According to the theory of C. Darwin, music appeared as a result of a person’s physical activity, and it was based on one or another rhythm. J.-J. Rousseau assumed that music appeared as a way of expressing emotions - at first the voice began to be fixed at a certain height, then intervals appeared, and then the instruments appeared. It is customary to separate types of music depending on these important concepts: on the rhythm, the instruments used, etc. Also often, this term refers to various styles.
Types of music are directly related to the impression left by the listener, therefore, when determining the style, the whole work is considered, and not its separate part. In this case, the musical material is evaluated in terms of melodics, rhythm, harmony and polyphony.
The concept of “types of music” also includes the instrumental part. In other words, the use of various instruments on which music is recorded or reproduced is directly evaluated, which to a large extent can affect the perception of works.
There are types of music depending on the era of writing, as well as on the manner of the composer. Thanks to such a classification, it is impossible to confuse, for example, the Bach style with someone else - each era and composer have their own unique features and writing methods, which allows us to introduce such a division into types.
Of all types of art, music acts on a person in a special way, causing him a variety of emotions, affecting feelings at the subconscious level. A musical sound arising from vibrations of the air is as natural as the sounds of nature. Thanks to this similarity, music is pleasant from an emotional point of view, is well perceived by human physiology. Music as an art form represents a certain skill related to beauty, creation, and the concept of value. Depending on the style, music has different contents, for example, in opera and ballet there are often analogies with real people, literary plots, or historical events. Experiences when listening to music are not like everyday feelings, it is believed that the nature of music is associated with an absolute spirit.
New technologies at the beginning of the 20th century gave an impetus to the development of music and the emergence of new styles, which are now ten times more than in the Middle Ages. The emergence of new forms and styles was also influenced by geographical discoveries, acquaintance with different peoples and cultures, and the exchange of information. At this time, a new musical classification appears: the main types of music include not only classical music, but also popular, folk, oriental, etc.
Classical music is still considered the most complex and serious, which has made a special contribution to the development of art. Popular music and pop are only entertaining in nature and easy to perceive. Non-European and ethnic music is very interesting, because it emphasizes not only the identity of different peoples, but also the sound of unique instruments used to play it. Jazz remains one of the most difficult styles of music and requires the performer to have a high level of knowledge of the instrument and difficult improvisations. Rock, alternative, avant-garde - quite new musical styles, popular among the younger generation.
There are other classifications of music: by the nature of performance, by composer technique, by function, etc.