How is music connected to history?

Music is part of the culture and “personality” of a country (or even a geographic region). As such, it is part of the “biography” of that area, part of the changes brought about by other historical events, such as invasions, technological developments, and leaders (see the “Great Man” theory of historical change). So changes in music are part of the historical “record” of a region. Take, for example, the birth of Mozart – his musical...

Music is part of the culture and “personality” of a country (or even a geographic region). As such, it is part of the “biography” of that area, part of the changes brought about by other historical events, such as invasions, technological developments, and leaders (see the “Great Man” theory of historical change). So changes in music are part of the historical “record” of a region. Take, for example, the birth of Mozart – his musical innovations affected  all of Europe’s whole cultural signature. An even clearer geography example can be found in the Austrian Joseph Haydn’s influence on Britain’s culture, stemming from his visits in 1790-1791 and later. In modern times, the Beatles became part of America’s popular cultural history with the advent of “The British Invasion” in 1964. In another direction, we can view history itself by reflecting on the kind of music that a given historical period embraced. Jazz, for example, gives a good example of the image, the texture, of the roaring ‘20s. So, speaking generally, one can say that the background “sound track” of history is its musical signature.