Genealogy of musical genres
Encyclopedia
The genealogy of musical genres is the pattern of musical genres
that have contributed to the development of new genres.
Genealogical
charts or family trees of musical genres show how new genres have emerged from existing genres and how multiple genres have contributed to a new genre. Since music
can be endlessly broken down into smaller and smaller categories, a genealogical chart will usually focus on one major genre and its different strains. For instance, jazz
is considered to be a genre with many sub-genres, including New Orleans jazz, ragtime, swing, bebop, free jazz, and Latin jazz. How these developed out of one another is shown in a genealogical chart, often with major figures or innovators of each sub-genre.
A genealogy of genres may also incorporate several major genres, such as jazz, rock and roll
and folk music
. The image accompanying this article shows how numerous Cuban musical styles have developed out of many other genres including some from Europe, Africa, the US, Latin America and other Caribbean countries. While focusing on Cuban music, the image also shows the genealogy of many popular music
genres since the 18th century.
The family tree of music can also be explored by starting at the article for your favourite genre, and clicking on the items in the stylistic origins, subgenres, derivative forms, and fusion genres sections of the genre infobox.
Music genre
A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other types of music...
that have contributed to the development of new genres.
Genealogy
Genealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members...
charts or family trees of musical genres show how new genres have emerged from existing genres and how multiple genres have contributed to a new genre. Since music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
can be endlessly broken down into smaller and smaller categories, a genealogical chart will usually focus on one major genre and its different strains. For instance, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
is considered to be a genre with many sub-genres, including New Orleans jazz, ragtime, swing, bebop, free jazz, and Latin jazz. How these developed out of one another is shown in a genealogical chart, often with major figures or innovators of each sub-genre.
A genealogy of genres may also incorporate several major genres, such as jazz, rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
and folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
. The image accompanying this article shows how numerous Cuban musical styles have developed out of many other genres including some from Europe, Africa, the US, Latin America and other Caribbean countries. While focusing on Cuban music, the image also shows the genealogy of many popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
genres since the 18th century.
The family tree of music can also be explored by starting at the article for your favourite genre, and clicking on the items in the stylistic origins, subgenres, derivative forms, and fusion genres sections of the genre infobox.
See also
- Ishkur's Guide to Electronic MusicIshkur's Guide to Electronic MusicIshkur's Guide to Electronic Music is an online Flash-driven guide to electronic music created by Kenneth John Taylor of British Columbia...
- List of music genres
- List of musical topics