201241382

Music and the Development of Europe and America

In todays time, we exist in a world of vast and fast paced accumulation of information,
sometimes an excess of it. The majority of information that we gather tends to belong usually to
the mainstream. We have become too concerned about what information, news, reports, and
trends in the society and at the same time being apathetic to those which belongs to the
marginalized. But first, what does it mean to be in the mainstream and on the other side being
marginalized? Does it make something less significant if it belongs to the marginalized rather
than in mainstream information? Perhaps, mainstream subjects tend to concern most of the daily
necessities of life coming from lifestyle, fame, legitimacy, credibility or in short, the status quo.
It demands for the attention of the society and most of the time given much concern for it affects
not only the society or community as a whole but also in the smallest extent, the individual.
Unfortunately, being marginalized spaces you out from being at the center stage as if you are of
no use or at least being taken for granted. According to Merriam and Webster, marginalization
means to put or keep (someone) in a powerless or unimportant position within a society or
group.1 This then provides a brief definition as to which our idea of marginalization of an
institution will aid us in understanding and identifying contributions to Europe and Americas
development despite being itself marginalized.
In this occasion, we concern ourselves on the institutions that were often neglected in the
context of Europe and America. On one hand, institutions such as the government, military,
health, business institutions, trade and etc. have taken their spotlight over other institutions. They
are already considered mainstream institutions. These institutions are commonly the topics of
day-to-day conversation. Some would have a wider knowledge of things when it comes to these
mainstream topics. However, on the other hand, we try to investigate the contributions of our
institution despite being marginalized in the development of Europe and America. We will

1 Merriam-Webster, An Encyclopaedia Britannica Company: Merriam-Webster,

Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/marginalize, March 1,
2015

provide attention and give justice to these marginalized institutions as our way of acknowledging
their contributions, may it be small or less felt in the society. We focus ourselves on the Music
Industry of both Europe and America. We consider this institution as marginalized because back
then, during the times of the Greeks, music in its development was already part of the day-to-day
lifestyle.2 During this time, people have been accustomed to primitive music and was given less
attention because it can be compared to a necessity in which its presence is not that given much
importance. Perhaps, another reason would be its capability to adapt to the ways of how Greeks
live their lives. Just like the existence of water, food, clothing, shelter, and etc that are often
given less attention but is considered a necessity of a community.
To further understand the context that this paper aims, we are going to discuss first the
background of music in Europe during the early periods. Next would be its contributions in the
century where it first made an impact to politics and the economic spheres in the present. It
would then be followed by the background of American music and its contribution to economic
development. And at the last part would be to integrate the contribution of music that somehow
facilitated development to both Europe and America to the music industry despite being
marginalized.
In Europe music serves as part of their cultural heritage. Greece was greatly influenced of
the primitive music from countries east of Europe like China, India, Egypt and etc. 3 This
influenced spread throughout the land Europe in the succeeding years and started using musical
instruments such as lyre, harps, horns, and etc. 4 Also during the time of the Greeks, music was
used to educate the people greatly emphasizing music and gymnastics are both essential to man
according to the two great philosophers that time, Plato and Aristotle. 5 After some decades and
centuries, music shifted its path from studying music as art, astronomy and measurements by
2 Peder Jensen, A History of European Music, Part 1, 1 July 2009, Retrieved from
http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/3992, March 5, 2015
3 Ibid.
4 Ibid.
5 Ibid.

Pythagoras to the utilization of the Catholic Church in its teachings. 6 They used music as a tool
to express poems, sing psalms and hymns, and to transform scriptures to chants. 7 However,
during the 19th century Europe, changes were evident. Their musical culture was described as
nationalistic music during this century.8 The major contribution of music to Europe would be its
strengthening and building of Europes national identity.9 Art then was considered as a political
tool in changing and shaping their society through its nationalistic agenda. What most composers
concern back then was about how to create a national identity by the use of music that is
incorporated with their national culture.

10

Europeans such as Richard Wagner, a German;

Bedrich Smetana, a Czech and Edvard Grieg, a Norwegian are examples of artists that took part
in politics during the 19th century.11 Also during 1789-1918, artists from different areas made
significant roles in participating in politics in which the concern is change. 12 Art, then, became
involved in political activities as it was before. These three artists, Wagner, Smetana and Grieg
used their art of music to convey their nationalistic sentiments in creating a national culture since
this was the period of the Industrial Revolution.13 The effect of this revolution is that there is a
very much need to unite the citizens against the advancement of technology and culture. 14 With

6 Ibid.
7 Ibid.
8 Benjamin Curtis, Music Makes the Nation, (United States of America: Cambria
Press, 2008), p. ix
9 Ibid., p. ix
10 Ibid., p. x
11 Ibid., p. 1
12 Ibid., p. 2
13Ibid., p. 3
14 Jessica Elder, Industrialization and its Impact on the Rise of Nationalism, 2 May
2012, Retrieved from
http://westerncivguides.umwblogs.org/2012/05/02/industrialization-and-its-impacton-the-rise-of-nationalism/, March 5, 2015

the emergence of this revolution, nationalism is compromised in a way that the world is now
open to globalization. . To further understand the role of artists in creating a national culture,
Curtis provided three processes that allowed them to attain their nationalist agenda. First would
be the establishment of nationalist music itself.15 It would concern how music or art, being
nationalistic in nature, be a factor of politics and of development. Second is that of the national
culture that the artists want to create among the people to establish a united community. 16 This
process concerns the mobilizing capability of music to unite the people in pursuing their
nationalist sentiments. Lastly would be the role of the national artists as to which they use Praxis
to develop their tools in their political involvement.

17

This Praxis would then provide them a

better way and different ideas to establish a national culture in achieving their national identity.
After the long run, this movement of nationalistic pride gained support not only to coartists, but also to different nationalistic politicians, for they believed that by creating a
nationalist culture, it would be easier to create a nationalistic community of people who truly
deserves that culture.18 They made use of music productively as a tool for mass mobilization.
This was their tool in establishing their culture to penetrate the international arena in gaining
recognition.19 They utilized art and politics to demand attention that their culture during that time
is supreme and better compared to other cultures. This was also the competition that existed
during the 19th century that forced them to focus their energies and attention on building a
national culture best when compared to others. That is why culture is the basis of this
competition. Without culture almost all artists and politician would have a hard time coping up

15 Benjamin Curtis, Music Makes the Nation, (United States of America: Cambria
Press, 2008), p. 5
16 Ibid., p. 4
17 Benjamin Curtis, Music Makes the Nation, (United States of America: Cambria
Press, 2008), p. 5
18 Ibid., p. 3
19 Ibid., p. 192

with the constraints produced by this movement.

20

Just like what Curtis said in his book Music

Makes the Nation, The culture was, again, what would give meaning to the national identity...
and it was the job, above all, of nationalist artists is to create that culture. 21 He then presented
three general themes that would allow national identity to be recognized internationally. First is
prestige; the second is, dissemination and lastly would be universality.22 Curtis introduced
prestige as the quest of artists to compete with other nations proving that each culture is superior
than the other.23 That in every nation, the art produced, must pass the international standard.
Basically, this standard only demands for the values presented by the art not only applicable to a
single nation but to all.24 Next would be on dissemination stating that for the artist and their
works to gain prestige, there must be a way on how to introduce it to the market nationally and
internationally.25 This can be facilitated by three ways as enumerated by Curtis in his book; 1.)
the successive bookings of concerts wherein these artists could best introduce and share their
music to a wider array of audience, 2.) song presentations done abroad, even without the
presence of the artist and lastly, 3.) through selling posters, recordings, albums and etc. to the
public.26 For the last theme which is universality, Curtis presented it in a way describing music as
an idea a universal language that men from different parts of the world could communicate with
each other by the use of music.27 This ability of music to be able to be an avenue for men to

20 Ibid., p. 6
21 Ibid., p. 6
22 Ibid., p. 191
23 Ibid., p. 192
24 Ibid., p. 193
25 Ibid., p. 200
26 Benjamin Curtis, Music Makes the Nation, (United States of America: Cambria
Press, 2008), pp. 200-201
27 Ibid., p. 209

communicate with each other in different parts of the world makes itself both national and
cosmopolitan in a way that men can accept music of another country as their national identity.
An example in todays time would be the emerging identity of hip hop, pop music and rap
to some teenagers wishing that the society would appreciate their songs and expressions, thus
creating their own identity in the society. Others would perform in the streets to battle small scale
poverty. Also, we can use various national anthems or hymns of countries as an example of
music rooted in a symbolic national power.28 This manifests how the people used music as a way
to create in them a nationalistic identity and express their needs and demands in the society. In
also manifests how Europe was able develop and cultivate their culture by means of establishing
their national identity being recognized globally in the international scene. Another contribution
that music shared in Europe would be its significant advancements in highlighting modern music
through technology.29 In its simplest sense, modern music contributed to boost Europes
economy in this present generation. It made a massive leap from the way music was created, the
way it was spread throughout the national and international arena and the way it was patronized
by the people. At the present time, music already became digitized facilitated by technological
innovations and advancements.30 Digitization in Europe offered a number of services made
available to European across different borders.31 It saw the potential of companies to suffice the
demand of Europeans to provide them with almost a number of different genres of music. It also
allowed the European Union to improve their music market last 2013, making the music market

28 Paul Rutten, Global Sounds and Local Brews: Musical developments and music
industry in Europe, 1996, Retrieved from
http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/MIE/Part2_chapter01.shtml, March
1, 2015
29 Andra Leurdijk and Ottilie Nieuwenhuis,
Statistical, Ecosystems and Competitiveness Analysis of the
Media and Content Industries: The Musical Industry, 2012, Retrieved from
http://ftp.jrc.es/EURdoc/JRC69816.pdf, March 1, 2015
30 Ibid.
31 IFPI, The Evolution of Music In EuropeMay 2014, Retrieved from
http://www.ifpi.org/downloads/Europe-Music-Industry-2014.pdf, March 1, 2015

stable for the first time in 12 years.32 Major multinational music companies like Sony Music,
Warner Music Group, EMI Group and, Universal Music Group assisted the booming of the
music industry not only in Europe and America but also throughout the world, composing 70%
of the worlds market and 80% of the US market. 33These companies develop their income from
four sources,

namely live performances, production of recordings, synchronization and

circulation.34 Also, at this point in time, numerous schools of music and the active participation
and collaboration of the media have emerged to produce artists able to pass the art of music from
one generation to another and to accelerate the spread of music, respectively.35 In a data provided
by IFPI, a non-profit international organization that serves as the voice of 1,300 record
companies found throughout the world, music is an essential tool of social media having 9 out of
10 most like people in Facebook are artists; 9 out of the top 10 videos from Youtube are music
videos of artists and 7 out of 10 most followed people in Twitter are also artists. 36 Furthermore,
the important influence displayed by US and UK generates great impact when it comes to
musical trend setting.37 International head offices of the said companies are found either in US or
in UK and other branches could be found elsewhere in other European countries. 38 Their purpose
is to provide support, aid and improvement to these companies in training and improving their
32 IFPI, The Evolution of Music In EuropeMay 2014, Retrieved from
http://www.ifpi.org/downloads/Europe-Music-Industry-2014.pdf, March 1, 2015
33 Andra Leurdijk and Ottilie Nieuwenhuis,
Statistical, Ecosystems and Competitiveness Analysis of the
Media and Content Industries: The Musical Industry, 2012, Retrieved from
http://ftp.jrc.es/EURdoc/JRC69816.pdf, March 1, 2015
34 Ibid.
35 Paul Rutten, Global Sounds and Local Brews: Musical developments and music
industry in Europe, 1996, Retrieved from
http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/MIE/Part2_chapter01.shtml, March
1, 2015
36 IFPI, The Evolution of Music In EuropeMay 2014, Retrieved from
http://www.ifpi.org/downloads/Europe-Music-Industry-2014.pdf, March 1, 2015
37 Paul Rutten, Global Sounds and Local Brews: Musical developments and music
industry in Europe, 1996, Retrieved from
http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/MIE/Part2_chapter01.shtml, March
1, 2015

artists talents.39 In addition, larger transnational companies also aim to control over some, if not
all, independent companies for them to provide much better support and further improve the
artists on their own fields.40 This is a clear manifestation of the steps Europe is taking to improve
its culture by providing much attention to their music industry.
Now lets take our discussion to the land of opportunity, America. Native Americans
believe that music was not made by man but was endowed to beings able to communicate with
idols or primitive gods.41 On another idea, other Native Americans believe that music was a
property by these few selected people who communicates with idols and was passed from
generations to generations, but some also believe that music belongs to a group or an assembly
of people that cannot be sung by others without their permission. 42 They also used music as part
of their rituals, ceremonies or celebrations accompanied by dance and various performances. 43
Compared today, we have wedding receptions with playing acoustic music; in provinces we have
fiestas accompanied by percussion instruments as well as dance presentations as well. During
these types of occasion, performers or musicians are not given applause or praise because it is a
duty for them to serve the assembly.44 Music back then was primitive and is limited only to
purposes of solidifying or unifying a community through practicing their tradition. However, in
the early 16th-18th century, music back then was based on the fascination of the Americans in the

38 Ibid.
39 Ibid.
40 Ibid.
41 Victoria Lindsay Levine, Encyclopaedia Britannica: Native American Music, 30
January 2014, Retrieved from
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1350772/Native-American-music, March
5, 2015
42 Ibid.
43 Ibid.
44 Ibid.

United Kingdoms musical tradition.45 American-Indians began to pattern their musical

composition to European compositions. During this century, Europeans began to share with the
American-Indians their technique in creating European music. 46 This interaction made possible
the development of another type of musical technique combined from both countries unique
ways of producing music. By the start of the 1800s up to the 1850s, Americans-Indians began to
create their own music in the form of hymns that was very much used in churches as songs of
worship.47 In line with music being used in churches, it also gave birth to new developments of
belief systems, the Indian Shaker Church and the Native American Church, each having its
unique way of using music as an accompaniment in worshiping their own god. 48 Also, another
advancement that music made was the creation of Powwow, a type of festivity or assembly that
is performed in the entire North America.49 The songs played, compared to other musical
advancements, talks about the style of music present in the plains and promotes native culture,
spirituality and social unity.50
In the succeeding century, 20th century, Native Americans began to patronize blues, jazz,
folk, hip-hop, country, rock and roll, reggae and etc.51 This development of style and technique to

45 Ronald G. Walters and John Spitzer, American Popular Song: A Brief History,
History Matters: The U.S Survey Course on the Web, June 2003, Retrieved from
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/mse/songs/amsong.html, March 5, 2015
46 Victoria Lindsay Levine, Encyclopaedia Britannica: Native American Music, 30
January 2014, Retrieved from
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1350772/Native-American-music, March
5, 2015
47 Ibid.
48 Ibid.
49 Victoria Lindsay Levine, Encyclopaedia Britannica: Native American Music, 30
January 2014, Retrieved from
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1350772/Native-American-music, March
5, 2015
50 Ibid.
51 Ibid.

produce art is very evident in todays time. Genres like these are largely patronized in the web as
well as in live performances. This is the great influence made by electronics in the present
condition of the music industry.

52

This can also be characterized as Americas Century.53 The

reason is that major influence to the global music industry will be felt brought by innovations
done by the Americans.54 Just like the achievements European music industry attained, America
also established themselves utilizing digitization and technological advancements. 55 With the
height of the rapid developments made by technological advancements in the music industry
from faster product dissemination, digitization to mass production of musical art, it imposes a
great challenge to performers in steering live performances to a much greater level. These
technological advancements aim to motivate these artists and performers to increase the
standards if their talents for them to be at par with the innovations done by technology to music.
In addition, because of digitization and other advancements present in todays generation, the
possibilities are also numerous and open for the economy to improve. The Recording Industry
Association of America or RIAA has released a report last two years regarding the income that
the industry gets and the developments the music industry has generated throughout the year.56
One of which is the international streaming services providers like YouTube, Deezer, Pandora,
Google Play, iTunes and Spotify offer the global audience a number of options to use. 57 These
52 Lukas Foss, Jr., Encyclopaedia Britannica: Musical Performance,2015, Retrieved
from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/399251/musicalperformance/64489/The-20th-century-and-beyond, March 5, 2015
53 PBS.org, 20th Century Music, 2015, Retrieved from
http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/feature/20th-century-music/, March 5,
2015
54 Ibid.
55 Lukas Foss, Jr., Encyclopaedia Britannica: Musical Performance,2015, Retrieved
from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/399251/musicalperformance/64489/The-20th-century-and-beyond, March 5, 2015
56 Brad Hill, Growth of streaming keeps U.S. recorded-music market stable (RIAA
report), 18 March 2014, Retrieved from http://rainnews.com/growth-of-streamingkeeps-u-s-recorded-music-market-stable-riaa-report/, March 5, 2015
57 Frances Moore, Digital Music Report 2014, 2014, Retrieved from
http://www.ifpi.org/downloads/Digital-Music-Report-2014.pdf, March 5, 2015

streaming services accumulate millions of subscribers to billed subscriptions from 8 million in

2011 up to 28 million in 2013.58 The music industry also aims for big improvements as it tries to
open new international markets for licensed music services to gather and introduce new
audiences to the big market of the music industry.59
Another contribution of American music was its significant involvement in politics.
Artists such as The Black Eyed Peas William Adams, Eagles drummer and solo artist Don
Henley, Will and Jada Smith, record producer Quincy Jones, Grammy Award winning artist
John Legend to name a few, have provided monetary support to the DNC or Democratic National
Committee, the fundraising arm of the Democratic Party.60 The music industry has been an
essential tool in providing support to the Democratic Party. Not only artists of different respects
had given their share in expressing their support to the Democratic Party but also Warner Music
Group Chairman Edgar Bronfman and Chief Executive Officer Lyor Cohen have given their
contribution.61 It only says that the music industry does not only concern the cultural
development of a country, but also is involved with politics in terms of the factors that involve its
agents which are agents as well of the society.
In conclusion, despite music industry being a marginalized institution, it still provided
significant contributions to both Europe and Americas. The path and development that the music
industry took years before provided for the improvement and advancement of European and
American economy. Both countries benefited from advancements made by the music industry in
terms of production and dissemination of this art. Gaining access to these opportunities for
improvisation allowed the music industry to contribute to the development of the economy of a
country. Establishing national identity also benefited Europe the most because of the need to
58 Ibid.
59 Ibid.
60 Dan Hartranft, In A Familiar Refrain, Music Industry Heavily Supports Dems, 19
April 2012, Retrieved from http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2012/04/musicindustry-heavily-supporting-d/, March 5, 2015
61 Ibid.

2012041382
combat negative effects of the revolution. It was evident by the efforts of Wagner, Stemata and
Grieg by utilizing their art repertoire to involve intently in political matters. Same thing with the
case of the Democratic Party of America wherein the party receives monetary donation from
different artists in different fields. We can see the involvement of the music industry in
articulating their interests politically and by addressing their stand through the artists as their
agents. It is also very surprising to know that the music industry, as a marginalized institution,
still managed to involve itself in providing cultural, political, and economic impacts for the
development of Europe and America. However, these contributions do not guarantee us in terms
of establishing a perfect scheme to maintain a sustainable development. Of course, for every
victory, there is a sense of defeat. It always come in two ways, either this digitization breeds
digital piracy or political involvement creates distortions and etc. One cannot tell the underlying
factors and effects but as far as we are concerned, we have made our purpose on this paper which
is to provide contributions from a marginalized institution for the development of Europe and of
America.