Music of Europe

Music of Europe The organization, composition, and public performance of music in Europe dates back several millennia. Europe today is considered one of the strongest cultural areas to have fostered music and the arts. What is now known as classical music was developed and nurtured here many hundreds of years ago. What many people don’t realize, though, is that earlier music from other cultures influenced much of the traditional music of Europe.

Outside Influences Many thousands of years ago, Arab and Turkish influences shaped the social, economic, and cultural fabric of Europe. Many of these influences reached the European continent from North Africa by way of the Mediterranean Sea. If we try to understand Europe not as an isolated continent, but rather as the western part of the huge Eurasian landmass, it can help us to understand many aspects of its musical and cultural traditions.

Outside Influences The ancient Greeks are credited with establishing the basis of modern European culture and the foundations of music in the region. They first learned about mathematics, philosophy, and music, however, through their contacts with the great Egyptian empire. Early Christian music called Gregorian chant flourished throughout Europe in the Middle Ages, yet this music had its origins in the Middle East. Bowed instrument such as cellos and violins reached a point of great refinement in the classical music of Europe, but they were based on instruments already in widespread use in Asia.

Outside Influences Europeans borrowed most percussion and reed instruments from the Turks, and developed the guitar based on the concept of the Middle Eastern lute. Before the cultural contact with Asia, Europeans probably had only a limited range of wind instruments such as flutes, natural horns, and bagpipes with which to play music.

Geographic Identities The spreading of Christianity gave Europeans a common set of religious and ethical values. Despite the fact that Europeans share a tradition of classical music, similar instruments, tunings, and harmonies, there are also widely divergent customs, cuisines, languages, and political systems in Europe. Consequently, a great variety of music styles and dances may be found literally within a few miles of one another.

Geographic Identities Part of the reason for such a wide variety of cultural expression is the geography of the region. If you look at a map of Europe, you will see that it is an area of many islands and peninsulas divided by bodies of water. There are also large mountain ranges, which physically separate and isolate regions from each other, even within national borders.

Geographic Identities Before the development of modern transportation and open travel from one political region to another, natural barriers such as mountain ranges and oceans kept many areas separated from outside influences, and minimized cultural blending. In this way, individual customs, languages, and music remained unique from one region to another.

Geographic Identities Over the past hundred years or so, modernization has helped to blend different cultures in Europe, but Europeans still hold fast to local customs and national and regional traditions. In a rapidly changing Europe, one that introduced the euro as a single currency for many nations, it is still important for Europeans to embrace and foster local customs, languages, and music as a statement of their unique identities.

A Variety of Musical Expressions The great majority of European folk music uses either a two-beat or a three-beat rhythm, and the use of harmony (playing or singing more than one note at the same time) is common to most traditional music in Europe. In Greece, Bulgaria, Scandinavia, and other regions, however, unusual rhythms using 7, 9, 11, and 15 beats may be found. Concepts of harmony may also vary widely from one region to another.

A Variety of Musical Expressions Bosnia, for example, has preserved an ancient type of singing based on singing notes that are very close to each other. The effect is jarring and dissonant, and might not be considered pleasing by other European cultures, yet the Bosnians strive for this musical sound and enjoy the clashing effect it creates for listeners.

A Variety of Musical Expressions Despite modern times and the previously mentioned unifying features, there is an incredible variety of music in Europe today. In Portugal, a whole repertoire of sad songs evolved from the widows of fishers and sailors who were lost at sea. The widows, in mourning and dressed in black, would wail plaintive melodies while staring out into the ocean.

A Variety of Musical Expressions In Sardinia, an ancient type of singing exists in which men sing in quartets and quintets using tight harmonies and producing a strange nasal, guttural sound. This type of singing flourished on Sardinia and other islands that were physically and culturally separated from the European mainland.

A Variety of Musical Expressions In southern Spain, the roots of flamenco music evolved from many sources, and may have been brought there by gypsies arriving as early as the fifteenth century. At some point, Arabic music strongly influenced flamenco and today much of the music of Spain has a strong Middle Eastern flavor. Flamenco songs often express pain, and the melodies and dances come across with passion and emotion.

A Variety of Musical Expressions In Norway, where fiddling is prevalent, folk songs have a strong, constant beat, but the rhythms can be extremely difficult to follow. Although their instruments and customs may be similar, other Scandinavians and even Norwegians from another area might not be able to dance to a complex folk song from a specific region.

A Variety of Musical Expressions The bagpipe is one of the earliest instruments to emerge from Europe. It is still found today in a wide range of countries. The bag itself is usually made from an animal’s stomach lining and hollow sticks with finger holes are connected to the bag. Most bagpipes produce a steady note for the melody that is played on another pipe. Although the most famous bagpipes are from Scotland and Ireland, pipes also exist in Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, France, Spain, and other European countries.

A Variety of Musical Expressions Celtic music covers a wide geographic area including Wales, Scotland, Ireland, parts of Spain and France, and other areas. There is a common range of instruments shared in the region including bagpipes, harp, and fiddle, but since there are so many different styles of music in these areas, it is hard to describe exactly what makes Celtic music “Celtic”. Above all, it is probably the people’s deep emotions and shared heritage that date back to when the ancient Celts settled these lands.

Music From Europe The European folk music of today includes a rich variety of styles within a partially shared cultural heritage. Historical factors like the spread of Christianity, classical music, political reunification, a common currency, and modern transportation and media have tended to culturally unite the continent. Despite these shared values, however, geographical features have for thousands of years isolated one region from another. Not surprisingly, the effects of geography and history are still very clearly heard in the music traditions of Europe.