Read along with the lives of musicians by era
A more interesting history of classics

The second installment of Hyeonamsa's "Chronology Series," "Western Music History," has been published!

Where did the word "music" originate? When did the names of notes, keys like C major and D major, and symbols representing music first emerge? When did these first come to be recorded and performed in sheet music form, and how has the history of those who create and perform music evolved to the present day?

Following 'Western Art History', the second book in the Hyeonamsa Chronology series, 'Western Music History in Chronology', organizes the complex and long history of classical music in chronological order, from ancient music to Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and modern times.
Familiar names and pieces from Bach, Vivaldi, Mozart, Beethoven, Erik Satie, and Leonard Bernstein are presented in connection with the flow of history that formed the background of the time, allowing for a deeper understanding of the language of the times called music.
Unlike previous Western music history books that were so thick that it was difficult to read, this book is not burdensome and is easy to read at any time, as it unfolds the story of the musicians and their lives by era.

There is a strong perception that music, unlike painting, is an invisible art form that can only be understood by those who can read sheet music.
This book, with its rich photographic material and the story of the musician's life, helps to alleviate some of the difficulties of the invisible art of music.
From the origins of music to modern classical music, you can discover the traces of music hidden in vivid photos of historical figures and beautiful works of art, and learn that classical music has been stirring people's hearts for a very long time.

The voice that is born with the body itself when a human is born is vocal music, the beginning of music.
If we were to guess by looking at the cave paintings, the first instruments that would have been used would have been percussion instruments and drums that made sounds by striking stones or animal bones.
Since musical instruments are made by using objects to produce sound, there would have been percussion instruments made of animal bones, stones, shells, etc., wind instruments made by making holes in animal bones and letting air pass through them, and string instruments made by rubbing horse tail hairs.
---From "The Beginning of Music"

The ancient Greeks considered poetry a fundamental subject and made it compulsory for children to learn singing and playing musical instruments until they were 14 years old.
The Greeks believed that music influenced human emotions and feelings of love, and therefore argued that listening to good music would make one a better person.
This is the ethos theory.
---From "The Beginning of Music"

The first image of Baroque is far from what we think of today as elegant and noble.
To those accustomed to the orderly art of the Renaissance, the Baroque seemed strange, extremely barbaric, and decadent.
The word "Baroque," which first appeared in a 1733 review of Jean-Philippe Rameau's opera "Hippolyte et Aricie," referred to a vulgar music characterized by inconsistent and dissonant melodies, frequent changes in meter and key, and a very fast tempo.
The philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau criticized Baroque music, saying that it was full of chaotic harmonies, modulations, and dissonances, and that the songs were jarring and abnormal, difficult to sing in precise pitch, and monotonous in movement.
It was not until the late 19th century that this period began to be referred to as the Baroque period.
---From "Baroque Music"

The Classical period can be said to be the greatest golden age in the history of music.
He further developed the musical techniques inherited from the previous Baroque era, and filled in any shortcomings or imperfections to perfection.
In the classical period, attempts were made to create very old-fashioned and strict, yet at the same time free and diverse forms.
As the power of the absolute monarchy, which seemed destined to last forever, weakened, the French Revolution broke out in 1789.
The deaths of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette on the guillotine and the Citizens' Revolution are historically and culturally significant events.
---From "Classical Music"

Artists of the time considered music to be the greatest art form of the time, as they believed it could express all aspects of the romantic sensibility that humans sought.
The musicians have captured here stories of nostalgia, desire, aspiration for the infinite, longing, fantasy, and dreams.
In particular, in the early 19th century, opera composers emerged in large numbers, leading to the rapid development of operas with dramatic narratives.
The publishing market for musical scores and the development of musical instruments were also active. As musical instruments developed, the ways of using them also diversified, and composers began to incorporate high-level performance techniques into their scores.
---From "Romantic Music"

Contemporary music is a music that takes pluralism (recognizing diversity) and dissonance, atonality, irregularity, and destruction for granted.
Although we live in modern times, it takes time and effort to truly understand modern music.
To feel music with your whole body, you must understand the world we live in and the imaginary world created by the individual composer.
Contemporary music can be an art form that brings empathy and emotion to some, but to others, it can be an endlessly difficult noise to listen to.
But in some way, the new world is moving forward.
Music emerged in a time when universal standards were no longer feasible.

---From "Modern Music"