Music and Culture

Since the beginning of time, the world has had a fascination with music. It has been at the forefront of every social gathering and in every society. Music has a way of setting a tone for any venue, and whether it includes lyrics or not, it speaks to all of us. It seems as though every culture in the world has its own preferred style of music. The rhythms are developed through generations, and seem to evolve in never-ending chain. However, despite all of its evolution, each culture still is able to maintain its own style, and heritage. Much like speech, music has a way of changing to suit its own society, yet still maintain its base. If you look at the differences in American music, you can see how it changes for even a generation. Some would say that each generation of people carry their style of music with them throughout their life. Music that appeals to teens today, will most likely not appeal to older adults. However, as today's teens grow older, they will still maintain some partiality for the style of music they enjoy listening to now. This theory can be seen by taking a look at our elderly society. When they were teens, they enjoyed a style of music that was produced by quartets, and small orchestras. Glenn Miller and Luis Armstrong were popular. Even today, most of that generation still enjoys the same style of music, and is not usually inspired by the same music that today's teens listen to. Music and culture are intertwined. They both evolve in the same way, and they both affect the others evolution. It's almost as if one is a sort of metaphor for the other. When one thinks of culture, they often first think of the music that is represented by it, and visa verse. It really does not matter what style of music a person listens to or prefers. The fact is that music speaks to everyone in its own way. It is what that person feels when they hear music that can help shape both, the person and the music. In time, they become a part of each other. They will each have an affect on the other, and they will each carry the other forever.