Music Around The World 🎵

By Myra Vasudev 

No one knows how music started. 

Maybe it started as a soft whisper in the wind. A rock tapping on wood. Wooden sticks clanging together. The first grunts of language. Truly, we’ll never know. But there’s one thing we know for sure. We all connect to it, one way or another.

From bubblegum pop lyrics to classical instrumental pieces, music is revolutionary -  It brings people together through soul and heart. Since the beginning of time, there has been music. However, it’s evolved in very different ways in very different places. In this article, allow me to take you on a journey through different countries to discover what diverse genres of music people most commonly listen to. 

India 

Music in India is incredibly diverse, bursting with colour and rich emotion. It reflects its many languages, dialects, cultures and traditions. A large portion of the population listen to film music from the Bollywood industry, which blends classical Indian sounds with modern pop, hip hop, and electronic influences.

 While traditional genres, including Carnatic music and Hindustani classical music are still valued, especially in cultural events and traditional performances, western genres like pop, rap and EDM have taken India by storm, becoming increasingly popular with younger audiences. Additionally, music in Tamil, Punjabi and Telugu are popular languages in 21st century India. Overall, Indian music echoes with a hypnotic rhythm that’s impossible to ignore, that has brought families, friends and communities together for centuries. 

France

Music in France is a mix of long-established styles and modern global influences. On the bustling streets of Paris, you might hear a note or two of the romantic strains of chanson francaise, where voices like Edith Piaf’s still linger softly in cafes and patisseries, crooning tales of love, loss and longing. In nightclubs, experimental electric beats thrum rhythmically, a nod to the world-renowned French House and EDM scene, from Daft Punk to David Guetta, beckoning people to dance until dawn. On the other hand, rural regions frequently preserve traditional folk melodies, echoing long-established, centuries old rhythms. 

Hip hop has also carved a dominant function, with french rappers encapsulating social commentary with clever wordplay, which has captivated the hearts and souls of younger audiences. Whether it’s the harmonies of acoustic guitars, the pulsing throb of electronic synthesizers, music in France acts as a dynamic expression of identity, and a reminiscent callback to earlier times. 

Venezuela 

Venezuelan music is the beating heart of everyday life for many individuals, a mosaic that indicates the fiery, passionate soul and mingled heritage. Coming from the vibrant styles of Joropo, when whip-crack harp, cuatro and maracas swirl together in a galloping cacophony, its flavourful and high-pitched vocals enact anecdotes of love, land and unstoppable motion. 

In the west, where weather is more tropical, Gaita Zuilana emerges each Christmas with bold choruses and swirling furro and tambora drums, a communal call that weaves Spanish, indigenous and African rhythms into a sound jubilant and beautifully ancient. Along Venezuela’s coasts and Islands, the plaintive malaguena and galeron carry the spirit of Andalusia and Canary Island Settlers on its firm shoulders, residing in sweet, solo vocals, while afro-carribean calypso and tambor rhythms captures the hearts of many, with deep rolling drums during vibrant festivals.

 Today’s airwaves synthesise tradition with present day influences: folk rhythms interlace with salsa, merengue, pop, hip-hop and and urbano sounds, illustrating a sonic mosaic where cuatro’s soft plucks can coincide with urban beats which speaks to both the youth and elderly. 

Sudan 

Sudan is a complex region, sponsoring its diverse culture, stemming from northeastern Africa, Arabia, and western influences. Sudanese pop is a well-liked genre of music which you’ll hear very often in towns and cities that wraps pentatonic melodies and poetic Arabic vocals, which are danceable melodies to groove to.

 Oud and electric guitar regularly mingle with brass and percussion in these tracks, curating songs that are simultaneously reminiscent and contemporary. In quieter areas, such as tranquil villages and towns along rushing rivers, Nubian sounds convey antiphonic singing, propulsive hand drums, lyres alike, and soft calls that inadvertently speak of community and ancient landscapes from long past. Music is visible in every corner in Sudan, such as weddings and Sufi Zikr ceremonies. To paraphrase, music in Sudan is a tapestry woven with joy, lament and spirituality. 

Conclusion

While these countries are vastly different cultures and traditions, and from very different places, you can see glimpsing similarities that peek through the facade. Perhaps it’s the rhythms. 

Maybe it's similar western influences. Or alternatively, maybe it’s the fact that it brings people together, from families to societies to whole communities. Each culture’s music tells a different story, one part of a puzzle. If we can slowly but surely piece those puzzles together, perhaps we’ll be a more unified world, one where diversity and individuality is vehemently celebrated. 

To conclude, I’d like to answer the starting question. I believe music originated from the same, core inception in all places. A rock tapping on wood. Wooden sticks clanging together. The first grunts of language. Music, in every corner of the world remains as a timeless bridge between past, present and future.