What are the origins of music, its role in ancient civilizations, the development of classical music through the ages, and the historical significance of orchestras?

Music began with the chirping of birds and evolved into a tool for expressing human emotions. From ancient civilizations to religious ceremonies, political events, and personal emotions, classical music and orchestras have evolved through the ages and continue to play an important artistic role today.

 

Music has been with us for a long time. Humanity’s interest in sound began with the chirping of birds. This led to singing and finger snapping, and the use of shells and hunting bows as musical instruments. In fact, early music was more than just entertainment. Humans imitated the sounds of nature and created their own, which gradually evolved into a tool for communication. Specific rhythms and melodies became important tools for rituals and ceremonies, or for communication between groups. Since then, music has been used by humans throughout history to express personal emotions, such as joy and sadness, and in group events, such as religious and political ceremonies.
It is believed that there were already small orchestras in ancient Egypt. Flutes, harps, and percussion instruments are found in ancient Egyptian artifacts. They called their music “hy,” which means joy. Music was an integral part of royal ceremonies and rituals in Egypt, with hymns to the gods and songs celebrating victories in war. This music wasn’t just for enjoyment, it was an important tool for displaying divinity and power. The Sumerians of the ancient Mesopotamian civilization were so sophisticated in their music that they often sang lyrical song lyrics to instrumental accompaniment. Pythagoras, a famous ancient Greek mathematician, said that the stars make music as they move, but that the human ear is so accustomed to this that it cannot hear the music of the celestial sphere. The Greeks believed that music was closely connected to the human soul and that it could improve human morality. Music was an important part of the Greek education system and was considered an essential means of maintaining balance between body and mind. In Rome, the center of ancient music, music was widely used at aristocratic festivals as well as in comedies for the common people. At that time, Rome already had instruments such as the ritus and bucina, the precursor to the trumpet. They also widely used music in religious ceremonies.
Classical music has been developing since the Middle Ages and the Italian monk Guido d’Arezzo named the scales. Classical music is divided into six periods: the first, from 476 to the 1400s, is called the Middle Ages. Much of the music was written for use in churches, cathedrals, and monasteries, and the most common form of church music is Gregorian chant, which is similar to a cappella today. In the Middle Ages, music was used not only as an expression of faith, but also as a means of solidifying power structures. The church used music to demonstrate divine authority, and the clergy used it to convey spiritual power to the faithful. This period also saw the rise of polyphony, with Notre Dame Cathedral being a major center of polyphonic music. The period from 1400 to 1600 is known as the Renaissance, when music changed from being church-centered to human-centered, and secular music developed. A typical example is the madrigal, a vocal piece that sings about love. Renaissance music emphasized human emotions and experiences, opening up new avenues for artistic expression. Artists tried to explore the inner world of human beings and express the complex emotions they felt through music. The period from 1600 to 1760 is known as Baroque music, which means “bumpy pearl” in Portuguese. This means that harmony and balance are not the only things that are emphasized, and the main characteristic is the creation of instrumental music for instruments only rather than vocal music. In addition, there were many pieces that were played with orchestral instruments and a keyboard instrument called a partichord, and opera, a form of mixed vocal and orchestral music, was born. One of the most representative musicians of this period was Johann Sebastian Bach. The period from 1760 to 1820 is called classicism, and this is when music developed the most. The father of the symphony, Franz Joseph Haydn, who wrote about 180 symphonies. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who wrote his first symphony at the age of eight. Ludwig van Beethoven, who lost his hearing but created beautiful melodies by harmonizing classicism and romanticism. The music of the Classicism period emphasized the harmony between human reason and nature, and valued musical formality and balance. This, coupled with the social changes and philosophical ideas of the time, led to music becoming more than just an art form, but a social role. The period from 1820 to 1910 is known as Romantic music, in which composers freely expressed their feelings. “Composers from this period include Franz Schubert, Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann, Franz Liszt, and Frédéric François Chopin. There were also many composers from Eastern Europe and Russia, such as Pyotr Tchaikovsky and Modest Mussorgsky. The quality of orchestras reached its peak during this period. The Romantic period also emphasized the musical expression of an individual’s inner thoughts and feelings, which is in line with the romantic tendencies in literature and art of the time. Composers sought to create their own unique artistic worlds through their works, and these efforts led to the birth of new musical forms and genres. This later music is called 20th century music. The classical music of the 20th century is heavily influenced by the world wars. One of the most famous composers of this period is Arnold Schönberg, who created the 12-tone technique and is often called the father of modern music. During this period, many attempts were made to combine folk music, jazz, electronic music, etc. with classical music. George Gershwin, for example, combined classical music with jazz. Some very innovative classical music has also been created. For example, John Cage’s “4 Minutes and 33 Seconds” was written without a single note in the score, just a tacet, a musical term for silence.
The orchestra is inseparable from classical music. However, orchestras are not only necessary for classical music, but also appear in modern music, popular music, OST, etc. The etymology of the word orchestra refers to the space between the stage and the seats in a theater, as this was the space for the musicians. Orchestras were born during the Baroque period, when the central instrument, the harpsichord, was complemented by other instruments. The form we know today was born during the Classical period. To compose an orchestral piece, you need to be well-versed in orchestral music, which is the art of organizing the individual sounds of the instruments and how they play together. The conductor is the leader of the orchestra, bringing the instruments together and leading them in practice. The conductor first appeared during the Romantic era, before which the harpsichord or music director served as the leader. Each instrument has a designated seat in the orchestra, although this varies slightly, with the quieter instruments usually sitting closer to the conductor. The violin is a small stringed instrument that is the centerpiece of the orchestra. The viola is slightly larger than the violin and has a lower sound. Cellos play the lower notes and sometimes solo, and contrabasses play the lowest notes of all instruments and usually don’t solo. Wind instruments are divided into woodwinds and brass, depending on the material they’re made of, with woodwinds usually sitting before brass. Woodwinds include the flute, piccolo, oboe, clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, and contrabassoon. Brass instruments include trumpets, trombones, horns, and tubas. And at the very back of the stage are the percussion instruments that accentuate the music: timpani, big drums, small drums, cymbals, and triangles. There are also smaller chamber orchestras that are not full-scale orchestras, often called ensembles, and often consist of trios, quartets, and quintets. Larger orchestras are divided into philharmonic orchestras and symphony orchestras. Philharmonic orchestras are made up of musicians who belong to orchestras created by private organizations. Symphony orchestras are made up of selected musicians and can range from 80 to 100 musicians. These two types of orchestras play an important role in contemporary music performance and are active in a wide range of genres, from classical to film scores, popular music, and traditional music. Philharmonic orchestras especially play in world-renowned venues and symbolize artistic authority. There are also more unusual types of orchestras, such as military bands or marching bands, which are made up of trumpets, trombones, tuba, saxophones, drums, cymbals, and other instruments that are easy to play while walking.