got in

power (Holthus, 2017). In the 1960s, America used music in the cold war to show that the aspect

of capitalism and high culture were compatible. The arms race was expanded to the science race

and cultural race through music. The composers of music indicated that their aim was to give the

history of the 20th century through music.

In the past 150 years of many countries, art was not part of the public education. Music

was taught privately in singing schools. In America, was not considered as a part career until the

19th century. Society used music only in churches and other important public events. With the

introduction of music in school, there was a popular belief that music increased the functioning

of the brain and developed intellect (Cook, 2017). This led to the development of more

enlightened generation in America. Music was credited with developing health, good working

habits, and instilled the ideas and conducts that improve the lives of people.

Alongside the impact of music on social and philosophical contexts, it has had great

impact in the economy of the countries. It has been estimated that the broad music industry

brings about USD 200 billion of the global GDP. Music has been a powerful means of

connecting people all over the world. Through music, the linguistic and cultural divides are

bridged, and has been a vehicle for the identity and expression. An economy that values music
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increases the value of its cities. For instance, music creates employment opportunities, brings

tourism development, and the brand of cities are strengthened. It is evident that a community that

supports music attracts young skilled workers in different sectors of the economy, which in turns

attracts business investors.

Music has had great impacts on the development of human culture. After composition

and development, music often grows out of its cultural context. People from different cultures

compose music from what they have heard from the history (Cook, 2017). Even in the instances

when music is composed of current things, it is normally based on the previous experiences in

history. Music involves cultural expression and is an important avenue for individuals and

groups to express their beliefs. Music has been a product of culture and its influence on human

lives.

Music has been recognized with therapeutic acts. This therapy involves listening to

music or making music. In conjunction with other interventions, music in history been used to

promote relaxation, reduce anxiety, pain, and promoting the well-being of people. Music has a

role in promoting appropriate behavior among the vulnerable groups and in enhancing the

quality of life to the people who cannot be helped through medical therapy (McDermott, Orrell

& Ridder, 2014). In history, music has been used as a powerful tool that facilitates the social

communication that goes beyond words, promotes development in the society, and helps in

maintaining national and cultural identities. In addition, music has been important in

manipulating the moods of people, reducing stress and creating an appropriate environment for

particular social occasions. Music has been to enhance the quality of lives by the people.
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Conclusion

It is with no doubt that music has played an important role in the history of the society.

Music is one of the few things in history that has remained constant in its influence on the

society. Everything ranging from cultural beliefs, politics to the religious ceremonies, music has

been used due to its inspiring qualities. It is one of the ancient forms of art and most important in

the development of human culture, economy, and a form of communication. It has the ability to

improve the functioning of the human brain, increasing the cognitive abilities, and concentration.

Music has been a factor of socialization that facilitates communication with people from

different cultures. Starting from the early history to the modern history, human beings have tried

to surround themselves with music as an artificial tool that arouses their mind and improves the

quality of their life. Research has shown that music in history impacts peoples’ culture, morality

and health.
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References

Burkholder, J. P., & Grout, D. J. (2014). A History of Western Music: Ninth International

Student Edition. WW Norton & Company.

Cook, J. (2017). Angel Song: Medieval English Music in History. By Lisa Colton.

Holthus, M. (2017). Music in a new found land: Themes and developments in the history of

American music. Routledge.

McDermott, O., Orrell, M., & Ridder, H. M. (2014). The importance of music for people with

Dementia: the perspectives of people with dementia, family careers, staff and music

therapists. Aging & Mental Health, 18(6), 706-716.