MUSIC173A type of music can often be unique
to the culture of a nation or people.
■ The didgeridoo, an Aboriginal
instrument from Australia, is
considered to be one of the oldest
wind instruments in the world. It is
often used in Aboriginal ceremonies.
■ The sitar, a stringed instrument, is
the best-known of all Indian sounds.
It has extra strings that lie beneath
the main strings that vibrate to give
it its shimmery sound.
■ The djembe drum is a
goblet-shaped wooden drum covered
in a skin that is played by hand. The
drum originated
in west Africa
and is still an
important part of the culture in many
west African countries. The rhythmic
beat is often used in dance.SOUND OF THE PEOPLE
Music changes all the time, reflecting how
each new generation feels and reacts to an
ever-changing world.
■ Classical music is a general term for music
written to be performed in a concert hall. Often
it is composed for an orchestra, for a choir or
for opera.
■ R&B or rhythm and blues was originally
performed by African-Americans in the 1940s. It was a mixture of
religious gospel music and blues (slow melancholy songs). R&B has
evolved over the decades into soul and funk-influenced pop music.
■ Jazz originated in the early 20th
century in the US. It was a blend of
African slave music played with
European instruments. The saxaphone,
trumpet, and double bass are three of
the key sounds in jazz bands.
■ Rock’n’roll
In the 1940s and 50s in the US a whole new
sound emerged with bands using electric guitars,
bass guitars, and drums; this was known as
rock’n’roll.
■ Rock
music
emerged in
the 1960s and
includes lots of different styles from
punk rock to heavy metal.
■ Reggae originated in Jamaica in the
1960s. Reggae has a slow, rhythmic style
and is often associated with the Rastafarian
religion.
■ Country music is a blend of traditional
music from the Southern states of the United
States, and rock’n’roll. It is one of the
biggest-selling styles of music today.
■ Dance The dawn of the
computer age and highly
developed synthesized sound
led to a new sound designed
to fill dance floors. DJs mixing
music using turntables live on
the dance floor have become
big stars in themselves.
■ Pop music, or popular music,
is not a particular style of music,
but music that is made popular by
people buying it, playing it on the
radio, or paying to see it
performed live. Pop music is
designed to sell and do well in
the pop charts.MUSIC STYLES
, FOLK MUSIC
A country or an
indigenous people often
have their own style of
music and dance,
known as folk music.. RELIGIOUS MUSIC
Music is used a lot in
religious worship around
the world, whether in song,
like this Christian choir
singer, or using instruments
like these Buddhist monks.
CULTURE