Music in the 20th Century

For most of human history, if people wanted to listen to music, they had to make music.  Professional musicians existed, but only the very wealthiest people had access to their performances.  The average person did not enjoy this luxury.  Instead, they sang to make work pass quickly, to worship, to relax after a long day.  Some learned to play treasured instruments or constructed their own instruments from available materials.  Songs were made up and passed down from generation to generation.  Even the wealthiest people who employed professional musicians were expected to learn to play instruments as part of their basic education.  Music was a participatory activity!

At the end of the 19th century, a great innovation occurred: recorded sound.  Suddenly, people could hear recordings of one another, across distant lands and distant years.  In the 20th century, this technology gave rise to the recording industry.  Now, everyone had the opportunity to enjoy the music of professional musicians, just about everywhere, and just about all the time.  We are more blessed with more music than every before.

The down side is that all these recordings have made music a passive experience much of the time.  With "official," professional versions of songs, anyone who doesn't perform it exactly the same way may be discouraged.  We form ideas of the "right way" to sing and play, and anyone who doesn't measure up, may be told to quit making music all together.

This is a tragedy.  Everyone can, and should, make music.  We don't all need to be professional musicians, but we do need to participate in musical experiences.  We should all sing in the shower or the car.  We should all sing in large groups - at houses of worship or the ball park.  We should all be willing to pick up an instrument and play for fun if that is something we enjoy.  Don't worry about being perfect or professional; just make music and enjoy it!