20th century music

What is ancient music? Where do we draw the line of modernity? These and other questions will be answered in this category where ancient songs take center stage. Does this mean that we will cover ancient Greek music? No, we won’t go that far back. We love to explore old music. Romantic, danceable, sad, or lively, all kinds. And perhaps that’s why we might eventually reach that era, passing through classical music as well, but it is not our primary intention.

After all, it all comes down to the fact that we love to listen to the bestt old music. Popular music has been around for centuries, although recordings did not grant us access to it until technology advanced enough, especially during the 20th century when phonographs and later gramophones allowed homes to be filled with new sounds, causing society, in a more individual way, to evolve faster into what we know today.

So, in the articles you will find here, we will talk about historical periods, special songs we love, artists, or lists with the best of each year or decade. That said, and linking to what we have mentioned in the previous paragraph, if someday we do talk about ancient Egyptian music, it will be quite an achievement. For now, we content ourselves with covering the best of music from the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, and other decades.

When does ancient music start and end?

As such, ancient music begins with archaeological findings dating back thousands of years when human beings started to distance themselves from other animals on planet Earth. The “invention” of music has been valued on many occasions as the result of intelligence, although humans are not the only intelligent beings, but perhaps the most complete in terms of what our brains allow. More so, some have recognized in music the closest thing to the existence of God or God Himself, reaching its fullness with the composer Bach, when music ceased to be ancient and became classical.

That said, we could confirm that it has been through musical instruments found among ruins or places of great archaeological importance that scholars have been able to infer how it sounded or what kind of melodies musicians played back then. From then on, we can speak more emphatically about Greek music, Roman music, and above all, medieval music (to define it in some way), as we have many records of it that allow us to imitate or at least suppose it.

Following that, classical music comes as a category of its own, deserving special attention, just as we will focus mainly on popular music from the 20th century. That is, from 1900 to 1999, although for many, music is already modern from 1980, due to the innovations it brought in many cases. Several examples:

• 1930s Songs
• 1940s Songs
• 1950s Songs
• 1960s Songs
• 1970s Songs
• 1980s Songs
• 1990s Songs

The best old songs of the 20th century in Spanish

As we are a Spanish blog, the first references that come to mind are from Spain, although also from neighboring countries and related cultures and languages. Estrellita Castro, for example, with “Suspiros de España,” which opens and closes wounds with every metronomic pulse, is one of the best old songs from Spain. Lola Flores, when she was still Lolita Flores, unleashed all her expertise and went far beyond just music itself. Marifé de Triana and “La Ó”. In short, a hundred voices, many of them female, that make up a collective memory increasingly forgotten. Although today’s show business still comes from that era, music has been relegated to a third level.

However, not everything has to be negative. There are still many resources that, although not as popular as they deserve, demonstrate the power and relevance of some of these old songs. Although we cannot help but be somewhat negative, as not all of them remain current. In any case, one thing is undeniable: we can all be carried away by the emotions they generated and still generate, as they conveyed a sense of truth, sometimes characteristic of past times full of poverty, shattered dreams, and a constant struggle for life.

The Andalusian “copla” by Valverde, León, and Quiroga, performed by singers like Pastora Imperio or Imperio Argentina. The passion of Manolo Caracol, Concha Piquer, or Juana Reina. The joy of flamenco (and its sadness). The “cuplé,” the “pasodoble,” or the “zarzuela.” Even singing “Clavelitos” with the university students. Everything fits within these lines.

The best old songs in English and other languages

But it won’t all be about Spain. American from Canada to United States and also Mexican old music, but also from South America, with Argentinean songs that also have a huge weight and influence in history. Voices like Carlos Gardel, Agustín Lara, genres like bolero, tango, salsa, or samba, which do not leave anyone indifferent, have existed since music has been music, practically.

We have even delved into the 1930s, exploring the origins of old popular music, and we have no plans to stop in the near future. If we have to go back to the first known songs from the Roman Empire or to ancient Greece, we will end up doing so. Such is our desire to discover and listen to new sounds, even if they are old.

We believe that variety is the spice of life, and that’s why we want to cover all possible genres and artists in a careful order, savoring each note. It’s worth it. So, below, we present you with all the articles we have dedicated to the past, even though everything is the past. Monographs about old singers, the best music listed by decades, great unforgettable songs, and much more.

Discover everything that the history of music has given us and add new old songs to your list of favorite tunes. Because man does not live on current music alone.