Music

HISTORY

The word "music" comes the sacred Muses, Zeus' daughters, who were the goddesses of the arts in Greek mythology. Numbering nine, each of them presided over one specific form of literature, science or art. All that the word signifies is that the art it names "belongs to the Muses." Museum and mosaic come from the same word.

In Greek mythology, the nine muses were the inspiration for many creative endeavors

Evidence of music-making dates back tens of thousands of years  Flutes have been discovered, carved from bones in which lateral holes have been pierced.

Some of the first musical instruments are known to have come from the Neolithic era (approximately 8000-2300 BC) in Scandinavia. These included the mouth bow, an ancient jews-harp which was made of mountain ash and strung with chewed, plaited elk tendon; the bone tube, which was an end-blown flute made of hollow bird bones; and the scraper, a percussion device made of animal thigh bones with notches cut into it.

Jubal, was the first recorded musician in the Bible (Genesis 4:21), and he made and played both stringed and wind instruments.

The earliest tuneable instrument, the stringed harp, was first plucked in modern-day Iraq in around 4,500 BC.

The single oldest complete piece of music is actually from approximately 1400 BC. It's the Hurrian hymn to Nikkal, which is one of the Hurrian songs a collection of music inscribed in cuneiform on clay tablets excavated from the ancient Amorite-Canaanite city of Ugarit, a headland in northern Syria.

The Ancient Chinese made use of the pentatonic scale. They are credited with being the first to develop a science of acoustics and a theory of music.

Hieroglyphics depict music as important to the Ancient Egyptian society; various instruments shown in use; Egyptian music influenced later music of the Greeks, Hebrews and early Christians.

Musicians of Amun, Tomb of Nakht, 18th Dynasty, Western Thebes

Music was an important part of social and cultural life in Ancient Greece. Musicians and singers played a prominent role in Greek theater and mixed-gender choruses performed for entertainment, celebration, and spiritual ceremonies

A painting on an ancient Greek vase depicts a music lesson (c. 510 BCE.

The first known musical contests were held as an act of religious devotion in the amphitheater of Apollo's temple. Music became a part of the Greek Pythian Games in 586BC.

In 1250 Franco of Cologne wrote Ars cantus mensurabilis, a work which was widely circulated and copied. Composition of Franconian motets, multi-lingual, layered compositions based on the ideas of Franco of Cologne, were soon widespread in France

Philippe de Vitry published the Ars nova, from which the era derives its name in 1322, describing the new (mainly French) musical style as already being practiced. Three years later, Pope John XXIII condemned modern music, such as the ars nova, in a papal bull and prohibited the playing of contrapuntal music in churches.

In mid 1550s England, printers of broadside ballads were required to register with London's Stationer's Company and pay four pence for each ballad they produce.

The first English book of printed music was published in 1611, The Parthenia (The Virgin) comprises 22 songs by composers such as William Byrd and Orlando Gibbons. The first copy was presented to Elizabeth, the daughter of James I of England. It was essentially music for the virginal.

The oldest musical organization in the United States, the Old Stoughton Musical Society was founded on November 7, 1786. 25 names are listed in the singer's group's first membership journal. The first music collection the musical society purchased was The Worcester Collection of Sacred Harmony compiled by Isaiah Thomas, which contained the first American printing of the "Hallelujah Chorus" from Handel's Messiah.

The first music magazine is widely considered to be The Musical World, which was published in the United Kingdom in 1836. It was a weekly publication that covered various aspects of the music industry, including news and reviews of concerts, operas, and other musical events. 

138 singing teachers traveled to Boston to attend the first music convention in 1838.

The study of orchestration as a discipline separate from composition originated in the 19th century, when one of the most influential treatises was written on the subject by Hector Berlioz in 1843. His book Treatise on Instrumentation became a standard reference work.

Thomas Edison accidentally invented the phonograph in 1877 while trying to record telegraph signals. His company was considerably late to become involved in the recorded music business as his intention was to market it as a business dictation machine. The concept of recorded music hadn't crossed his mind. However, by 1890 Edison was recording regimental bands playing songs such as "The Old Oaken Bucket".

Thomas Edison with his second phonograph, photographed by Mathew Brady in Washington, April 1878

The first streaming music service started in 1897. Users in New York could pick up their telephones and connect to the Telharmonium, a central hub that would pipe music being played live by two musicians playing 24 hours a day.

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers was established in New York City in 1914 to protect the copyrighted musical compositions of its members.

The oldest known recording of computer-generated music was the work of a Ferranti Mark 1 computer, recorded in the autumn of 1951 at the University of Manchester. The machine made its scratchy way through "Baa Baa Black Sheep," "God Save the King" and at least a little bit of "In the Mood."

The first patent for on-hold music was issued in 1985 to BellSouth for a device that plays recorded music or messages to callers placed on hold. The device was called “Music-On-Hold”. The concept of on-hold music has been around since the 1970s when callers would wait on the line for an extended period, so businesses would put music on the phone line to entertain them. The idea was to keep callers from hanging up, and to make the wait less frustrating.

Top of the Pops was a British music chart television programme that was broadcast on the BBC from 1964 to 2006. It was the world's longest-running music chart television programme, and it featured performances by some of the biggest names in music.

The show was first broadcast on New Year's Day 1964, and it quickly became a popular fixture in British television schedules. It was hosted by a variety of presenters over the years, including David Jacobs, Jimmy Savile, and Peter Powell.

Top of the Pops was axed after 42 years on air. The BBC cited declining ratings as the reason for the cancellation. The final episode was broadcast on July 30, 2006.

FUN FACTS

The prevailing theory behind why we like music is that humans learn patterns and regularities within music, and unconsciously predict what will come next. When we are right, our brain gives us a dopamine rush. Thus the constant dance between expectation and outcome is pleasurable to us.

According to University of Helsinki research, babies can recognize music for up to four months after birth.

"Eargasm" describes the chill and tingling sensation down your spine when listening to very good music.

Getting goosebumps when listening to music is a rare condition resulting from a different brain structure. People who get goosebumps from music have more fibers connecting their auditory cortex to the areas responsible for emotional processing.

Roughly 4 percent of the world’s population has an apathy toward music known as "musical anhedonia," in which their brain is biologically incapable of responding to any music whatsoever.

Certain types of music can reduce anxiety in dogs, which can be useful during separation, fireworks, and thunderstorms. In a study when solo piano at 50-60 bpm was played, 85% became more calm, and over half of the dogs went to sleep.

Dogs have musical tastes. The Scottish SPCA and University of Glasgow monitored dogs' heart rates while playing different kinds of music and found that most dogs "prefer reggae and soft rock," though each individual dog also had its own preferences.

Here is a list of songs about music