The history of Western music and the development of music genres have mainly gone through the following stages:

1. The origin of Western music can be traced back to the ancient Mesopotamian Plain. Music in its origin period was mainly used for temple sacrifices and festival celebrations, with obvious religious overtones. The Sumerians, Egyptians, Hebrews and ancient Greeks advanced music.

2. The Early and High Age of the Middle Ages

This period was mainly the period of monophonic music, roughly from 600 to 1300 AD.

3. The "New Art" Period

The period from 1300 to 1450 AD was the transitional stage from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance.

4. Renaissance Period

From 1450 to 1600, the center of the Renaissance was in Italy, but the center of music was in the Burgundy region and Flanders of France. During this period, the rise of music in Germany and England, the reform of Roman church music, and the activity of the Venetian school of music made the musical achievements of this period no less than other arts.

5. Baroque Period

1600~1750, starting with Monteverdi and ending with Bach and Handel. The Baroque era is a very important era in the history of Western music and even the entire history of art. Baroque music is noble and touching, and its content is richer and more dramatic than that of the Renaissance. Many important genres of European music were initially formed during this stage, such as operas, suites, sonatas, concertos, oratorios, cantatas (large-scale vocal suites), etc., which all have classic forms. Music giants Bach and Handel pushed Baroque music to a climax.

6. The Classical Period

With the purpose of restoring the classical styles of Greece and Rome, and focusing mainly on the pursuit of objective beauty, classical music formed a climate in Vienna. Haydn, Mozart, The outstanding works of Beethoven's three musicians shocked the history of music. This period became the golden age of instrumental music. Piano music and violin concertos were created in endlessly. The establishment of the sonata form is considered to be the representative of the achievements of this period.

7. Romanticism Period

The Romantic music school is a great "treasure house" in the history of human art. This period was not only rich in great musicians, but also had an unprecedented range of music genres. New and unique forms such as wordless songs, nocturnes, art songs, ballads, symphonic poems, etc. appeared. This music genre that pays more attention to musical content makes some non-musical factors dominate the music. Romantic music was perfected by Mendelssohn, Schumann, Chopin and Verdi, and reached its peak in the era of Tchaikovsky, Liszt and Wagner.

8. New Music

This is the collective name for music in the 20th century. Like other arts, music has begun to see the flourishing of multiple genres. The conservative and innovative schools of music creation compete with each other in Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States and other places where music culture is developed, which to a certain extent promotes the prosperity of music. But after the 1950s, with the emergence of high-tech electronic music and computers, musicians all hope to find common ground in the development of the new generation of music language and rhythm, and reshape the role of composers and musical art. the essence of.