The History of MusicIn this essay I will identify, explain and evaluate the history of music while involving references to musical examples. The four main sections I will evaluate are: * The origins of popular music * The styles and characteristics of popular music since 1950 * The role of at least four different prominent artists/producers * The impact on music instrument and recording musical applications of technology. In the first section – The origins of popular music I will focus on;* Slave music* Gospel music* Negro Spirituals* Delta Blues* New Orleans Jazz* Ragtime* Folk and* Bluegrass I will then move on to the styles and characteristics of popular music since 1950 where I will identify details such as melody, rhythm, harmony, instrumentation, and structure. I will focus on Rock 'n' Roll, Country and Western, Mersey Beat, British Invasion, R&B, Psychedelia, Folk, Soul music, Progressive Rock, Disco, GlamRock, Heavy metal, Reggae, Punk, New wave, Rap, Hip-Hop, Dance and Grunge. I will also examine how fashion and cultural influences such as JamesDean, Teddy Boys, Flower Power, Free Love, Civil Rights Movement, Black Power, Ban the bomb, Punk, Rap and Hip-Hop, New Romantics and the culture of drugs influenced musical development, while taking into account the political/economic environment of the birthplace of these styles. The third section of my essay will be based on the main artists and performers. Although I will discuss the major artists and producers of each generation I write about in this section, I will go into detail about the artists/producers I chose and how they affected music and fashion. My chosen artists are:* Aretha Franklin