All musical styles. Collections of music by genre

⁰

Continuing the series of articles on music theory, we would like to tell you about how genres in music were formed and developed. After this article, you will never again confuse a musical genre with a musical style.

So, first, let's look at how the concepts of “genre” and “style” differ. Genre- This is a type of work that has developed historically. It implies the form, content and purpose of music. Musical genres began their formation at an early stage in the development of music, in the structure of primitive communities. Then music accompanied every step of human activity: life, work, speech, and so on. Thus, the main genre principles were formed, which we will analyze further.

Style also implies the sum of materials (harmony, melody, rhythm, polyphony), the way in which they were used in piece of music. Usually the style is based on the trend of a certain era or is classified by composer. In other words, style is a set of means musical expressiveness, which defines the image and idea of music. It may depend on the individuality of the composer, his worldview and tastes, approach to music. Also, the style determines the currents in music, such as jazz, pop, rock, folk styles and so on.

Now back to genres of music. There are five main genre beginnings, which, as we said, originated in primitive communities:

Motority
Declamation
chant
signaling
Sound imaging

It was they who became the basis of all subsequent genres that appeared with the development of music.

Quite soon after the formation of the main genre principles, the genre and style began to intertwine into a single system. Such genre and style systems were formed depending on the occasion for which the music was created. This is how genre-style systems appeared, which were used in certain ancient cults, for ancient rituals and in everyday life. The genre had a more applied character, which formed a certain image, style and compositional features of ancient music.

On the walls of the Egyptian pyramids and in the surviving ancient papyri, lines of ritual and religious hymns were found, which most often spoke about the ancient Egyptian gods.

It is believed that its highest point of development ancient music received exactly in Ancient Greece. It was in ancient Greek music that certain patterns were discovered on which its structure was based.

As society evolved, so did music. In medieval culture, new vocal and vocal instrumental genres. During this era, genres such as:

Organum is the earliest form of polyphonic music in Europe. This genre was used in churches, and it flourished in the Paris school of Notre Dame.
Opera is a musical and dramatic work.
Choral - liturgical Catholic or Protestant singing.
Motet is a vocal genre that was used both in church and at social events. His style depended on the text.
Conduct is a medieval song, the text of which was most often spiritual and moralizing. Until now, they cannot accurately decipher the medieval notes of conducts, since they did not have a definite rhythm.
Mass is a liturgical service in Catholic churches. Requiem is also included in this genre.
Madrigal - small work on lyrical love themes. This genre originated in Italy.
Chanson - this genre appeared in France, and initially choral peasant songs belonged to it.
Pavane is a smooth dance that opened the holidays in Italy
Galliard - a cheerful and rhythmic dance also comes from Italy
Allemanda is a procession dance that originated in Germany.

AT XVII-XVIII For centuries, rural music - country music - has developed quite actively in North America. The genre has been heavily influenced by Irish and Scottish folk music. The lyrics of such songs often talked about love, rural life and cowboy life.

At the end of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century, folklore developed quite actively in Latin America and Africa. In the African American community, the blues is born, which was originally a "work song" that accompanied work in the field. The blues was also based on ballads and religious chants. The blues formed the basis of a new genre - jazz, which is the result of a mixture of African and European cultures. Jazz has become quite widespread and universally recognized.

Based on jazz and blues, at the end of the 40s, rhythm and blues (R'n'B), a song and dance genre, appeared. He was quite popular among the youth. Subsequently, funk and soul appeared within this genre.

Curiously, along with these African-American genres, the genre of pop music appeared in the 1920s. The roots of this genre are found in folk music, street romances and ballads. Pop music has always mixed with other genres, forming quite interesting musical styles. In the 1970s, the “disco” style appeared within pop music, which became the most popular dance music at that time, relegating rock and roll to the background.

In the 50s, rock bursts into the ranks of already existing genres, the origins of which are in blues, folk and country. It quickly gained wild popularity and grew into many various styles mingling with other genres.

Ten years later, the reggae genre was formed in Jamaica, which became widespread in the 70s. The basis of reggae is mento - a genre of Jamaican folk music.

In the 1970s, rap appeared, which was “exported” by Jamaican DJs to the Bronx. The founder of rap is DJ Kool Herc. Initially, rap was read for pleasure, to throw out their emotions. The basis of this genre is the beat that sets the rhythm for recitative.

In the second half of the 20th century, electronic music established itself as a genre. It is strange that it did not receive recognition at the beginning of the 20th century, when the first electronic instruments appeared. This genre involves the creation of music using electronic musical instruments, technology and computer programs.

Genres formed in the 20th century have many styles. For example:

Jazz:

new orleans jazz
Dixieland
Swing
Western swing
Bop
hard bop
Boogie Woogie
Cool or cool jazz
modal or modal jazz
avant-garde jazz
soul jazz
free jazz
bossa nova or latin jazz
Symphonic Jazz
progressive
Fusion or jazz rock
electric jazz
acid jazz
crossover
smooth jazz

Cabaret
minstrel show
music hall
Musical
Ragtime
lounge
Classic crossover
Psychedelic pop
italo disco
Eurodisco
Hi-energy
Nu-disco
space disco
Ye-ye
K-pop
Europop
Arabic pop music
Russian pop music
Rigsar
Laika
Latin American pop
J-pop

Rock'n'roll
Big Beat
rockabilly
psychobilly
neo-rocabilly
skiffle
doo wop
Twist
Alternative Rock (Indie Rock/College Rock)
Mat rock
Madchester
grunge
shoegazing
Britpop
noise rock
noise pop
Post-grunge
lo-fi
indie pop
Twee pop
Art rock (Progressive rock)
jazz rock
kraut rock
garage rock
Freakbeat
Glam rock
country rock
Merseybit
Metal (Hard rock)
avant-garde metal
Alternative metal
black metal
Melodic black metal
Symphonic black metal
true black metal
viking metal
gothic metal
Doom metal
death metal
Melodic death metal
Metalcore
New metal
power metal
progressive metal
speed metal
stoner rock
Thrash metal
folk metal
Heavy metal
New wave
Russian rock
pub rock
Punk rock
ska punk
pop punk
crust punk
hardcore
crossover
Riot folk
pop rock
Postpunk
Gothic rock
no wave
Postrock
Psychedelic rock
soft rock
folk rock
techno rock

As you can see, there are many styles. It will take a lot of time to enumerate the full list, so we will not do this. The main thing is that you now know how modern popular genres appeared and you will definitely no longer confuse genre and style.

ACID HOUSE- the second generation of "house", generated by the atmosphere of Chicago. It differs from other directions by an abundance of trippy synth sounds as well as a deeper psychedelic sound. Very an important factor is the almost complete absence of vocals

ACID JAZZ- a style of dance music that has gained particular popularity since the early 90s. Its origins can be called "funk", "soul" and dance traditions of the 70s, and the direct ancestor in terms of psychedelicity is ACID ROCK. From the point of view of purely musical characteristics, "acid jazz" is a vague concept. Clear riff thinking, a combination of rational dance parts with improvisations, rich and at the same time soft sound are decisive. Clear square structures at tempos ranging from 88 to 116 bpm, a large number of live instruments combined with electronic sound effects - this is what distinguishes acid jazz from proper jazz, funk and dance music.

AMBIENT- a musical style that appeared in the 70s. The term, like the concept, was introduced by Brian Eno. The style is characterized by the vagueness of any components: vague melodies, vague movement, often a complete absence of rhythm. In fact, this is not music at all in its classical sense, but a set of noises multiplied by delays and emphasized by reverb.

AVANTGARDE - Avant-garde rock, this concept, which arose in the mid-60s, absorbed everything that developed under the influence of jazz, rock, folk. The brightest representatives of this trend are "Velvet Underground" and "Mothers Of Invention". Later, the term "avant-garde" began to refer to various non-traditional forms of music.

ART ROCK- this term refers to a form of rock that combines electronic sound, rhythm and blues, Eastern and medieval European folklore, classics and jazz. Art-rock bands perform multifaceted compositions and entire suites. Church oratorios, medieval madrigals, Gothic chants and symphonic inserts became peculiar clichés in this style. Characteristic features - deep conceptualism, a large share instrumental improvisational music, lengthy pieces that go far beyond the scope of a pop single. Not the last role is played by scenography; mini-performances can be played during concerts. Among the representatives of this style are such groups as "King Crimson", "Yes", "Emerson, Lake & Palmer" and "Genesis". In modern pop music, there are also the terms "classic rock", "symphonic rock", "intellectual rock", they all mean almost the same thing, and it is simply impossible to clearly distinguish between them.

BALLAD(ballad) - a vocal composition, mainly of a narrative nature, from the folk culture of England in the 16th-17th centuries. Ballads are characterized by monophony, couplet-song form, laconic rhythms. From time to time, interest in this genre increased markedly, as a result of which Scottish ballads, Chopin instrumental ballads, jazz ballads, rock ballads and so on are known to the musical world.

BARD- (bard - a word of Celtic origin) poet and musician, performer of his own songs.

BEAT- this style appeared in the early 60s, when in America the wave of passion for rock and roll began to wane. In England, and more specifically in Liverpool, hundreds of bands began to emerge that played in schools, clubs and dances. They played the same rock and roll, but with the restraint characteristic of the British. The brightest representative of this style are the early "The Beatles".

BIG BEAT- the main distinguishing feature of the "big-beat" is the specific sound created with the help of special studio equipment, as well as a strong weighting (compared to trip or hip-hop) of the main groove and overall texture. "Big Beat" combines the funky grooves of hip-hop, the power of rock and the swing techniques of house. It's better to dance to the "big beat" than to listen to it. Often in music publications "big beat" is also called "chemical beats". Among the founding fathers of "big beat" is called "CHEMICAL BROTHERS". If you hear a "fat" bass line, different from both "techno" and "jangle" with a bass drum on the first beat, if you feel a broken pulsing rhythm, don't hesitate - it's a "big beat". The most notable and famous representatives of this style are "EBOMAN", "PROPELLERHEADS", "RHYTHM ACE".

BLUES- this style was originally a solo performance by African Americans of lyrical compositions, mostly of a sad nature. The deliberate monotony and repetition of beats characteristic of the blues became the basis for rock and roll.

BREAK DANCE- a dance that appeared at the very beginning of the 80s in the New York Bronx quarter. Its roots go back to Africa, and musical accompaniment serves "rap" and progressive electronic music. Basic movements: sliding steps, jumps, rotation on the floor, as well as all kinds of acrobatic numbers. By the mid-80s, the break fashion had almost completely disappeared, but in the 90s it was remembered again.

BREAKBEAT- ("broken" beat) style, or to be more precise, a whole direction, was formed in the early 90s, stylistically finally formed in 1994. Great Britain is considered to be the place of his birth, and the main cities where this style was initially most widespread are London and Bristol. The name of the style fully reflects its essence: no directness and tenderness. Often the term "breakbeat" refers to very specific aggressive music at a tempo of about 130-140 bpm, with a dense guitar sound, with clear drum accents on beats 2 and 4 and fuss in the 3rd area. The main criteria for defining a "breakbeat" are clean, almost untreated drums and percussion (with the possible exception of compression) and a standard 4/4 rhythm. The purposefulness of the sound is emphasized by tangible bass lines, using analog devices like the "Roland TB-303". Sometimes, for the final pathos, wind instruments or a symphony orchestra are used.

BRISTOL SOUND- "trip-hop" from Bristol deserves special attention in this case. The most famous and prominent representatives of this trend are: "MASSIVE ATTACK", "PORTISHEAD" and Tricky. This style is characterized by a slow rhythm based on "hip-hop" combined with elements of "reggae dub" and interesting electronic sounds.

CLUB MUSIC- (club music) refers to a number of new directions that have become fashionable in recent times. Among them are "acid jazz", "drum-and-bass", "jungle" and others. A common feature is danceability, monotony, the use of sequencer and loop technology, the increased role of the DJ in creating music.

COUNTRY- pure american music, which embodies the traditions of the white population of the United States. Its roots are in folklore. Since the days of the Wild West, these unpretentious songs about love, loyalty, friendship and home have been performed on banjos, guitars and small fiddles. Such famous bands as "EAGLES" and "CREEDENCE" drew many of their ideas from country music.

DANCE MUSIC(dance music) is primarily electronic and related music. Although, of course, a rare work is now created without the help of a computer or a synthesizer. If you want to get your bearings in styles, the best way to find out the style of a particular dance composition is to ask its authors or look at the inscription on the record or CD. The fact is that many concepts are so vague that they are not subject to clear structuring.

DISCO- a musical style designed primarily for dancing. It appeared in the early 70s. The melody and rhythmic pattern is built around the same and frequent percussion beat (120 - 140 beats per minute). The brightest representatives of that time are "Boney" M", Donna Summer, "Bee Gees", etc. Subsequently, the "disco" style became the starting point for modern dance culture and gave rise to many fashionable styles and trends based on the use of modern the latest music technology.

DOWNBEATS- a musical style close to "hip-hop", a relaxing, rather slow rhythmic pattern with a soft, warm bass. This term appeared in connection with the publication in the press of reviews of the instrumental "hip-hop". In January 1998, the French team "AIR" released their debut album"Moon Safari", which is a great example of this category.

DREAM POP- originated in the early 80s on the basis of the British electronic psychedelic "PINK FLOYD", Brian Eno's ambient, Robert Fripp's "soundscapes", German "kraut-rock" research. "Dream Pop" created an atmosphere of some mystery, alluring and pleasant mystery, as if coming "from the depths of time". Representatives of this trend paid a lot of attention to arrangements, widely using acoustic, symphonic, "choral", as well as absolutely fantasy synthesizer timbres, used elements of the artistic language of "classics" and folk. In addition, they did not shy away from "visits" in pop music. Airy, flowing, "atmospheric" guitar-electronic matter, a voluminous sound with an abundance of percussions scattered over the stereo panorama, almost operatic, with a characteristic vibrato, female vocals were calling card dream pop leaders. In the second half of the 80s, on the basis of "dream-pop", such a direction as "Shoegazing" grew, characterized by a richer guitar-synth sound and a gloomy spirit. On the other hand, the research of "dream pop" turned out to be close to relaxation music "new age", as well as some areas of "house" ("dream house", "trip hop", etc.).

DRUM"N"BASS- one of the embodiments of the concept of "breakbeat". Formed by the beginning of the 90s as a style that combines a bass line at 80 bpm and an abundance of various drums at 160 bpm. Nothing else. Due to the temperament of the drums, this style is perceived as a dance style, due to the slower (often with a reggae character) bass line, it can be perceived as relaxing music. Gradually, beautiful, sometimes melancholic melodies began to be added to this style. In short, by the mid-90s "Drum" n "bass" slowly but surely transformed into intelligent jungle.

DUB - This musical style is most often used for chill-out. Its main distinguishing feature is a juicy, bright, loud bass leading a clear, albeit accompanying line. Another feature is a slow broken rhythm and a large amount of reverb.

ELECTRONIC MUSIC - School of Music focused primarily on the study and application of the possibilities of sound synthesis, the creation of completely new, previously unheard, artificial timbres. Historically, the ground for the emergence of electronic music was prepared by the development of sonoristic interpretation of sound in the works of composers of the first half of the 20th century. Electronic music originated in Germany and first made itself known in 1951, when at the Summer Courses contemporary music in Darmstadt, W. Meyer-Eppler demonstrated a sample of the installation of "electrosounds". The largest representatives electronic school - the Germans Herbert Eimert, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Hans Werner Henze, the French Henri Pusser, Pierre Boulez, the Italians Bruno Maderna, Luciano Berio, the Japanese Toshiro Mayuzumi and others. Representatives of the electronic school operate with sound at the level of its ancestral basis - that is, the overtone series. The achievements of the electronic school have greatly influenced pop, rock and modern dance music.

FUNK- a direction that originated among black performers as a continuation of soul music, but on a different, more rigid rhythmic basis. In the late 60s, it became a prominent factor in the struggle of American blacks for their rights. Formed the basis of "fusion", "motown", "hip-hop" music, as well as some forms of modern "club music".

GABBER- the fastest and toughest kind of "hardcore" was invented in Holland in 1989. The number of beats per minute for this variety sometimes reaches 400, but basically this figure is within 200 BPM. Speeded-up funny samples from children's radio shows and other amusing sound sketches are often used, which are said to give the music a bit of a goofiness.

GLAM-ROCK- the same as "glitter rock". This musical trend originated in the early 70s in the UK. It is characterized by pomposity, brilliance and emphasis on the appearance of an artist or musician. There is a lot of aesthetics and fantasy in the texts. The main representatives of this style are "KISS", DAVID BOWIE, ALICE COOPER, "ROXY MUSIC" and others.

HAPPY HARDCORE- pop and the most danceable variation on the theme of "hardcore". Childish voices, sugary melodies, the same fast beat, which, however, is softened by various commercially viable sounds and trendy synthesizers. A typical representative of this direction is the group "SCOOTER".

HARD ROCK- hard Rock. In the mid-60s, taking the "blues" as a basis, many groups, having made this musical style heavier, came close to the ideas of "hard rock". As an independent musical style, "hard rock" was fully developed by the end of 1966. At this time, a huge number of ensembles of the highest class simultaneously appeared in England and the USA, among them - "LED ZEPPELIN", "DEEP PURPLE", "BLACK SABBATH", "URIAH HEEP" and others. Each of them brought their own specific sound to this music. For several years, "hard rock" developed and expanded its capabilities, but by the mid-70s, interest in this music began to disappear. However, many contemporary performers often referred to cultural heritage this style.

The logical continuation of "hard rock". The old authorities were replaced by ambitious youth, who had more than enough energy - they then splashed it out on the listeners in the late 70s. Musicians of this style played even harder and faster. Over time, "metal" has its own trends, the most significant - "THRASH" and "SPEED METAL". In this style, it is difficult to find original ways to develop and therefore many groups were similar to each other. But there were also real stars, for example, "METALLICA", "BON JOVI", "DEF LEPPARD", "SCORPIONS", "AC / DC", "AEROSMITH", "IRON MAIDEN" and others.

hip-hop- a kind of urban black subculture that came to the surface, beyond the ghetto in the early 80s. Having become fashionable, it went beyond the borders of the United States and covered for a short period a part of the white youth capable of perceiving "funk" music. The main components are rap, breakdance (electric boogie, breaking, frieze), graffiti and street views sports games. The 1990s saw a second wave of interest in hip hop, especially rap in its newer forms.

HOUSE MUSIC is the so-called house music"because it could be made at home and in discotheques. It appeared in the mid-80s in Chicago and New York. DJs using several players, a sequencer and a synthesizer, using mixing and overlaying tracks, played their music, sometimes uniting completely different performers.The structure of the classic "house" is very simple: the standard time 4/4 and not very fast paced(about 120 BPM). A "solo" or a clap usually falls on the second and fourth quarters, and a hat sounds on every sixteenth beat (in the interval between the bass drum). "House" tracks are usually filled with bright and beautiful passages, major chords and simple but catchy melodies. The roots of the style come from such music as "disco" and "soul".

IDM (INTELLIGENT DANCE MUSIC)- The founder of this alternative direction of electronic music is the English techno musician Richard James, known as "Aphex Twin". It is generally accepted that the style originated in 1989, and the term was coined in the depths of computer networks in 1993 in order to denote music that did not fit into the framework of any of the existing styles, or was not at all similar. FROM light hand English computer scientists, who introduced this term, began to call all incomprehensible experimental techno music (i.e. music using technology) the three letters IDM. At one time, bands from "Cosmic Baby" to "Cabaret Voltaire", from "Banco De Gaia" to "Goldie", from "Portishead" to "Underworld" fell under the definition of this style. Since then, this style has acquired a very definite framework.

INTELLIGENT- music with this characteristic is intended more for listening and relaxing pastime than for use at parties, especially as a decoration of the dance floor. There are intelligent variants of "jungle", "techno". Compared to pure styles, their reasonable versions are more melodic, atmospheric, and you can trace the theme, often very pretty.

JAZZ-ROCK- a conceptual direction that arose in the late 60s based on the synthesis of several musical cultures- jazz, funky soul, rock music, classical and ethnic music. An alloy of activity of white and black musicians, ancient east traditions and modern western technologies.

JUNGLE- the style was born in England in 1988. This is a musical direction that combines the energy of broken African rhythms and the possibilities modern technologies. "Jungle" is distinguished by aggressive sounding, accepted tempo: 180-190 bpm, rhythmic polyphony, torn bass line, free shifting of rhythmic patterns, slight timbre variety. Since 1992, there has been a breakthrough in style on big stage with SL2's single "On A Ragga Tip". From now on, "jungle" is very popular, especially among the British and advanced jazzmen. Evidence of this sub-style "jungle jazz".

MINIMAL TECHNO- it's just an extremely simple rhythm and a few specific, often synthesized, sounds with a small amount of different noise. From a musical point of view, this style is very interesting and original precisely because of the maximum simplicity of execution.

NEW AGE- a kind of music, mostly instrumental, developed in connection with the activity of a new class - "young urban professionals" - "yuppies". Soothing, noble, mostly quiet music based on new classics and ancient meditativeness. Not aggressive, and inherently - not improvisational. Uses the most advanced electronic technology along with pure acoustic sounds.

POP MUSIC- a concept that covers a variety of styles, trends and genres of modern music. The term "pop music" first appeared in the late 1950s. and was originally used to refer to commercial rock music. Nowadays, pop music includes all the phenomena of the commercial music and entertainment industry. The most important means of distribution of pop music are radio, television and record companies. The contemporary pop music market is jointly owned by several European and American record labels with close ties to radio, press, shops and television. Their activities ensure the constant commercialization and standardization of creative findings, as well as the promotion of the popularity of "star" artists, legitimizing or skillfully copying a set of fashionable stylistic features.

POST-PUNK- one of the varieties of the "new wave", which replaced the "punk rock" of the second half of the 70s. Unlike the "new wave", "post-punk" is a stylistic concept rather than a sociocultural one, although here we are also dealing not with a single style, but with a whole conglomeration of them. "Post-punk" emerged in 1977-78, when the British punk "hysteria" began to slowly calm down and become commercialized. The musicians who replaced the punk generation liked the independent spirit and raw sound of punk, however, they sought to express their attitude to the world around them with the help of new means of expression, new technologies, and timbres. In addition, the public is already tired of the aggressiveness, nihilism, cynicism, "dirt" that "punk" poured on it. Therefore, to some extent, post-punk became not only a continuation, but also a reaction to the work of its predecessors. He returned a note of romance to music, sometimes even sadness, depression, and focused on internal, personal problems. In addition to "punk", the formation of "post-punk" was also significantly influenced by the dance genre "disco", electronic "ambient", as well as many other sources - from "art rock" to American academic minimalism. Representatives of "post-punk" in Britain ("THE CURE", "ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN", "BAUHAUS", "JOY DIVISION", "JAPAN", etc.) played gloomy, cold, nervous music. The mood of the music of American post-punkers at the turn of the 70s and 80s was more positive, energetic, ironic. The musical style was eclectic: it combined individual features of "rock and roll", "big beat", garage rock of the 60s, "rockabilly", "country", "disco", and all this was based on a dance beat ( "THE B-52"s", "BLONDIE", "THE CARS", "PRETENDERS", etc.).

PROGRESSIVE- a word coined among music journalists, originally denoted the direction of techno music, which emphasized by no means skillful sampling and synthesizer "loops". Preference was given to exact copying of live instruments and the search for successful short melodies. However, a separate style was never formed, so the term "progressive" makes sense only as a characteristic (for example, "progressive house", etc.)

PUNK- originated in 1974 in New York, and it reached its apogee in 1976 in England. It is believed that this was a protest against official rock music, which embodied despair younger generation. The philosophy of punks is elementary: universal nihilism and denial of social values. The main musical ideologist of the punk movement was the group "SEX PISTOLS".

RAGTIME- this is a pianoforte genre, later, orchestral music late 19th - early 20th century. Received the widest distribution both on the stage and in everyday life. Despite the apparent ease, the piano style of "ragtime" requires high level technology.

RAVE- "rave", unlike the usual dance party, something like a collective meditation, when under the influence of a hard rhythm and electronic melodies, the dancers enter a semi-hypnotic state. The heart of rave is the DJ. There are many so-called styles in this music, they often differ only in drum pattern, but they are divided into two impressive groups - "trance" and "house". "Trance" is performed using analog synthesizers (and sometimes sampled "live" instruments, such as ethnic ones) and has a strong emotional impact on the listener, which is reflected in the title. "Trance" appeared in Europe, "house" was born in New York. Techno music originated in Germany in 1987, invented by a DJ named Westbam. DJs tend to specialize in one or more styles, but there are also generalists. R&B - (Rhythm and blues), a blues vocal-instrumental style of Negro music of the 1930s, which arose under the influence of swing. Subsequently commercialized. It is considered one of the earliest forms of Negro rock music. Its commercial modifications, created by white musicians, include "rock and roll" and "twist".

ROCK(short for rock "n" roll) - a trend in American and European popular music (since the 1950s), born on the wave of social "non-conformist" youth movements. Originating in the USA in the form of rock and roll, rock music has been gaining wide popularity since the 60s, thanks mainly to UK rock bands - THE BEATLES, ROLLING STONES, etc. (until the 80s .both countries occupied leading positions in world rock music). The assimilation by rock musicians of the compositional and harmonic features of the blues played a decisive role in shaping the style of rock music. Its essential features are a special rhythmic pulsation in the bass, the use of predominantly electromusical instruments, which determine the increased dynamic tone of the music, the prevalence of rhythmic and harmonic principles over melodic ones. In the future, developing in interaction with pop music and in connection with the expansion of show business, rock music underwent a significant stylistic evolution. Now it is a branched culture, consisting of many musical movements with their own characteristics in different countries.

ROCKABILLY is one of the most controversial styles of popular music in terms of its etymology. Few people in Europe know that for a long time in the USA "rockabilly" has been considered as one of the sub-styles of "country". "Rockabilly" combines elements of "hillbilly" and "rhythm and blues". This style originated in the southern United States among white teenagers who mixed elements of country music, the energy of "rock and roll" and the rhythms of black music.

ROCK N ROLL- this term appeared in the early 50s. So they began to call a slightly modified black "rhythm and blues". The white population of the United States needed their own dance music, which would be based on a clear bass rhythm and expressive melodies. In April 1954, the single "ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK" performed by Bill Haley appeared - it was he who served as the impetus for a sharp increase in interest in this style. In the 50s there were many first-class performers and composers: Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley - they all stood at the origins of "rock and roll". Over time, this style changed, absorbing various musical directions, lyrics from entertaining songs became philosophical and acutely social. Now this concept includes all modern guitar music, with the exception of mass dance culture.

SPEED GARAGE- the style of club dance music appeared in 1996, and 1997 was the time of its active growth in the music world. First the United States, then England, and soon the whole world began to move to the rhythms of "speed-garage". This was the beginning of a specific experimental "house", which quickly grew from experimental into a powerful dance movement, rightfully called the buzzword "speed-garage". The characteristic feature is the bass line, literally occupying foreground musical picture and setting an energetic pumping of rhythm and atmosphere on the dance floor, and it is thanks to this feature that "speed-garage" is rapidly popularized around the world. By the way, that's probably why some people call "speed-garage" a dance mix of "house" and "jungle". Another feature of "speed-garage" music is the numerous and lengthy beatless sections that sometimes serve as a prelude to the second part of the composition, forcing the dancers to cheer up with a rising wave of interruptions and an incandescent atmosphere on the dance floor. It's time to move on to direct examples - there are a lot of them, but I will give the most pronounced ones: Goldie feat. KRS one "Da Digital" (Armand's Speed Garage Mix), Double 69 "Ripgroove", Ultra Nate "Free" (R.I.P. Up North Mix), Mousse T, Armand van Helden, Todd Terry, Double 99, Ultra Nate, 187 Lockdown, Serious Danger "Speed Garage" is a great club dance hybrid of old and new in today's dance culture.

SPEED-METAL- one of the early varieties of "metal", which appeared in the first half - mid-80s. It was determined by a faster tempo than in "classical" heavy metal, more aggressiveness, militancy, energetic sound, gravitation towards virtuoso guitar soloing and high-speed "chess" in accompaniment (hence the name: from the English speed - speed), more a frequent rhythmic grid (two barrels), a more expressive vocal manner (very high tenor or "growling" vocals). "Speed metal" did not develop into a powerful, mass direction, becoming, rather, a transitional stage to thrash metal: the latter took as a basis such qualities as high speed of execution, technicality, assertiveness, interpreting them in their own way towards even greater aggression in "thrash". Nevertheless, the influence of "AIDS" continues to be traced to this day, even at the level individual works. Among the actual "speed" works are the following: debut American group"METALLICA", early albums of Canadian band "EXCITER", German "HELLOWEEN", "RAGE", "BLIND GUARDIAN". Sometimes the work of such masters is also referred to as "speed metal". guitar art, like Yngwie Malmsteen and Joe Satriani, which is not true, even considering the extreme technicality, virtuosity and inspiration inherent in these performers.

SURF- a purely American musical style that arose in the early 60s. Its brightest representative was the group "BEACH BOYS", who performed sweet songs with a simple motive.

SWING- the style of orchestral jazz that developed at the turn of the 1920s and 30s. as a result of the synthesis of Negro and European style forms of jazz music. A characteristic type of pulsation based on constant deviations of the rhythm (leading or lagging) from the reference shares. This gives the impression of a large internal energy in a state of unstable equilibrium.

SYNTY POP- a style that became one of the notable phenomena in line with the early "new wave" (along with post-punk, with which synth-pop has many intersections). At the turn of the 70-80s, the short-lived, but very bright period of "punk" ended. But for some British musicians, the idea of "punk" was so sweet that they were not going to part with it. Innovators like Gary Numan and HUMAN LEAGUE have moved to synths and drum machines, fusing the frantic energy of "punk rock" with the disco rhythms and electronic possibilities already proven by "computer geniuses" like "KRAFTWERK", "CAN" and Brian Eno (Brian Eno). The perfect balance between dark, gloomy-melancholic energy and danceability was found by "DEPECHE MODE". Turned to synth-pop "JOY DIVISION" and "NEW ORDER". Synth-pop is often referred to as BRONSKI BEAT, PET SHOP BOYS, Howard Jones and some other artists who appeared on the scene closer to the mid-80s. Very non-commercial at first, focused on a hard, chilly synth sound and minimalist "hooks", the "synth-pop" movement quickly modulated into a more entertaining, romantic plane, acquired a more smooth sound (with formulaic melodies and types of accompaniment), a major mood. On the basis of "post-punk" and "synthesis-pop" in 1981-82, the "new romanticism" movement started, later - electro-pop and "gothic".

TECHNO- this term appeared in the late 70s - early 80s, when musical compositions got a futuristic sound, minimalistic melodies and mechanistic vocals became the norm, someone decided to call it all techno-pop. It is clear that the defining attributes of "techno" are all sorts of technologies, from the drum machine to the sampler. Except, so to speak, general meaning, "techno" has one more thing: it dance style with a straight beat and clear melodies for three or four chords. After the heavy wave of "Detroit techno" of the late 80s - early 90s, this term was firmly and reliably entrenched in hard minimalist music in the tempo range of 130-150 bpm.

TECHNO HARDCORE- a heavier, less abstract and more aggressive version of "techno". Very fast and direct beat, plenty of industrial sounds, screams, screams, grinding and howling synth themes. In "hardcore" tracks, people like to use "crashes", as well as effects such as "distortion". A distinctive feature of this style is a fast tempo (from 170 to 400BPM) and a hard bass drum, passed through distortion. It is worth saying that it was in the "hardcore" in the old days that they first began to use the broken rhythm, characteristic of the "jungle" tracks. Along with a straight beat, you can also hear quite syncopated fills.

THRASH-METAL- one of the varieties of "metal", which arose in the first half of the 80s. The primary merit in the formation ("thrash" belongs to American musicians(most of them are natives of California), who fell in love with British "heavy metal". Rave reviews of the "new wave of British heavy metal" seeped into America through the press, and the music itself reached the New World on records. Among the groups of the first "thrash echelon", in addition to "METALLICA", one should name "MEGADETH", "EXODUS", "ANTHRAX", "SLAYER", "OVERKILL", "TESTAMENT", "ANNIHILATOR", "SEPULTURA", " KREATOR" and others. "Thrash" is characterized by hard, lapidary bass and guitar riffs, "infernal" tritone turns (coming from "BLACK SABBATH"). The tempo in "thrash", as in "speed metal", ranges from moderately fast to very fast. A typical sign of "thrash" is an intense bass-guitar tremolo and rhythmic unison with bursts of two drums (hence, in fact, the name of the style: from English to thrash - thresh, drum). Vocal lines are often dissonant with the instrumental texture, although in general the vocal manner, albeit rather forced, cannot be called anti-musical. The role of "thrash metal" for further development international "orthodox" and "alternative" heavy music is hard to overestimate. Varieties of "thrash" are "techno-thrash" and "thrashcore".

TRIP HOP- England is considered the birthplace of this style, where most of the musicians of this direction come from. The name "trip hop" was given in 1994, although similar music was played much earlier. The style is based on a slow (no more than 110 bpm) broken rap movement. Most often, this is instrumental music, often it contains elements of jazz. Live instruments here are successfully combined with electronic ones.

Before starting to understand the genres, of which such a great variety has accumulated in music that they are already difficult to classify, you need to understand the musical genre. In music, genre (from French Genre or from Latin Genus - species, genus) is a broad and multifaceted concept that denotes a particular kind of work. Recently, it is not uncommon to observe how the word "classic" is used as the name of a genre. For example, in many players in the equalizer there are settings for genres, and among them is “classic”. In reality, the classic, of course, is not a genre, but a broad concept, which should be understood from the context. Classical music - any music that has stood the test of time, academic, folk, etc. Within the same classics, several hundred genres can be distinguished. In academic music, the most famous of them are opera, operetta, vocalise, symphony, oratorio, cantata and others. In folklore (or folk music) genre differentiation is somewhat different, due to the antiquity of its origin. It includes instrumental, song and dance genres. Folk should not be confused with ethnic music. Ethnic (ethno) is the adaptation of the music of the peoples of the world (mainly Africa and Asia) to Western standards, that is, not quite authentic music.

A colossal number of new genres were born throughout the 20th century. First of all, it's blues and jazz. The blues originated at the end of the 19th century and is a mixture of African American folk music and Anglo-Saxon musical tradition. As one of the greatest bluesmen Willy Dixon put it, “blues is the roots, the rest of the music is the fruits.” Indeed, it was thanks to the blues that jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, rock and roll, rock and a number of other genres were born.

Jazz, based on blues and ragtime, is characterized by great incendiary, improvisation, syncopated rhythm. Some sub-genres of jazz - bebop, then cool jazz - approached the professional-academic genres. Jazz has become elitist music.

In the 1950s, rock and roll emerged in the United States. It was an incredible mixture of many seemingly incongruous genres from to boogie-woogie. It was from rock and roll that pop and rock were born, and from rock - the huge number of subgenres and sub-styles that exist now.

Separately, we need to talk about electronic music and its genres. Electronics is much older than the average person thinks. The first steps in this area were made in the first half of the 20th century, when the theremin was invented first, then the magnetic tape for sound recording. But crucial moment came in the 1950s and 60s, when the first computers began to appear in the studios, with the help of which it was possible to create completely electronic compositions. The music of avant-garde composers who used the latest computer technologies is classified as academic electronics. Many different genres were subsequently born from it, the most significant of which are: ambient, industrial, noise, synth-pop, etc.

Finally, one cannot ignore such a popular genre as rap. The word rap itself is not an abbreviation, but it means “knock”, “light blow”. Rap is the most important genre of hip-hop style, which originated in the 80s. In rap, rhythmic text is read to music with a heavy beat. Rap artists are called either rappers or MCs (Master of Ceremonies).

From the number of modern genres of music, culturologists and journalists have tears in their eyes, and to the question “what kind of music do you listen to?” Every year it gets harder and harder to answer.

Modern musical genres- the question is so global that if we were to study it in all its details, the text would turn out to be painfully long. Indeed, today, whatever the group, the discovery is necessarily unique and, of course, worthy of the title of pioneers of the next genre. However, we will still try to understand the chaos of new musical trends, at least in an overview.

Folk music and classical

No matter how branched the system of musical styles is, the roots of each of them still go back to one of the good old “whales”. For example, folk motives give birth to such a modern musical genre as progressive folk (ethnic combined with modernity), which in turn breaks up into many other "folk": folk rock, psychedelic folk, dark folk, folk punk, indie folk and etc. In our time, classical music has also reincarnated, adding the prefix "neo" to itself.

(soundcloud)https://soundcloud.com/elionsoporte/clanadonia-tu-bardh(/soundcloud)

Blues and Jazz

Blues, the progenitor of a good half of modern music (jazz, rock and pop), lives today in sensitive neo-soul, perky funk and their variations with other genres (for example, liquid funk, drumfunk, funk-rock, jazz-funk, etc. ). Interestingly, modern R "n" B also traces its history from rhythm and blues. Traditional jazz, by the way, also does not stand still: adding electronic notes, it turned into nu-jazz (new urban jazz), and, becoming more rhythmic and danceable, into acid jazz.

(soundcloud)https://soundcloud.com/jazzanova/fedimes-flight-funkhaus(/soundcloud)

Rock

Once upon a time, rock itself was a new musical direction, but now it is another respected "whale" that provides the basis for a huge number of sub-styles. Among the most common are hardcore (fast and heavy music), grindcore (generating sounds similar to grinding), contrasting and dirty grunge, chaotic shoegaze, independent indie rock (having no clear criteria and framework), illogical noise rock and rapcore. that combines the warring worlds of rock and rap fans. By the way, the fusion of elements of different styles is one of the characteristic features of modern musical genres. The same trait can boast of synth-pop.

(soundcloud)https://soundcloud.com/1stfranco/arctic-monkeys-dancing-shoes(/soundcloud)

Electonic music

In general, all further directions are inextricably linked with electronics - the most progressive phenomenon in the world of music due to its technical component. Of the countless styles that have appeared so soon, the most common are EBM (Electronic Body Music), IDM (Intelligent Dance Music), house, techno, trance, ambient, new age, chillwave, trip-hop, eurodance, and most recently conquered the entire music world dubstep.

(soundcloud)https://soundcloud.com/papillonsdenuit/vitalic-poison-lips(/soundcloud)

The emergence of music in ancient times is evidenced by the found antique objects depicting various instruments and performers. This means that even then music was recognized as the most important means of creation, as well as the expression of feelings and emotions.

Concept and functions

In a general sense, music is a specific kind of human sound activity. It makes it possible to express thoughts and volitional manifestations of a person in an audible form. Music, like culture in general, plays a defining social and psychological role. Aimed at society and the individual, it is a tool for the formation of various qualities. Depending on many factors, including what trends and types of music prevail in society, it can serve as a means of cultural development, and vice versa, a means of suppressing aesthetic components. Thus, among the functions we can distinguish such functions as:

Educational;

Aesthetic;

organizing;

Compensatory;

Entertaining.

With the help of music, you can influence the qualities and moods of a person. So some melodies form stamina and courage, so to speak, mobilize internal forces. Other types of music, on the contrary, pamper or set in a romantic mood.

Main types of music

Musical culture is incredibly diverse and, accordingly, there is a certain classification based on temporal as well as spatial factors. There are such types of music as ethnic, classical, jazz, blues, pop music, hip-hop, rock, country, punk, reggae, modern, electronic and instrumental music. In turn, these directions are divided into separate subspecies. For example, ethnic highlights the styles of music of various peoples of the world: Russian melodies, Spanish, gypsy, Celtic, etc.

Rock music is represented by such styles as rock and roll, alternative rock, punk and techno rock, Russian rock. There are also so-called mixed genres, including disco, funk, rhythm and blues. This diversity is a consequence of the ability of the human person to individually express his inner world and the possibility of mastering various aspects of a single sound space.

Music as an art form

Not without reason, music is considered one of the art forms. It has a strong impact on the perception and subconscious level of the soul and mind of a person. This type of creative activity is distinguished by the ability to transform the spiritual awareness of society according to the laws of beauty and moral values.

As in any other art, the musical content is inextricably linked and depends on the historical, national, aesthetic ideals of the era and the creator himself. It is possible in it to reunite and interact with the mental, sensual, intellectual, empirical, cultural principles of society and the individual. Music as an art form is inextricably linked with such concepts as value, inspiration and beauty. Also, many identify it with the nature of the absolute spirit.

Classical and sacred music

Most often, classical music includes works created in a certain historical period in art. The works of this direction meet the highest artistic requirements and combine depth, content and the concept of perfection of form. They are written according to certain rules and canons, while maintaining the necessary proportions.

The main instruments with which classical music is performed are spiritual, stringed, keyboard instruments. Also given music diverse in genres - it includes symphonies, suites, operas, sonatas, as well as sacred music. These types of music have stood the test of time and have a large audience in today's society.

Modern directions

Modern music is so varied and multifaceted that it is difficult even to reduce all genres to a single logical classification. Some of them are culturally interesting, while others are commercially interesting. If we talk about the last factor, then first of all we mean pop music. On the one hand, it can include any popular music: hip-hop, rock, jazz. However, the narrower meaning of this concept implies a number of specific characteristics. They are mainly determined by the simplicity and melodiousness of the arrangements, where the emphasis is on vocals and rhythm, rather than the instrumental component. Also types of modern music include R'n'B genre, disco, ragtime, chanson.

Electonic music

Of course, one of the most common and popular areas of modern music is electronic music. It is created using electronic equipment such as a synthesizer, computer, sampler, or drum machine. This type of music includes about two hundred styles. The most famous of these are club music and are played in discos, clubs, etc. Electronic music also includes techno, house, trance, dubstep.

one more popular style is Lounge. This term is translated as "light background sound". Lounge music traces jazz influences, bossa nova, electronic direction, as well as improvisation. Basically, such music creates a light unobtrusive mood in bars, cafes, hotels, shops.

Different types of music are distinguished by characteristic structural and cultural attributes, are aimed at different audiences and perform individual tasks and functions.