musichistory

Music history is the study of music in historical contexts, tracing how musical styles, genres, and practices emerge, change, and interact with society. It draws on notated scores, oral tradition, recording, archival sources, and ethnographic fieldwork. The field intersects with musicology, ethnomusicology, anthropology, and cultural history to understand the social, political, and technological forces shaping sound.

A common framework divides music history into broad periods: antiquity and medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, twentieth century and beyond. Western tradition emphasizes polyphony in the medieval and Renaissance, the development of tonality in the Baroque and Classical, and programmatic and national elements in Romantic music, followed by diverse experiments in the 20th century and contemporary music. Non-Western music histories examine regional continuities and the impact of globalization.

Key developments include the invention of musical notation, the rise of polyphony, the orchestra, opera, and concert institutions; the printing press, recording technology, radio, and the internet; and the creation of genres such as jazz, folk, rock, electronic, and hip hop.

Scholars examine performance practice, audience reception, and music's role in identity and politics. Digital archives and computational analysis have expanded access and methods, while ethnomusicology emphasizes living traditions alongside historical study.