This article is about the academic field of music history. For an overview of music, see history of music. For the album, see Musical History.
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Music history, sometimes called historical musicology, is a highly diverse subfield of the broader discipline of musicology that studies music from a historical point of view.
In theory, "music history" could refer to the study of the history of any type or genre of music (e.g., the history of Nigerian music or the history of rock). In practice, these research topics are often categorized as part of ethnomusicology or cultural studies, whether or not they are ethnographically based. The terms "music history" and "historical musicology" usually refer to the history of the notated music of Western elites, sometimes called "art music" (by analogy to art history, which tends to focus on elite art).
The methods of music history include source studies (esp. manuscript studies), paleography, philology (especially textual criticism), style criticism, historiography (the choice of historical method), musical analysis, and iconography. The application of musical analysis to further these goals is often a part of music history, though pure analysis or the development of new tools of music analysis is more likely to be seen in the field of music theory. Some of the intellectual products of music historians include peer-reviewed articles in journals, university press-published music history books, university textbooks, new editions of musical works, biographies of composers and other musicians, studies of the relationship between words and music, and reflections upon the role of music in society.
theory, "musichistory" could refer to the study of the history of any type or genre of music (e.g., the history of Nigerian music or the history of rock)...
offer degrees in music performance (including singing and playing instruments), musichistory, music theory, music composition, music education (for individuals...
House is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120-130 beats per minute as a re-emergence...
Paris has been an important center for European music since the Middle Ages. It was noted for its choral music in the 12th century, for its role in the development...
roots of music on the Italian Peninsula can be traced back to the music of ancient Rome. However, the underpinnings of much modern Italian music come from...
early history of the industry. Music publishing did not begin on a large scale until the mid-15th century, when mechanical techniques for printing music were...
Indian classical music is the classical music of the Indian subcontinent. It is generally described using terms like Marg Sangeet and Shastriya Sangeet...
modes from blues music have been used extensively throughout its history as well. Once called "hillbilly music", the term country music gained popularity...
rock's history, including the garage rock/post-punk revival in the 2000s. Since the 2010s, rock has lost its position as the pre-eminent popular music genre...
France has a rich musichistory that was already prominent in Europe as far back as the 10th century. French music originated as a unified style in medieval...
widespread. Today's Chinese music is both rooted in history and part of a global culture. According to legends, the founder of music in Chinese mythology was...
Europe, Portugal has a long musichistory, which accompanied and strongly contributed to the development of the musichistory in Europe. In the early days...
The music of Iran encompasses music that is produced by Iranian artists. In addition to the traditional folk and classical genres, it also includes pop...
November 25, 2010. CENIDIM Norteño music AllMusic Guide History and description of Duranguense The Saxophone in Norteño music Texan-Mexican conjunto music...
Music has been an integral part of Egyptian culture since antiquity in Egypt. Egyptian music had a significant impact on the development of ancient Greek...
the perspective of other musical traditions, such as European musichistory or African music. But critic Joachim-Ernst Berendt argues that its terms of reference...
and modern-day Russia. Russian music went through a long history, beginning with ritual folk songs and the sacred music of the Russian Orthodox Church...
music has its roots based in the ballads of the French-speaking Acadians of Canada, and in country music. The first form of traditional cajun music began...
Musichistory of the United States includes many styles of folk, popular and classical music. Some of the best-known genres of American music are rhythm...
The music of Brazil encompasses various regional musical styles influenced by European, American, African and Amerindian forms. Brazilian music developed...
Hip-hop or hip hop music, also known as rap, and formerly as disco rap, is a genre of popular music that originated in the early 1970s by African Americans...
Appalachian music is the music of the region of Appalachia in the Eastern United States. Traditional Appalachian music is derived from various influences...
Bible and post-biblical sources. Religion and music historian Herbert Lockyer, Jr. writes that "music, both vocal and instrumental, was well cultivated...
tonality, rhythm, meter, and form. Research in musichistory can benefit from systematic study of the history of musical syntax, or from psychological analyses...
of music. Traditional music (국악; gugak; lit. national music) produced by Korea includes court music, folk music, poetic songs, and religious music used...
Music theory is the study of the practices and possibilities of music. The Oxford Companion to Music describes three interrelated uses of the term "music...
fundamentally shaped its history. Rooted in the patronage of churches and royal courts in Western Europe, surviving early medieval music is chiefly religious...