The History of Music In this essay I will identify, explain and evaluate the history of music including references to musical examples. The four main sections I will evaluate are:* The origins of popular music* The styles and characteristics of popular music since 1950* The role of at least four different major artists/producers* The impact on the instrument and on recording, of the musical applications of technology. In the first section – The origins of popular music I will focus on:* Slave music* Gospel music* Negro Spirituals* Delta Blues* New Orleans Jazz* Ragtime* Folk and* BluegrassI will then move on to the styles and characteristics of popular music from 1950 where I will identify details such as melody, rhythm, harmony, instrumentation and structure. I will focus on Rock 'n' Roll, Country and Western, Mersey beat, British Invasion, R*B, Psychedelia, Folk, Soul, Progressive Rock, Disco, GlamRock, Heavy metal, Reggae, Punk, New wave, Rap, Hip- Hop, Dance and Grunge. I will also look at fashion and cultural influences such as James Dean, Teddy Boys, Flower Power, Free Love, Civil Rights Movement, Black Power, Ban the bomb, Punk, Rap and Hip-Hop, New Romantics and drug culture have influenced musical development, as well as considering the political/economic environment of the birthplace of these styles. The third section of my essay will be based on The main artists and performers. While I will talk about the most notable artists and producers of each generation I write about, in this section I will go into detail about my chosen artists/producers and how they influenced both music and fashion. My chosen artists are;* Aretha Franklin