The Role of Music Amidst Europe’s History

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Dawning from the earliest historical discoveries in human history, music has almost always been present. Described as an art form organized by time, music is an expressive language of a culture. From prehistoric fire chanting to the Titanic’s orchestra committing the end of their lives to music, what makes the role of music significant throughout Europe’s History?

Culture is responsible for the vast amounts of creations and demolitions throughout our history. The convergence of cultures has created the greatest of nations and the clash of cultures has led to the deadliest of wars. Behind this role of culture is a stark expression of power, perhaps one of the greatest in existence. A famous example of this was expressed when Britain were facing near defeat in World War 2, where Winston Churchill insisted on keeping all Museums in London fully funded because ‘then what would we be fighting for?’ (LANGWORTH, 2017).

Music is a form of expressive art. One thing unique about this concept is that it is a method of communication that does not require a common language to either experience or understand. This has played a foundational role as it allows different cultures to interact with each other. We can see examples of this in medieval battles when war drums were used to intimidate and rattle the opposition, or when nations unite together for their national anthem. It can be used as a method to trigger certain emotional responses from a single individual to an entire country. This is a major reason why the role of music is both powerful and foundational throughout history.

The development of Europe throughout the millennia provides us with a great sandbox overview of this theory, as it has played host to an array of many large and small cultures. Religious organizations throughout these developments have used music to unite its patrons. If we look at the concept behind Religion, it has the ability of uniting millions of people in one belief. Similar to this, music has little boundaries which is why the two often coincide together. This link was so prevalent that the Catholic church even banned certain chord progressions as the augmented 4th chord was the ‘chord of evil’ (Sorensen, 2014). They believed that this sound had the ability to spread evil.

There are other instances where organizations have used music for their cultural benefit. Taking a quick step outside Europe, the Soviet Russian national anthem can be interpreted as one of the most powerful pieces of music in existence. This musical score aided the largest nation in existence to unite its people in order under the rule of communism. Another example of this can be found in the classical music era (500AD – 1,600AD). During this period, Mozart became an international sensation where he single handedly aided the development of modern classical music, uniting people to listen.

What about the role of music today?

Today, the growth in our world is fueled by economic development. This is driven by the major corporations, who exist in order to make a profit. With this idea came the introduction of nightclubs, festivals and concerts. These events are present throughout most of the developed world, where they exist to generate profits for the corporations behind them. A way this is done is by using musical artists, who exist in order to sell tickets concerts. People use music as a way to let loose and unwind. Modern songs for example, usually discuss emotional concepts that are designed to be relatable for the listener. The greater this connection with the listener, the more the listener will want to pay money to see this person perform live.

Why is this important to Europe’s strategy and its development? Well, it’s where we have currently ended up as of right now. I believe that there is a unique power in the medium that music creates. It is a medium that invokes an emotional response within people. Use this medium in alignment with your strategy, and you may achieve the most powerful results.