About Music History
Music existed long before written history. Archaeological instruments, art, and surviving traditions provide clues about ancient sound. Later notation, printing, recording, broadcasting, and digital networks transformed musical life.
Ancient Music
Archaeologists have found flutes and other instruments tens of thousands of years old.
Learn MoreNotation
Notation allows musical ideas to be recorded.
Learn MoreMusic Printing
Printing made written music cheaper to reproduce.
Learn MoreOrchestra Growth
European orchestras expanded from smaller ensembles to large nineteenth-century forces.
Learn MoreRecording
Sound recording separated music from live performance.
Learn MoreRadio
Radio brought music into homes and vehicles.
Learn MoreStudio Production
The recording studio became a creative instrument.
Learn MoreDigital Era
Computers changed composition, production, distribution, and listening.
Learn MoreAncient Music
Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, China, India, and other cultures left instruments, images, and texts related to music.
Notation
Different cultures developed different systems, and oral traditions remain equally important in many forms of music.
Music Printing
Publishers helped spread compositions and standardize some notation practices.
Orchestra Growth
Instrument design also changed, increasing volume, range, and reliability.
Recording
Cylinders, discs, magnetic tape, digital audio, and streaming each changed how music was produced and consumed.
Radio
Broadcasting helped create national and international audiences for performers.
Studio Production
Multitrack recording, editing, effects, and synthesis made sounds possible that could not be reproduced easily on stage.
Digital Era
Affordable software lets individuals create professional-quality recordings with relatively little equipment.