History of Contemporary Music - Essay Example

Just as other terms that confine the artistic vocabulary like neoclassicism and totalitarianism, this category is forming arguments and a spread of various approaches and clear distinction. Contradictory to the globalization explanations that talk about a new age of the post historical. This essay will consider the age of the post modern music as an aesthetic paradigm that is illustrated by a specific type of music and focused on one musician, Neil Young. This will show the deconstruction that these expressions are carried out in both the historical accounts and the concepts of pure music, which features in the modern music.

Contemporary History of Music: Neil Young The history of contemporary music can be summed up as modernism, which was featured in the twentieth century between the years 1900 and 1950, which was followed by post modernism from 1960 till present. This is one of the many comprehensions of contemporary music and other deductions are simply possible. By the year 1970, the term rock and roll had become almost meaningless, because it saw the break up of the rock and roll groups like the Beatles and death of the king of rock, who was significant influences on the genre.

However, this era saw the rise of an influential young musician, Neil Young. Young became one of the most soughted after musicians of that era. This is because he was a philosopher, as seen in his lyrics and thoughtful, when it came to singing and writing songs that were reflective. His lyrics were mostly deep and from the heart, and this made it difficult to understand. Young was also the only musician who could change from one style of music to another seamlessly. After Young had moved from the California folk rock band in 1968, he made a name for himself as one of the most influential and eccentric singer and songwriter of his generation.

His only rank second to that Bob Dylan in terms of being deep, and was able to maintain his record sales and reputation, for a longer time than Bob Dylan. This was because of his on purpose, obstinate work ethic. From the start of his solo musical career, fro the late sixties through to the twenty first century, he did not stop recording, writing and performing, and kept numerous unreleased songs in his safe. As much as he was influential, he only had one hit song, titled Heart of Gold, from his number one album Harvest, in 1972.

The song sounds like a claim for emancipation of all conquering love. The song was made for a hit, since he included Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor as back up singers. The song is still among the most requested at concerts, presently. The song has been performed five hundred and forty eight times, since its debut on 1/10/1971. Young went on to explore new territories and genres of music, from rock, blues to electronic music. However, these stylistic exercises only gained significance as compared to his two primary genres namely: country rock and gentle folk, and also loud electronic guitar rock that he regularly.

He usually alternated from these two extreme genres, which both proved equally influential. There emerged various bands and individual artists who claimed that they were influenced by Neil Young. Regardless of his massive influence and catalogue, he went on exploring new music. His restlessness ensured that he was one of the few veterans of rock as vital in his old age, as he was in his early stages of life. Neil Young and the song Heart of Gold is mostly taught in