The history of music begins in the prehistoric era. People before they made musical instruments they had played music hitting or striking some kinds of things. After that, such kinds of signals were organized into different patterns.

The Egyptian music had an important place in everyday life. The dancers and the flute players accompanied the workers working in the fields. Music was very important during the Egyptian religious ceremonies.

The Greek music was telling people about the magic powers of god, the creator of the music, as they said. The word "music" comes from the Greek word "Mousike" inspired by the nine Greek muses, the art goddesses and the science goddesses. Greek festivals celebrated Dionysus, the god of the games and wine. At these festivals people were wearing specific costumes and were dancing. 2000 years ago in Rome, the concerts took place in open squares or at the rich people's houses.

The musicians always were very well paid slaves. The rich people didn't play music with audience; they thought it was degrading for them. The acrobats and conjurers were acting in the streets of the towns and the musicians playing flute or drums accompanied them.

During the Middle Ages religion was very important in Europeans' every day life. There wasn't any church ceremony and celebration without music. A choir, the only instrument being the organ, usually performed the church songs.

A German nun, Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179) is known as being one of the first composers. She wrote many religious poems with a simple melodic line. During the late 19th century composers began to write two or more melodic lines sung in the same time. This style is named polyphony.

Musical notes began to be written during the Middle Ages. At the beginning the notes were written above words, but later they were put on the staff.

During Middle Ages music was used for fun and entertainment too. Men and women called minstrels, scoured from one place to another, accompanying their voice with an instrument. Later some noble men became famous poets and composers known in France as "troubadours" and in Germany as "Minnesinger".

The new art appears in the 14th century at the same time with Guillame de Machaut (!300-1377). The rhythm of the music was more complicated and the melody was bolder.

It is known that in the 15th and 16th century a great interested for music existed in Europe. This period was called Renaissance, meaning "the new life". Many composers dedicated themselves to their creations, while being protected by noblemen, princes and kings. They wrote music for fun or for clerical services. Printing was invented in Germany, and Petrucci printed the first collection of songs in Italy in 1501.

Soon music was printed in the whole Europe. Starting with the year 1500, instrumental music appeared. Rich people started paying certain instruments for fun. The madrigal is also connected with Renaissance. These were love songs, sung by a small group of people, without being accompanied by any instrument.

The madrigal first appeared in Italy and then scattered through Europe. Church music diversified and new instrumental and vocal styles appeared.

The European music composed between 1600 and 1750 was called baroque music. This music genre gives a major importance to instruments. The greatest novelty belonging to this period of time is the opera. Some of the instruments were improved and special books on instrumental music were written.

The composers began making their music to show their performers how to play a song, loudly or feebly. They used Italian words: "forte", "piano" etc. This system is used nowadays too.

"Concerto grosso" is a musical composition for a small instrumental group. For example, "The Seasons" by Vivaldi or "The Branderburgs Concerts" by J. S. Bach. The oratories are religious stories performed by a choir, an orchestra and single singers.

The violin becomes a well-known instrument in Europe, especially in Italy. There are famous Italian maestros such as Stradivari where violins build in his workshop are very valuable.

The public concerts are present during the baroque period. The audience pays for the performance and the composers are no longer dependent on the church or on the Lord's court. The suite also belongs to this period of time and due to the baroque. The suite is a collection of dances played one after another.

The word "classic" is often used for music that isn't pop, folk or jazz. In fact it is the music of the 18th and the 19th centuries, when public concerts became well known. Bartolomeo Cristofori in Italy built up the piano, in 1700.

The piano is different from its "ancestor", the clavichord. It offers to the performer the opportunity to vary music from "forte" to "piano".

Sonata is a musical composition written for one or more instruments. Sonatas are formed by 3 or 4 sections called parts.

Classical symphony was born from baroque symphony. The symphony means "playing instruments together." The classical symphony is a musical play written for orchestra and it usually consists in four sections.

This word comes from the Greek language and means "place to dance". In the antiquity this was the place where giving performances. Later this became a part of the scene where the musicians were standing.

Beginning with the year 1700, the word has already meant the group of instrumentalists. Today these are divided in four sections: string instruments, instruments to blow, brass and the percussion.

The conductor conducts the orchestra having a baton. He decides the tempo or the intensity of music. The kettle-drum, the xylophone and the bells are known. The strings appoint the violins, the violoncellos or the double basses.

The brass in an orchestra includes the trumpets, the trombones, the French horn and the tubas. They are made of long and twisted tubes in order to be easier to hold and sing.

The orchestral instruments to blow include piccolos, flutes, oboes, clarinets, English horns and bassoons.

The 19th century is the age of Romantic composers expresses peculiar feelings associated with the music inspired by poems, paintings, nature and stories.

The waltz is the most famous dance of that period, in fashion in Austria, in Vienna. Johann Strauss (1825-1899) writes the famous waltz "The Blue Danube".

In Eastern Europe the composers look for the inspiration traditional music of their countries. This kind of music with deep roots in traditional culture revolutionizes the art of music.

Sometimes Romantic composers wrote instrumental music relating a story. This is the symphonic poem, the story being suggested by the instruments, not by the words. Franz Liszt (1811- 1886) wrote several symphonic poems. One of his knew symphonic poem is "Hamlet" based on Shakespeare's play. 

Opera is the play where some or all the words are singing. The first operas were written in Italy, in 1590.

Usually, operas included ballet too, and the first ones were sober. The ancient history, glorifying gods and goddess borrowed subjects. Soon, the composers tried to write funny operas. They were including new words too, example "Sing spiel" by Mozart.

In the 19th century, many famous operas were written by Italian composers, like Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) or Giacomo Puccini(1858-1924).

Another kind of opera that was known in the year 1800, was operetta. It formed by the comic French opera. Operettas were joyfully and they had spoken words, but sung, too. They were shorter and were including dances, too.

At the beginning of the 20th century have appeared operas that joined the baroque and classic technique. The pioneer (pathfinder) was Igor Strawinski (1882-1971).

The music played in the courts of the Middle East 1200 years ago is very well known nowadays. While musicians were playing music they were composing and improvising it. The music accompanied the farmers and the shepherds at their work. That music was accompanied by the dance only, during the festivals, festivities, wedding parties and birthdays.

The music of the Middle East had a great influence over the European music. At the beginning of Middle Age the European armies brought all kinds of Musical instruments from the Middle East. Africa, the second continent in size, has a very rich musical tradition. In Africa music is played at the festivals, festivities and religious ceremonies. People in Africa believe in spiritual link between real life and spiritual life made by music.

In Africa drums made of drilled tree-stumps or of hide accompany music. They play drums using their own hands or some tricks. Drum bands have drummers playing drums in different rhythms. All these rhythms are combined to obtain a complicated sound. The closer the hide is the higher the sound is.

India-The principal musical kinds in this country can be watched at the royal courts and in temples by 2000 years ago. The music in that time relies on notes groups named ragas and talas rhythms. Indian music is usually composed by three major elements: an instrument interprets the solo melody, another instrument achieves the accompaniment and these two are the accompanists for drums.

In Japan the music accompanied dances, where the participants wore very beautiful costumes. The singers are accompanists by instruments that were named "shamiseus". One of the ancient Japanese instruments is "Kato". The singer presses its cords with a hand and he pinches them with the other.

Beijing Opera by China is a kind of opera that grew at the end of the twenty-light century. The opera included dance, acrobatics and song.

The Indonesian orchestras are named "gamelane". They are composed by percussion instruments. "Gamelane" accompanies the parties and the religious festivals. In these shows were sometimes conversant and short plays of puppet show (Punch and Judy show).

Most dances are accompanied by music. The first dance were part of religious ceremonies.

In Ancient Greece, as well as in the time of The Roman Empire, peoples danced at feast and festivals. In the Middle Age dance was very popular (known) in Europe. We know that from the paintings and the books of that period. The singers themselves accompanied some dances. In the Renaissance and Baroque time many dances were presented at the royal courts. The professors and the dance wasters were hired to teach peoples how to dance and move gracefully. The popular dance was always included in every day life.

Every country has her tradition of music and popular dances. Peoples dance with pleasure at festivities or even when they work. The popular dance evolved for long-ways time being sent from a generation to another. Popular dances have often influenced the dance styles.

The ballet is a kind of dance which express a tale by means of costumes and scenes. The ballet appeared at the European courts at the end of the 16th century. Piotr Ilich Ceaikovski (1840-1893) wrote the music for the most well-knows ballets: "The Swans' Lake", "The Beauty from the Sleepy Forest" (1890). The dance for pleasure appeared imitating the styles of dance.

In the years '60 a sort of dance named "twist" became famous. Peoples created their dancing footsteps with simple and repeated motions. The "twist" became popular thanks to the song "Let's Twist Again", sung by Chubby Checker. 

The blues extended in the Southern states of USA at the beginning of the 20th century. The ancestors of the Afro-Americans were slaves. They were brought from Africa in order to work on the American territory between the 17th and the 19th century.

The blues has its roots in the slaves' music and in their religious music. In most cases the blues songs tell a story about the Afro- Americans' hard life.

At the beginning of the 20th century many blues genres developed. "The Country Blues" is very well known in the 30s. The singers used to manufacture their own instruments.

Later in some American cites a new style appears "the city blues". Musicians used to play sonorous instruments like trumpet and saxophone. During the 50s, the blues music becomes famous among American and European, young people. 

Like the blues music, jazz appeared at the beginning of 20th century being performed by the Afro- American population of New Orleans. This musical genre developed out of some different musical genres including fanfare and slaves music.

Jazz bands played at the beginning in nightclubs and dancing halls. Much later jazz extended on the whole American territory and then the Europe. The performers used to improvise, as they didn't know the notes.

In the 20s and 30s the famous jazz bands had a violin sections. These are known as being swing bands. In the 40s the solo parts of jazz start to be more and more distinguishable.

We can say that jazz has influenced a lot pop music and symphonic music. Claude Debussy (1862- 1918) used jazz elements in his compositions.

The 20th century music includes a big family of styles. Some musical pieces use the newest technology.

In 1913, the ballet "The Ritual of Spring" by Igor Stravinski was presented for the first time in Paris. The public was amazed to know that this music was quite different.

After the records appeared in the 40s, many composers began to use recorded sound in their songs.

The computer comes in the musical life too. Special software was thought in order to create music up to the composer's wishes.

A more cheerful kind of music called "light music" has always been existed next to the classical music. It is very well known that the light music enjoys a great number of people. It comprises "blues", "jazz", "rock", "pop" and others. This music consists of songs and dances. It has begun in the USA on the beginning of the 20th century and its music is influenced by the rock music.

During the 1950s years a new kind of music called "rock and roll" became very popular for the young people. One of the most famous rock singer was Elvis Presley. Till 1960 the rock music disperses throughout Europe. The well-known band "Beatles" had a great international success.

The rock music crosses from the slow ballads to the complicated songs. Bob Dylan, the singer, combined the folk music with the rock music. Some of the most famous contemporary pop music stars are: Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince.

After 1980 new styles appeared rap, reggae, heavy metal, punk. More of nowadays bands combine different styles such as "Nirvana" combines punk features with heavy metal and pop.

The new styles of 1990s are house, hip-hop and techno.