The Earliest Music in the West Is Used in Sacred Contexts, Essay Example

The earliest music in the West is used in sacred(Christian)contexts. However, even early secular music sounds similar to early sacred music. Conversely, the most recent music that is sacred sounds similar to secular music of the same time period. Trace the musical changes that took place in Western Europe from the beginnings (ca. A.D. 476) until the end of the Baroque period (ca. 1750). 

Music, like fashion, started out like a matter that became noted through popularity. This was true even during the point of development. Relatively, people recognized and accepted major musical forms and progress based on what was ‘popular’ during a particular era. This specific behavior of humans towards music could be observed to the the primary reason why music turned out to be the way it is at present; a huge industry that makes high rocketing profit every year based on popularity performance of specific musical styles that corresponds to the ‘taste’ of generation of individuals during the time.

In relation to the growth and point of development that the European music took into account based on history, ‘invention’ in music styles is most likely the reason why one popular music style has been recognized by the people apart from another musical form that remarkably gets the attention of the public. One of the most recognizable invention in music during the time was that of the polyphone and the modern tonal harmony.

Dividing sounds through tonal structure and establishing harmony of elements through applying the principles of polyphone specifically characterized the majority of operations used to develop music from the point of Renaissance towards Baroque. The changing of themes between these two remarkable eras in history in relation to music could be noted through the interchangeable ways by which melody and timing as well as note-structure are all used to manifest what type of music specifically appeals to one generation apart from another. This transition of musical creation continues to exist during the current era as people tend to listen to different genres of music and artistically respond to only specific forms that define the way they really appreciate music as a whole.