Any given music fan who studies languages may become curious about the origins of the names of the different types of music, like “jazz” and “rock”. Strange and intriguing names. Music is music regardless of its category, but most people need to organize everything in clear labels. After all, names are important to identify the music and, thus, the people who enjoy that specific genre. Indeed, music is much more than tunes, it can be a lifestyle. It is hard to find individuals who don’t like music and/or who don’t identify themselves with a specific genre. “Tell me what type of music you like to hear and I’ll tell you who you are…”
CLASSICAL MUSIC
Classical music doesn’t refer to “old” music, not least because there are currently good composers who still create classical music. Strictly speaking, classical music refers to the period between the second half of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century. Until then, what is now considered classical music was in fact Western religious music. In other words, composers would create music to be played in churches and to praise the Lord. It’s no coincidence that composers like Bach are known for their religious pieces.
However, the “classic era” witnessed a change of the situation and composers like Mozart and Beethoven, with their major breakthroughs, paved the way for possibilities to be expanded. They have influenced musicians to this day. The following era was dominated by the introduction of the piano, which gave rise to big stars like Chopin. We could say that, at the end of the day, classical music is the Western evolution of human melodic composition.
FOLK MUSIC
Folk music is a very broad term that encompasses traditional music from all over the world. It is also known as “world music”, meaning music which is not English-related. In truth, each country has its own musical style with different categories. However, as they don’t usually reach international status, they are considered “folk”. This word comes from Old English and Old German, meaning “people”, as in “common people”. Therefore, folk music means that it is the music of common people (as opposed to classical music, for example).
BLUES
The blues is a musical folk genre originally sung by the Southern African-American, mostly slave descendants. It emerged in the second half of the 19th century to sing away the oppression and misery felt by them. The name comes from the expression blue devils, which refers to the feeling of melancholy and depression.
JAZZ
Jazz is a “child” of the blues, but with upbeat melodies. The true origin of the word is not clear, but it is believed it comes from unwritten (and unspeakable) slang. Besides the musical genre, “jazz” nowadays can mean enliven and “similar but unspecified things”. The music was designated as jazz unintentionally, but the name stuck.
COUNTRY MUSIC
If blues and jazz are considered “Black” music, country music can be considered “White” music, namely the music of white people living in rural areas. This musical folk genre was born around 1920 in the Southern USA and it sang the life of countryside people, especially using the harmonica and the banjo. Nashville is the capital of the State of Tennessee (USA) and it is also considered the capital of country music.
POP MUSIC
Pop is the abbreviation of “popular”, which is basically whatever is the most listened to at a given time. These types of songs tend to mix different genres and use key words, which is different from generation to generation. The melodies are simple enough to appeal to a large number of people and are created by using the technology available. It is believed that popular music was born with music hall shows, which were live musical shows performed in theatres during the Victoria time (in UK), with easy-to-follow songs. However, it was in the 1950s and in the USA that the term was broadly applied.
RHYTHM AND BLUES (R&B)
This name came directly from its roots (the blues) and the beat with which they were now played. In a time when Black and White people were segregated in the USA, R&B was the popular music of Black people. It was mostly played in cities and aimed to help escape the trouble times Black people were living.
A type of R&B for many, soul music aimed to strengthen the pride in belonging to that culture and it was based on blues and gospel. Gospel is a kind of religious music, which was adapted by Black people at the beginning of the 20th century to reflect their cultural heritage.
ROCK AND ROLL
Rock and roll (or rock ‘n’ roll) is a type of rock music, which, in turn, is a type of popular music. Probably, the term rock ‘n’ roll came first and, then, when it expanded, got its name abbreviated. Emerging in the 1950s in the USA, it was initially a mix of blues, jazz, and R&B, and was played by Black musicians. It is believed that the name came from an expression seamen used in the 17th century to describe the movement of boats. Just as jazz, this expression could have another meaning and, just as jazz, the name was unintentionally designated, but stuck.
Rock ‘n’ roll boomed when a white young man with a black voice, who played the guitar and had very characteristic dancing moves, came to the scene. His name was Elvis Presley and he dramatically changed the course of music in the USA. In the meantime, a group of young men from Liverpool, UK, did the same on the other side of the pond. Their name was The Beatles (which actually is the name of an insect). Rock was played in cities and soon became a way for young people to express themselves and rebel against what was established in society.
HEAVY METAL
Originally a rock sub genre, heavy metal became a genre of its own in the 1970s. It is not clear how the name came to be. The electronic guitar was a feature of rock music, but in heavy metal that sound was pushed to another level. Maybe it was due to this sound, maybe because the concept of “heavy metals” was in the air, no one knows. The fact is that this type of music characterized a generation and it was connected to a certain type of looks (men with long hair, black weird outfits and mean face). Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Kiss, AC/DC, Aerosmith, and Alice Cooper are some of the most famous groups of this genre.
PUNK MUSIC
The first time the word “punk” was written (as “puncke”) was in Shakespeare plays. At that time, it meant “female prostitute”. Centuries later, the word evolved to mean a kind of male prostitute. Some centuries later still, the term expanded and became a general insult for all kinds of minor criminals or similar. By the 1970s, it was used to designate a rock sub genre that was emerging and taking a path of its own. Punk music was characterized by its strong social criticism, reflecting the disillusion and lack of perspectives of the younger generation at the time.
DISCO MUSIC
Although disco music was around since the 1960s, it was only in the late 1970s that it boomed, mostly due to the famous film “Saturday Night Fever”, featuring John Travolta. It was a genre connected to nightclubs and its name came from the French word discotheque, the place where people went to dance at night. “Discos” were what DJs played for people to dance. Later, disco music became linked to the LGBTQ+ rights’ movement.
HIP-HOP
The name of this music genre has many stories. The most told one is that of a man who enlisted in the army and his friend told him he was hip-hop-hip-hop, imitating the soldiers’ marching. True or not, hip-hop was not just a musical genre, but a cultural movement that started in the South Bronx, New York City, USA, in the 1980s, mixing cultural influences from the Black community, the Caribbean community and the Latin community. It includes rap, break dancing, and graffiti.
ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC
This type of music used synthesizers and was created to make people dance all night long. Although there had been some experiences since the 1970s, it was only in the 1980s that it officially emerged. It includes sub genres, like “house” and “techno”. It is also connected to “rave parties”, where people would party to the sound of electronic music sometimes for several days. Drugs were known to be used in those parties to keep up the pace.
CONCLUSION
As we can see, the 20th century was very prolific in terms of discovering new musical genres. This is connected to the profound social changes that were undergoing at that time. People left the countryside to live in the cities, creating a whole new cultural scene. The segregation between Blacks and Whites in the USA was reflected in different musical genres that evolved in parallel. Underground movements gave rise to new styles. Old tunes were reinvented to match the new social realities and make use of new instruments. Will the 21st century keep up the pace, or all the genres are already discovered?
** YOUR WORDS AND IDEAS **
By Isabella Muir | On 12 June 2025 at 07:52
A fascinating summary of music genres, which leads me to think that there really is something out there for everyone! I can’t imagine a world without music and to paraphrase Shakespeare…’if music is the stuff of life, then thank goodness for it!’
By Words in Ideas | On 12 June 2025 at 23:11
Indeed!
WORDS IN IDEAS 