NEW AGE

What is NEW AGE

NEW AGE is also translated as new century music and new era music, which is quiet, comfortable and leisurely. Music, pure music works account for a larger proportion, and singing works account for a smaller proportion. NEW AGE can be purely ACOUSTIC (that is, played with traditional self-sounding instruments), or it can be very electronic. The focus is to create a calm atmosphere of nature or a sense of the vastness of the universe, cleansing the listener's mind and making people feel calm. NEW AGE is often related to music therapy. Many NEW AGE music is said to be able to cure diseases, and many of it is related to meditation. This has a lot to do with the NEW AGE ideological trend and philosophy. NEW AGE music is usually regarded as quite middle-class music. WINDHAM HILL is the most representative NEW AGE record company. The representative musicians of NEW AGE include ENYA, GEORGE WINSTON, WILLIAM ACKERMAN, YANNI, KITARO, etc.

New Age also refers to The Aquarian Age. Western mysticism believes that now is a period of transformation and is preparing to enter the "Aquarian Age". "Aquarius" symbolizes humanitarianism; human beings will evolve from pursuing social, material, and technological progress to focusing on exploration at the "soul" and "spiritual" levels, and find a way to transcend race, color, ethnicity, nationality, and religious denominations. The most common point of human soul is to recognize the "homology" and "equality" of human beings, thereby achieving the vision of universal unity and peace.

New Age Music, as the greatest discovery of pure music in the 20th century, comes from an aesthetic perspective that can bring inner peace. Generally speaking, they are records with New Age philosophical concepts of harmony and non-destruction. They can inspire spiritual detachment and physical healing. Some of these records can give us both artistic enjoyment and It gives us spiritual recovery, and some musicians sublimate the listener's spiritual realm through their specially designed sound waves and "contamination-free conception" music concepts.

New age music is the counterpart of new age philosophy. It encompasses everything from modern relaxing music to meditative soul-exploring music.

New age music uses electronic instruments, including Western and non-Western instruments, and occasional singing to create soothing melodies to adapt to the fast pace of modern life.

In search of spiritual healing and transcendence, New Age musicians often borrow elements from non-Western music - just as New Age philosophy absorbs non-Western philosophies.

This new style is between light music and classical music. They can be roughly divided into three major categories. The first category is played with natural instruments, including conventional instruments familiar to the general audience, such as piano, violin, guitar, etc. Among them, the most commonly used ones are instruments with a timbre close to that of Eastern instruments, such as oboe, English horn, etc. , on the other hand, folk instruments such as mandolin, accordion, panpipe, etc. can also often be heard; some players particularly like oriental percussion instruments, such as small bells, large gongs and bells, etc., and now there are some New Age Musicians are keen to incorporate primitive musical instruments such as African war drums into their music. The second category is electroacoustic instruments, which also produce sounds that are mysterious and ethereal. Many New Age musicians are computers. Music master. The third category is a mixture of the first two. Some record dealers often add natural sounds, such as birdsong, forest roar, wind and cranes, etc., when producing these three types of performances.

NEW AGE’s philosophy

In 1981, there was a saxophone player named Poe Vent who even followed his example: refusing to ride in cars, insisting on a vegetarian diet, and finally hiding in Go into the forest and howl with the wolves with his saxophone. He is considered the godfather of "New Age" music, but we can go back even further to find more ancestors.

Wouldn't we find some interesting similarities in the work of today's "New Age" musicians compared with the music of the early Romantics? Isn't what we feel in Berlioz's "Charlode in Italy" also a kind of lonely joy of self-exile? Can Liszt's "Concert Etude in D flat major" be placed in " Is it sold at the "New Era" counter? Doesn't it also express people's indifference and tranquility when facing nature? What is the difference between Wagner's nostalgia for the chivalry era in the 16th century and Enya's hazy and mysterious songs?

In On the counters of New Age music records, you can also find a lot of "New Age" music that simply combines the works of classical musicians such as Vivaldi and Corelli with the sound of waterfalls. This somewhat illustrates the intention of the advocates of this new age music: listening to this music makes people feel as if they are in nature. In other words, they forget the hustle and bustle of modern Western civilized society. Therefore, in addition to nature, the distant and mysterious ancient times, and simple and elegant folk songs are also subjects that New Era artists are passionate about. Enya became popular precisely because her songs adapted to the needs of an audience tired of the motorcycle era. How could you have imagined that a record with a yellowed photo as its cover would have such a charm for nostalgic people.

Indeed, from a rebellious perspective, New Age and Romanticism have many similarities. Every new style in the history of music was formed in the struggle between fashion and anti-fashion. Just as robust classicism is a rebellion against the light Rococo style; romanticism, which is supremely emotional, is a rebellion against classicism that advocates form, New Age music is a rebellion against traditional aesthetic concepts by postmodernism in the field of light music. . The difference is that whether they are classical or romantic, their rebellion is carried out within the traditional aesthetic category. Although there are many changes in style and ideological concepts, there is the same philosophical concept behind the two, which is the understanding of life and happiness: life belongs to us only once, and we should live it noble and meaningfully. . Balance, harmony, and stability are the most perfect states in the world. However, advocates of processualism, a new philosophical trend in the twentieth century, believe that process and ultimate are two opposing philosophical categories. Life should be a free process of life, it is the most practical existence; while alive, one should strive to experience this process. If life is restrained by external forces - such as various ultimate goals of fame and wealth - it will be reduced to a mechanical and unfree process, which also denies the value of life. Therefore, the best way to eliminate this alienation is to relax yourself, return to nature, change the traditional outlook on life that centers on a certain future goal, and liberate yourself from utilitarian purposes.

Along with this philosophy, anti-rational art emerged in the West. Its main point is to emphasize or establish an ultimate goal in the work-such as a climax or center-and for this purpose All the efforts made are constraints on the essence of art. Since life is a process of maintaining and expanding oneself, harmony, stability, and balance cannot exist forever. The pursuit of perfection is unrealistic.

The development history of NEW AGE

It is generally believed that New Age Music emerged in the 1970s and gradually matured in the mid-1980s. In 1973, a group of musicians who were mostly strangers got to communicate through The San Francisco Festival in Honor of Comet Kohoutek held in San Francisco. This music festival allowed music workers such as Joel Andres, Steven Halpem and others to discover that even though they have never communicated and collaborated before, their music creations have many similarities. Their music is created based on meditation and spiritual aspects. Because this music style breaks away from all human music styles in the past, people named this music "New Age".

In the early 1980s, a Canadian pianist named Micha Jones wrote a collection of music.

The music collected there has very beautiful, picture-like titles, such as "After the Rainbow", "Beyond Dreams", "Sunshine Valley", "Space Butterfly", etc. He wrote a short biography of himself in the preface, saying that he once wanted to be a music painter. Later, slowly, he found his own musical language. At this time, he no longer pursues the use of music to depict images, but expresses feelings, the feeling of falling snowflakes lightly touching the ground in the quiet night; the feeling of dry breath of the breeze blowing through the sedge; the feeling of the creases of lightning in the distant sky. The feeling; the feeling of the lake water lapping against the shore in the evening...

Miccia Jones's music is very quiet, and most of them use the same sound pattern repeatedly; the harmonies are simple, and there are few Complex dissonance sounds seem to be more common in rhythmic progressions and modal styles; the melody is simple and easy to understand; the tone is not very individual, and sometimes there is no melody. Listen, listen, you will forget that this is Micha Jones's music, but the whisper of the leaves.

The pianist met the manager of a music publishing company in 1983. The publisher had always wanted to introduce a fresh taste of music suitable for people to listen to in their leisure time. The two hit it off immediately, and soon Micha's works gradually spread in the United States. At first, this kind of music was not that eye-catching, and the owners of various record stores didn’t know which column to put it in. It was like light music, without any profound truth, but it had a bit of the style and style of classical music. ; It is popular, but it also shows a detached sentiment; it is easy to become popular, but it is not as mediocre or turbulent as ordinary pop music. Some record stores had no choice but to list it under the so-called latest arrivals section. Gradually, it became a trend, and some publications in Hong Kong and Taiwan also translated it as "New Age" or "New Age" music.

The early music form of New Age evolved based on ambient music. Some people also call environmental music natural music, green music, etc. The recording process of New Age Music is mostly composed of natural sounds and melodies. Its music form is influenced by the Fusion (fusion music, a style that combines jazz and rock music) that was popular in the late 1970s. Therefore, New Age Music will be like Fusion Music. Similarly, electronic synthesis sound effects are added to the music, such as the use of echo, electronic music reverb (Reverb) and other sound techniques that use space to create an extremely beautiful style of music and simulate the changing spatial texture.

After the 1980s, many young musicians (rockers/fusionists) gave up the flashiness of electronic music and returned to acoustic (that is, playing with traditional self-sounding instruments). People began to abandon the pursuit of the material world and pursue a rational and natural life, pursuing spiritual satisfaction. Therefore, in the mid-1980s, the development of New Age Music, which seeks spiritual and natural satisfaction, has gradually matured. It not only continues the meditation of self-cultivation, but also continuously adds the concepts of environmental protection, humanistic thoughts, and care for the world, thus establishing its own broad vision. .

In 1994, the German band "Enigma" released a piece of Gregorian religious music full of new century colors, which sold tens of millions of copies around the world, establishing the status of New Age and classical music. Music and pop music stand in the current music scene. At that time, it was the biggest shock in the music industry. People in the music industry believed that the era of new century music had finally arrived.

Characteristics of New Age

1. Rhythm:

Many of the rhythms of New Age exist between the natural rhythm of music and the intensity of notes. In fact, the reason why most New Age abandons traditional rhythms is because with drums, bass and percussion instruments, the form of music will be restricted, while New Age is natural and free, with wind-like streamlines. attitude.

2. Melody:

New Age melody is completely different from pop music, and its improvisational flavor is very strong.

Not only is it difficult for the listener to remember the melody, but he also has no idea when and where the melody will end. This is one of the reasons why the New Age music structure gives everyone a lot of room for imagination.

3． Harmony:

Most of the harmonies used in New Age are quite harmonious, and dissonance is rarely used in New Age. This is why New Age sounds very peaceful.

4． Timbre:

The timbre of New Age is transparent, mysterious, and full of hazy atmosphere. To be honest, one of the biggest enjoyments when listening to New Age is the change of timbre.

In addition to the four major elements of this music, the greatest charm of New Age is that it gives the listener a huge imagination space. You can freely roam in the infinite imagination space without being restricted by form.

Classification of New Age

When it comes to classifying New Age music, it is very difficult to divide it into particularly rigorous categories. New age music is a type of music that focuses on feeling. The premise of its classification is not musical elements but auditory effects. For example, space music, environmental music, atmosphere music, hymns, these are all auditory classifications. But there is another way to classify new age music, and that is based on production methods. There are two types of production methods. One is the production equipment, whether it is an electronic instrument, an acoustic instrument or a hybrid instrument, and the other is the music material in the production material, whether it is classical or ethnic, and whether it is a pure instrument or pure human voice. Basically, the following types are recognized:

1. Tribal (Techno Tribal) music that combines high-tech music with folk music.

2. Spiritual music (Spiritual) focuses on music with spiritual appeal and expands people's imagination.

3. Space music (Space) creates an extremely huge sense of space, which makes people feel ecstatic.

4. Solo instrumental music (Solo Instrumental) This style is favored by real new century audiophiles. The more typical one is music like BANDARI that embodies the soul's perception of nature through musical instruments.

5. Self-Help pays attention to personal experience.

6. New Classical (New Classical) The modernization of European and American classical music, using electronic sound effects to replace the original large symphony orchestra, and electronically processing the human voice to update it.

7. New Age Electronic: New age music produced purely electronically.

8. New Age Acoustic (New Age Acoustic) New age music dominated by human voices, such as French musicians, express human voices unparalleled.

9. Ethnic Fushion is actually a complete fusion of world music and new age music. There are many such albums, and the biggest advantage is that they preserve many root music from corners of the world.

10. Atmospheres focus on rendering the atmosphere of music, like some music related to religion. It is said that the chanting of Buddhism in foreign countries hinders the new century version.

And the biggest branch of new age music: Celtic music. This is a purely ethnic division. Movie soundtracks such as Titanic in previous years also made this type of music popular.

In the late 1960s, some German musicians integrated the concept of electronic synthesizer sound into original sound performance or improvisational performance, inspiring many new musicians to use more diverse techniques to explore new fields. The music of this period has the prototype of the development of New Age. In the 1970s, with the unremitting efforts of a group of artists, New Age was able to correct its name. They named this non-popular, non-classical, and experimental music style New Age, which refers to an "epoch-making, new century music style." music". Today, the music world has formed a new force with hundreds of schools of thought contending and each having its own unique ideas.

Because of this, New Age is not just a term that simply defines the difference between music styles, but a new style of the century that symbolizes the evolution of the times and the improvement of metaphysical spiritual connotations.

The four major elements of New Age: there is a rhythm that exists between the natural rhythm of the music and the strength of the notes. The overall feeling is natural and free, with a wind-like streamlined posture; its melody has the ability to improvise The taste gives everyone a great space for imagination in terms of musical structure; most of the harmonies used are quite harmonious, giving people a sense of peace; its timbre is transparent, mysterious, and full of hazy atmosphere.

New Age music encompasses everything from modern relaxing music to meditative soul-searching music. It uses electronic instruments, including Western and non-Western instruments, and occasional singing to create gentle melodies to adapt to modern times. Life is fast-paced. As a wide range of music types, it is divided into Techno Tribal, Spiritual Music, Space Music, Solo Instrumental, Self-Help, New Classical, and Electronic New Age. Age Electronic, New Age Acoustic, Ethnic Fushion, Contemporary Instrumental, and Atmospheres.

Representative artist

Kitaro - the pioneer of new music

It can be said that Kitaro (kitaro) began to study electronic synthesis music as early as the 1970s. , is the chief representative of New Age music. His works have the unique style of the pioneer of Japanese New Age music. Integrating classical, pop, and jazz into electronic music, this Eastern charm that is different from Western music has made Kitaro recognized by more and more listeners around the world since the release of his first work "Heaven" (of course many people admire his The music is more familiar than the man himself).

The launch of the "Silk Road" series and the release of the masterpiece "Dunhuang" have made domestic audiences feel cordial. With such a special liking for Chinese-themed music, it’s no wonder that Mr. Kitaro has always insisted that “Chinese culture is the root of Japanese culture.”

Immersed in Kitaro's musical universe, you will find yourself intoxicated by the flowing rhythm of all things in nature. As long as you close your eyes and listen, unexpected and beautiful sounds of nature will emerge.

If you are turning on the stereo and listening to Kitaro at this moment, have you noticed any changes in the music flowing around you? Please feel the same this time - take a deep breath...

Yanni - Music also talks about innovation

Yanni has now become the most innovative composer and composer in the world One of the virtuoso performers, he managed to create a craze. What he is best at is reaching popularity with people through music, whether it is through his concerts, television and radio broadcasts, or through his music albums.

Highly recommended is his album "Yani Acropolis Concert", which as his tenth solo album contains his most classic music works (the album includes "Sambalin Island" , "Give the Key to Imagination" and his platinum hit "Passionate Reflections"), the orchestra is not present in the new version as an add-on, but as an integral part of the music as a whole. As a composer, Yanni never adheres to the rules established in the past, and this album is no exception. He breaks with the traditional experience of the symphony orchestra. The result is rich rhythm and elegant music.

Bandari - full contact with nature

The Bandari Orchestra is composed of a group of young composers, performers and sound source sampling engineers. It started in Switzerland in 1990. From the beginning of music production, they lived deep in the Alpine forests until the master tape was completed. Being in the natural mountains and wilderness gives Bandari Orchestra endless creative inspiration and the most natural and refined music style.

Bandari's music demonstrates their unique arrangement techniques, using refreshing soundtracks to create zero-pressure and zero-burden music. They carefully consider the resolution of each channel to make the sound range wider and the sound field more effective. The ethereal inspiration completely allows you to integrate into nature...

Currently, his popular works in the world include "Wonderland", "Silent Villa", "Blue Sky" and the newly released music love poem " Wings of Wind" etc.

Secret Garden - How can it not be mysterious?

Secret Garden is a famous new age music style band. It is composed of Norwegian composer and keyboardist (Rolf Rau) Fran) and an Irish female violinist (Fionora Sally). The band combines the ethereal and ethereal music style of Ireland with Norwegian folk music and classical music. The music is quiet and profound, natural and smooth, and people are integrated into it unconsciously.

The sadness of his first album "Song From A Secret Garden" can definitely kill people, making people feel like they are lost in a mysterious jungle, so dark that they can't see the sky or find the exit. Indulge in such darkness, like a person sitting alone under the shadow of a big tree on the roadside, quietly watching the people coming and going on the road. Others can't see you, and you don't want to be seen, because you are afraid, because you Loneliness, you know this is not a good thing, but only in this way can the injured heart feel a little safe. Such loneliness has been tempting you. Among them, "Nocturne" is the band's famous song and won the 1995 Eurovision Song Contest. Another song, "Song From A Secret Garden" (Song From A Secret Garden), was published and popular in Norway before the band was formed. The psychedelic music is paired with the sounds of nature. The whole song makes people feel like they have experienced a spiritual baptism after listening to it. No wonder there are always people around me who press the REPEAT button and let this melody play in their ears again and again.

Sarah Brightman - pure moonlight goddess

Sarah Brightman said: I just do my best to use the talents God has given me. Behind her beautiful and cool appearance, she wanders between notes, wandering on the edge of pop and classical. Her singing is full of personal characteristics, full of confusion and imagination, and can bring a sense of direction and refuge to sailors sailing on the sea. Her voice quality is pure and transparent, especially when she sings otherworldly roles, which is particularly pitiful.

The pinnacle of the works is "LA LUNA"? The Moonlight Goddess. This is an album with the concept of "moon". It contains well-known moon-related singles from ancient and modern Europe and the United States, including pop songs, movie soundtracks, and even classical music with rewritten lyrics, and then elegantly and exquisitely arranged and mixed. , paired with Sarah Brightman's unique and unprecedented voice, this album will definitely give you a relaxed and elegant feeling full of confusion and imagination.

Enya - the voice of an angel

Enya, this Irish female singer who rose from the late 1980s to the early 1990s, has the quietness and elegance of the Middle Ages. As a musical prodigy, she composed, sang, arranged and performed in the album, and even did the mixing and synthesis. She travels between pop music and classical traditional music, and her heavenly voice has fascinated most of the listeners around the world.

"Star Painting", "Shepherd's Moon", "Gults", "Watermark", "Memories of Trees", her albums once became the best-selling discs in record stores. Among them, "A Day Without Rain" won this year's Grammy Award for Best New Age Album.

But what I want to recommend here is the theme song "may it be" she composed for the globally popular film "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: The Fellowship of the Ring". This song makes people feel like they are on earth. The feeling of heaven, the traces of melancholy revealed in the ethereal melody, and the slightly melancholy ending of the film are very clever and natural. No wonder "The Lord of the Rings" won the "Best Film Score" award at the 74th Academy Awards.

Enigma - Medieval Charm

Enigma (Enigma), a band from Germany, was one of the early foreign music allowed to be introduced to the mainland. For Enigma, they like to use modern electronic music to express the theme of mysticism, giving people a wonderful feeling of intertwining time and space. The human voices in the music are also very beautiful: the female voice is bright and moving, as sweet as a nightingale; the male voice is low and vague, fascinating. It's an inherently American chant, an echo of a distant African tribe or austere religion expressed through Western pop rhythms.

The Enigma album "Sadness Part" (Sadness Part), which was first released in 1990, has medieval church singing and a very seductive female monologue. The mood of the movie soundtrack is on House Beat. , constitutes a dance music with religious meaning and mysterious color...

Witch Doctor - Dream Song Divine Comedy

Perhaps "Witch Doctor" itself is far more important than its composition, Medwin, who is a versatile New Age music composer. more famous. The instrumental performance of this album uses the relaxed rhythm of South America, with recorders, keyboards and percussion instruments performing natural sounds. When you close your eyes, you can imagine a strange scene of a tropical rainforest, and you will never tire of listening to it. Medwin said: "My music makes people reduce stress and relax, it has a certain spirit and inspiration deep in your soul, it has vibrating tones, not violent rhythms. My music is not so much my creation , rather a cleansing of the soul. I don’t want to put people to sleep but to put them into a dream state where they can do anything; to encourage them to use their own creativity.”