Music: Since The Beginning

Music evokes pleasurable limbic states, which result in emotional responses, the brain having its emotional systems triggered off by pleasurable sounds. That’s the physical reason. It’s very widely argued. I am not going to drop onto that plain and open that can of worms. I want you all to recall moments in your life where you have been significantly moved by that wonderful media medium known as music.

Statistically, 96% of the world’s youth who can listen to music DO listen to music regularly. That leaves 4% that don’t. If we related those statistics to this classroom, that would mean that only one person in here doesn’t listen to music regularly. If music didn’t do something for us emotionally, would we listen to it?

A common misconception about music is that it is just notes and lyrics. Charlie Parker, arguably the greatest jazz saxophonist ever, once s

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aid, “Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. Because of this, Orfeo and many other operas like it were allowed to be performed. It’s story depicted the hero going into hell, made a deal with the devil, and fooled the Lord of the Underworld. Making professional use of feedback and distortion, in his musical techniques mirroring the same revolution and radical thinking that were prominent on the political scene at that time. Music, by itself or coupled with another media medium, can effect human emotions to a great degree. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. Think back to a time when you heard a tune that changed how you feel, expressed what you couldn’t. Its subject matter was quite inflammatory towards the upper class of society. Music stirs emotions in us because the writer used his own emotions when writing the music. Whilst it is debatable whether or not this revolution would have happened had Monteverdi not written that opera, he did write the opera and the lower classes did revolt. Jimi Hendrix and his burning Stratocaster changed history. In 1607, Renaissance composer Claudio Monteverdi wrote the opera Orfeo, one of the first true operas. However, Monteverdi’s message did reach the people and for 3 months, Italy was engaged in a political upheaval of the lower classes against the upper class. It was also extraordinarily controversial.

Common topics in this essay:
Charlie Parker, Plato Greek, Jimi Hendrix, Lord Underworld, Claudio Monteverdi, Music Beatles, Immediately Jimi, Peace Movement, , jimi hendrix, Vietnam War, listen music, history music, upper class, peace movement, listen music regularly, shapes history, music notes, music regularly, revolution radical, media medium, upper class society,

Approximate Word count = 792
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

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