History of Music

The Great Composers

For anyone wanting to learning composition or intending to become a conductor, studying the great masters of music is vital. Not only is it a good way to abs...

The History of Blues

The blues is a cry of pain, a shout of freedom and a howling against the world. It's a simple music that holds complex emotions; a structure built around thr...

The History of Classical Music

Classical music is actually a catch-all term covering centuries of music. Although it's often thought of as orchestral, it can also encompass smaller groups...

The History of Folk Music

Folk music is, as the name implies, the music of the people. For hundreds of years people have made songs of stories and great ballads. Sometimes they've bee...

The History of Hip-Hop

Hip-hop, once called rap music because of the talking or rapping that's such an integral part of the music, has gone from local to global in less than 30 yea...

The History of Jazz Music

Jazz is a uniquely America form, and more specifically an African-American form. It grew out of the brothels and bars of New Orleans, the music of the underc...

The History of Opera

Opera is a hybrid form, a mix of music and theatre, where the performers have to be both actors and singers. Over the centuries it's developed into a complet...

The History of Pop Music

Pop is short for popular, and it's remained the defining term for the ever-changing music favoured by the public. Although not specifically applied until the...

The History of Reggae

Reggae is the Jamaican music that evolved from ska and rock steady, developing into a huge musical force. Over the years it's developed and changed, growing...

The History of Rock Music

Born in the late 1940s, rock 'n' roll has gone on to become the world's most pervasive music form, developing at a rapid pace and making stars of hundreds ov...