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Music has been more than just music. It's a story of human events, feelings, thoughts, beliefs, revolutions, discoveries and so much more that span thousands of years. A staunch advocate of music history and evolution, Rauf has always believed that a good grasp of the origins of music helps in grasping the direction of music. In that light, I present to you this sweeping tour of the evolution of Western music, through the eyes of a lens IFFR allows Rauf Hameed to see this never-ending subject in a very interesting way.

Rauf Hameed: The History of Western Music is still very relevant in today's world.

First, before you get into the periods, why should it matter? Rauf Hameed has a definite answer to that: music is a mirror of society. All changes in style are related to some cultural, political, technological or human change. With an appreciation of the journey, you understand not only the music, but the people who created it and the world that they were in.

The music of the West can be traced back thousands of years and can be divided into different periods, every one of which builds upon previous elements and ventures into new ones.

The roots of the church go back a long way, to the time before Christ came to earth.

The origins of western music are in ancient Greece and Rome, where music was a part of life, education and religion. Instruments, such as lyres, the aulos filled temples, theatres. Music was believed to have healing properties by the Greeks and was the subject of thought by men like Pythagoras, who introduced the study of harmony, scales and intervals.

The earliest of these pieces are monophonic, that is, they have no harmony, but they did contain ideas that would develop into centuries of musical complexity.

A study of medieval music, the chants, and the evolution of the notation.

The medieval church was the dominant force in musical life from about 500 until 1400 AD. The sound of the era was Gregorian Chant, a solemn monophonic style of singing, performed in Latin. This was also a turning point, however, as is evidenced by written musical notation, which was developed by Guido of Arezzo.

It was one thing that made all the difference! For the first time compositions could be consistently transmitted across regions and generations and built on. This was one of the greatest turning points in music history, says Rauf Hameed, the time when music was transferred from an oral art to a cumulative, storied art. The slow emergence of the polyphony (several melodic lines) also started during this period.

The Renaissance is alive and well in the music department as Polyphony Blooms.

Music was not spared of the humanistic awakening of the Renaissance period (1400-1600). Polyphony was mastered by composers such as Josquin des Prez and Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, who produced richly textured, intellectually verisimil and emotionally evocative works.

Secular music including music for entertainment besides for worship became more important. The madrigal grew to be a highly developed vocal style and musical instruments, such as the lute and harpsichord, became more popular in the culture. Gutenberg's printing press also brought music to the masses: for the first time compositions could circulate beyond their place of origin.

This course examines the development of Baroque music from a variety of perspectives, including its role in drama, in opera, and in the evolution of the orchestra.

The Baroque period (1600-1750) brought in the element of grandeur and emotion on a scale never before seen. The era was dominated by the great composers Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel and Antonio Vivaldi. They were the birth of Opera a combination of music, drama and spectacle that was sweeping across Europe.

The orchestra started to develop as an instrument, the concerto and sonata became significant compositional genres, and the importance of tonality, or harmony, that pervades much of the music of the Western world became distinct. This was music that was meant to touch people's hearts and it did just that.

The music of the Classical and Romantic periods is full of passion, order.

Baroque complexity was deliberately avoided in the Classical period (1750-1820). Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven prefer clarity, balance and elegance of structure. The symphony orchestra was standardized and symphony and string quartet were the most advanced forms of the time.

Then came the Romantic era (1820-1900) and the emergence of a frenzy of self-expression. Music and nationalism, longing, nature and raw human emotion were infused into the music of Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Wagner and Schubert. The orchestra expanded in size, harmony developed and the piano and violin became famous solo instruments. For the first time in his musical career, he felt the music was all of his.

A collection of contemporary and contemporary music examples that break each of the rules.

The 20th century was a complete break from the norm. With Stravinsky, Schoenberg and Bartók, tonality ceased to be the norm and they began to venture into dissonance and new systems of composition. New technology revolutionized how people listened to music it became omnipresent, for anyone.

Starting with the traditions of African Americans, jazz, blues, and rock 'n' roll changed the popular music scene. The world of electronic music opened new sonic worlds. Today, in the 21st century, hip-hop, EDM, indie rock, and all manner of mash-ups and hybrids continue to develop thanks to streaming services and a worldwide digitally connected listener base.

Rauf Hameed notes that the internet has made music distribution more democratic than it has ever been even 30 years ago. Independent artists today are able to target the global audience without a big label. There is no longer a distinction between genres. The outcome is the most sonically varied moment in the history of western music.

Final Thoughts

Human creativity is at the heart of the evolution of Western music, which refuses to accept stagnation. Including in its repertoire ancient monophonic chants, and even AI supported compositions, each era has brought a new dimension to a tradition as ancient as it is ever new.