The Rejection of Instrumental Music by the Early Christian Church

One interesting period in the history of instrumental music was its rejection by the early Catholic Church. The church believed that music should serve religion by transmitting thoughts and beliefs of Christianity. Since they claimed only words had the power to do this, vocal and lyrical music was the only acceptable form to be heard in services or prayer. This meant that instrumental music was unable to convey religious thought, and therefore, barred from the church.
This rejection of was not held to a mere banning in church masses. References to many types of instruments in the Book of Psalms were written off as allegories and metaphors. The use of instruments was purposefully erased and separated from any church history or event, although some Christians used instruments in the privacy of their own home to accompany hymns and psalms.
To the church, the use of instruments and the large instrumental concerts and celebrations that occurred in other cultures were seen as pagan rituals that should be condemned and avoided. Vocal music represented a shunning of worldly pleasures and a more soulful mode of music making. It was the type of music that perfectly expressed the church’s dictations about living modest lives in service of the one true god, and sacrificing earthly materials for those of heavenly.
With the focus directed to chant and other vocal styles for over a thousand years by an institution as influential as the Catholic Church, instrumental music did not develop steadily from where the Greeks left off. It is interesting to think about how much the church changed the course of music history and how it might be different today without its actions.
Although instrumental music was mostly ignored for a great period, the theoretical developments of chant and other lyrical styles would eventually be rejoined by and translated back to instruments, and today the church has no such preoccupations about the worthiness of non-vocal music devices.
For better or for worse, the Catholic Church is a big factor in the development of western music in general, and a study of music history needs a keen understanding of this relationship.

How To Profit From Giving Away Free Music

If there is one thing clear about music and the internet, it’s that there are no clear options for distribution. Rather, there are hundreds of varied strategies that may work depending on who you are and what your situation is. Creativity and understanding of how the web works are the two things that will help you the most.
To most people the idea of releasing free to use music may sound unprofitable and wasteful, but when looking at the bigger picture it turns out to be a very smart move. There is no better way to spread your music than to release it for free. In most cases you wouldn’t be making much from selling it anyway. Just like in any business, you need to have a customer base before you can make any profit.
Assuming you are a musician who can perform live as well as produce studio recordings, the ways to make money in the modern music environment will not be from album sales. The album as a concept is slowly but surely disappearing, as music is no longer released on disks and more emphasis is being places on EPs and singles. These are harder to sell for considerable profits, and by offering them only for payment, you limit how many people will obtain them.
Instead of trying to go against the unstoppable juggernaut of illegal file sharing and music downloading, go with it. Give your music away and watch it spread as far as it can. Keeping in mind that you could only make so much off it anyway, in the beginning at least, the positives outweigh the negative.
In return for passing out your music free of charge, you obtain promotion and reputation in return. In other words, you get more fans. Fans are what lead to profits down the line if you are a musical act, and they are the most important thing when it comes to the business side of the equation. So the move is to get your music out there in any way that you can if you think it will lead to promotion and new fans.
New fans can lead to increased albums sales, concert ticket sales, and music placement in commercials or films, and that is when the money will be coming in. But if you started off selling a few albums for $10 a piece, you would be sitting around with $50 and five fans. That $50 is nothing compared to the long term income obtainable from establishing yourself as a popular musical act.
So when you are thinking about how to make a living with your music, think about how to get fans before you think about monetization. Look for sites like freeusemusic.net that work to get people’s music out there and their names recognized, and use any tool you can find. Creativity in promotion is the name of the game on the internet, and the key to getting your work heard.