History of Musical Terminology

The violinist/guitarist in me wanted to go a bit deeper into the etymology of some musical terminology. The evolution of words is similar to that of music in the sense that they are relatively simple systems with infinite possibilities. In Western music there are truly only 12 unique notes that can be placed in different octaves. Eastern music bends this 12 to many more by including semi tones and other in-betweens. Our alphabet has 26 notes to manipulate and combine into whatever signifier a culture finally agrees upon will signify “something.” This piece exemplifies the improv that words went through where eventually they found their way from Old English to Modern English much like an improvised melody could organically grow from a single starting note. I have included this work as I find it highlights my ability to blend my two passions of writing and music.