Fiend for Fantasy
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In T.S. Eliots essay, he discusses the concept of the English language being the best medium through which to write poetry because of it being derived of many different languages and cultures. He also says, “the English language enjoys constant possibilities of refreshment from its several centers.” I believe this to be true not only for poetry, but also that a country, when diverse, is prone to develop new and more influential music because of the dense supply of unique cultures from which it draws inspiration for new styles of music. The sound, style, and instruments used in one countrys music varies greatly from that of another. Each person within a country carries with them their countries culture and taste in music; the kinds of sounds their ears are trained to enjoy. The more diverse a country is, the more sources for fresh influence needed to bring about new sounds there are. Though any one country can adopt another countrys sound, the true ingenuity and creation of new kinds of music come from within a diverse country, where two or more cultures collaborate and develop and entirely new sound.
It is this collaboration, that has thoughout musics history has caused every new trend in musical style. In the early 1600s when Western European classical music adopted Greek methods of tri-tone, dissonance and vocal melodies to create the Baroque era of music including the foundation of Opera. In late 19th century America, a collaboration between African American Spirituals and Appalachian bluegrass created Blues. Then in the 1910s, European brass and string instruments began being played in Blues keys and with a Blues style of syncopation and a swung tempo, forming Jazz. Then in the 1930s, Jazz, Gospel, and European Military drums, along with the invention of the electric guitar, created Rock and Roll. In the first example, it took over 200 years for Western European to go from Renaissance Era music to Baroque Era music. In the second example, American music changed three times; from Blues, to Jazz, to Rock and Roll within less than 60 years. This is not to say one era of music was better than another, rather that Western Europe lacked the internal diversity it needed to progressively refresh its musical sound. 19th to 20th century America, on the other hand, had recently freed African-American slaves, Irish and British immigrants, and Americans themselves to come together to create Rock and Roll, the most Globally cherished genre of music ever created.
None of this is to say that diverse countries produce the best music or even dominate the style of music their countries create. On the contrary, many would say that England has dominated the Rock scene since the 60s, and I would agree with them.