These cultures ranged from isolated and technologically primitive peoples to highly organized societies with advanced technological knowledge.

Little is known about the musical activities or systems of these precolonial civilizations, but available sources do afford glimpses into the roles of music in the most-advanced cultures. These sources include surviving musical instruments , dictionaries of Indian languages compiled by early European missionaries, chronicles written by Europeans of the 16th century, and, for Mesoamerica, a substantial number of pre-Columbian Mexican codices.

A codex is a manuscript in book form. Some scholars have studied the musical cultures of isolated indigenous communities of the 20th century as a means to understanding the past; although such an approach may be somewhat useful, it is not wise to assume that traditions are continuous and uninfluenced over centuries. The type of ancient Mesoamerican music that is best-documented is the ritual music of the courts primarily Aztec and Mayan.

Music performance often allied with dance is depicted as a large-ensemble activity, in which numerous participants variously play instruments, sing, or dance. The 8th-century murals of the Bonampak temple, for example, show a procession with trumpets, drums, and rattles. To an extent that is remarkable in light of their numerous differences in other artistic and cultural realms, the different cultures from at least the 8th century to the early 16th century used similar instruments.

Drums and wind instruments , primarily flutes , are commonly described in texts and found in artifacts. Drinking Hanging Out In Love. Introspection Late Night Partying.

Rainy Day Relaxation Road Trip. Romantic Evening Sex All Themes. Features Interviews Lists. Streams Videos All Posts. Track Listing. American Music. Dave Alvin. Ed Harcourt. Monochrome to Colour. Harcourt resumes cinematic post-rock composer mode with his second all-instrumental album in a row. Gus Dapperton.

The second album from this ultra-stylized bedroom pop artist strays from homespun production in favor of a rawer sound. Find the Sun. Angel Deradoorian's most collaborative solo work to date, as well as her most spiritually reflective. Classical Classical Highlights from August. AllMusic Staff Picks. More Staff Picks. Sacred Spirit , listeners. Carlos Nakai 59, listeners. Buffy Sainte-Marie 98, listeners. Joanne Shenandoah 18, listeners.

Douglas Spotted Eagle 28, listeners. Andrew Vasquez 16, listeners. Mary Youngblood 21, listeners. Robbie Robertson , listeners. Robert Mirabal 13, listeners. The genre attained massive commercial success when artists from Chicago created a variant called Chicago blues. This genre of music evolved in the early 20th century. The early artists were all African-Americans. It has also lead to the birth of many genres in its time, but jazz music is primarily associated with the use of blue notes, performed on instruments like the saxophone and the massive double bass.

The boundaries and scope of jazz is something that has lead to various debates in the music community, and the fact is that no one has yet settled for an accurate description that accurately encompasses the entire genre. The primary focus in rock is on the electric guitar, and the many solos that can be created with it. This website is owned and operated by PineTree Productions which has three music divisiions -- click here.

Contact for more information click here. These are the top five visited pages on this extensive website as of September 1, Film Composers and Soundtracks. In commemoration of the th anniversary of Landing of the Pilgrims and a collection highlighting the oldest singing tradition in America In commemoration of the th anniversary of the first choral music collection by an American composer