Has/how has the purpose of music changed over the ages?

Question

Thanks to all for your responses.

-Chaser

Answer 1

Up until the early to mid 60's, pop music was strictly songwriter-based. Very few performers wrote their own music, and the writers themselves got pretty much all of the profit. In those days, pop music was wallpaper for the ears, not to be contemplated.
The Beatles pretty much blew it all wide open in '64. They wrote virtually all of their material and were, for all intents and purposes the first musical *group*. This is where record labels started coming in and really taking over and turning pop music into a business. Artists strived to retain the integrity of their Art which, in those days, was mostly intended to express political and social opinions.
In the '70's, record labels totally took over, started "manufacturing" acts (think "disco") and pop music became less an art-form than a commodity like soda and blue-jeans. Then MTV came along in '81 and totally screwed it all up. For good. Gone were the days of artists making music for the sake of creating something significant. Throughout much of the 80's and '90's, and pretty much into these days, the purpose of music is to serve as a soundtrack for a video. The songwriting, performance, and actual *talent* of the artist took a back seat to the superficial appearances of the performer. Lots of "ugly" but incredibly talented artists fell by the wayside thanks to music video.
These days, however, musicians have realized that record labels are a joke and, thanks to the internet, are releasing their own stuf their own way. Therefore, there is hope, I hope, that more artists these days are making music because they want to make music more than they want to make money.
I dunno if this answered your question at all! But it's a try.

Answer 2

I don't believe that it has. Music has always been used to tell a story,to inspire,to calm,to rile up,to express feelings and sometimes even for just pure shock value. It was used in plays as an antecedent to an upcoming scene, today it is used in movies the same way.It has been used as a battle cry to get the troops pumped up. It is still used that way today. Music can suit many purposes. This has been a constant over time.

Answer 3

Purposes of music:
Communication-African & polynesian (sp?) Talking drums
Prayer-Gregorian chants, Hymns
Social Gathering/Dancing (Baroque to present day)
Special Events (coronating a king, winning a war, etc.)
Entertainment
used to express emotion (esp. Romantic era)
Used to tell a story (Opera, Program music, Musicals)
Used to foster creativity and self-expression (Jazz Improvs)
Used to push the boundaries of "what is music" (Stravinsky, Ives, Reich, Penderecki, etc.)
Used for Political Purposes (Nationalist movement (, Dylan & other vietnam-era songs, protest music, Marches)
Used as a background/ to intensify some occuring action. (Ballet, Movie/TV soundtracks)

I don't know if the purpose of music as a whole has CHANGED so much as it has expanded.

Answer 4

I totally agree w/ frustrated writer----well written!!