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From ancient melodies to modern anthems, music has always told humanity's story! Join us as we explore musical pieces that defined history, from the world's oldest known song to Billy Joel's pop culture odyssey. Our musical journey spans protests, revolutions, religion, and social change - all captured in timeless compositions that shaped civilization.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're mapping out all of human history in just 10 musical pieces.
00:17Hurry and Hymn to Nicole.
00:18Since its very beginnings, human history has been intertwined with music.
00:32In the earliest days, our ancestors relied on simpler melodies that had no relation to one another.
00:38However, there would eventually come a point where they began to unify, and it may have all started with just one song.
00:43Hurry and Hymn to Nicole was one of several tunes notated in cuneiform by an anonymous author in what is now Syria.
00:50The lyrics are sung in praise to the Ugarit goddess of the same name, and are accompanied by a string instrument.
01:09Though technically unfinished, it's one of the most historically significant works of all time.
01:13Besides its unchallenged status as the world's oldest known musical work, its mere existence is proof of ancient cultures being more interconnected than we once thought.
01:22It was found that both the Hymn and India's Rig Veda have similar rhythms and melodic patterns,
01:28implying that people have used pre-existing works as inspiration to create new ones since the R-form's infancy.
01:34The similarities also suggest that our direct bonds with other people were perhaps originally based in culture,
01:50rather than more pragmatic forms of communication, such as trade or war.
01:55Tablet H6 is the foundation that art itself has been built upon, and it's hard not to see its influence in what followed.
02:02Formation to Syria to Greece, slightly younger societies took those concepts and built onto them,
02:07officially creating a chain of artistic evolution that's still continuing on today.
02:11Om Ano Bhatra Kratavo Yantu Vishwataha
02:24Sikhilos Epitaph
02:28More than a millennium after the Hurrian hymn had first been penned, we come upon another milestone.
02:41The Sikhilos Epitaph, probably written in the 1st or 2nd century, is the oldest extant complete musical composition, all of it notated.
02:49The lyrical content of the piece is centered around honoring another person and their life,
02:53most likely someone that the author knew personally.
02:56This alone marks a difference between it and the Songs of Antiquity,
03:00which were normally focused on worshipping religious deities.
03:12This is one of the earliest known examples of known humans being honored by way of song,
03:17signifying a shift in how it was utilized.
03:20Some of the lines also reference the fleeting nature of life itself.
03:24Implying that extreme philosophies, like existentialism, have always been a prominent aspect of the human condition.
03:30Beyond the poetry, the notation also marks a transition into more complex rhythm schemes from the days of old,
03:36with a then-unusual 6-8 time signature.
03:39There's one more twist that could reshape the way we view artistic expression.
03:56There's one theory that claims the inscription doesn't come from a tomb,
04:00but is instead a visual proof of the artist's talents.
04:03Should that be proven to be true,
04:05it could mark one of the oldest known examples of music being created for the enjoyment of others.
04:09O Ignis Spiritus Paraclidae.
04:18Throughout humanity's existence, one of the biggest inspirations for the music being created
04:37were the various religions that were prominent at the time.
04:40For Christians in the 12th century,
04:42O Ignis Spiritus Paraclidae was one piece which conveyed a sense of deep worship.
04:46It was crafted by Hildegard of Bingen and highlights the reverence held by many for the deity during the Middle Ages,
05:06while also serving as a foundation for further religious works to build upon.
05:09She created metaphors by connecting the physical senses to the Holy Spirit,
05:13inspired by traditions of the time, but also putting her own unique stamp on them.
05:30Besides the song's contributions to theology,
05:33both it and her position in the Middle Ages have proven to hold both historical and musical significance.
05:38She was a champion of the monophonic sound,
05:41bringing about an accessible and universal melodic texture that is still being utilized in contemporary times.
05:55Her success during a time of extreme patriarchal values
05:58and ostracization of women within the church is significant as well.
06:02Her work signals an early starting point of people utilizing music as a way of enacting change,
06:07even if her motives weren't based in activism.
06:10Her actions inadvertently paved the way for others throughout history
06:13to utilize it in protests of their own.
06:16Talus' Canon
06:23Talus' Canon
06:29Religion's influence on music continued after the Middle Ages.
06:45Hundreds of years after Hildegard of Bingen's work,
06:47a new icon rose to prominence
06:49and created hymns that are still sung today in churches around the world.
06:53Oh, may my soul on thee repose
06:59And with sweet sleep mine eyelids close
07:04During Thomas Talus' lifetime,
07:07two different factions within Christianity were at odds.
07:10This came to a head in England during the ring of King Edward VI,
07:13who completely upended the Catholic Church in favor of a Protestant one.
07:17With his reformation came several rules,
07:19including a sudden deviation from the Latin language.
07:21Talus had been employed by the royal family
07:24in order to compose pieces for this new era,
07:26leading to the creation of Talus' Canon.
07:29Oh, praise to thee, my God,
07:34it's high for all the blessings of art.
07:42With its simpler chordal structure and the use of English,
07:45it helped set a standard for worship songs for centuries to come.
07:48Rather than the complex, layered melodies seen in Catholic works,
07:52this offered a simplified version that could be sung just as easily as it could be read.
07:56In doing so, he was able to keep himself safe during a time of religious prosecution.
08:01Despite seemingly complying with no pushback,
08:03he would find ways to inject small doses of traditional motets from his own religion,
08:07such as adapting Latin text to English.
08:09As leadership changed repeatedly along with the dominant religion,
08:29Talus managed to write flawlessly for whatever style was required.
08:32Talus' Canon is one of his better-known surviving works,
08:35serving as the perfect midway point between the lush traditional style
08:39and the straightforward modern one.
08:51La Marseillaise
08:53Music and protests have often gone hand-in-hand.
09:04While it's present throughout most of history,
09:06one era that proves this theory tenfold is that of the Age of Revolution.
09:10It was a period defined by several countries rising up against those mistreating them,
09:14with one of the most well-known being the one that took place in France.
09:17One symptom of the French Revolution was a series of wars waged by nearby countries
09:22who feared extreme change being enacted in their own kingdoms.
09:26As a result, it was decided that a song had to be created
09:29to rally the troops into defending their home and their cause.
09:33Thus, La Marseillaise was born.
09:35The lyrics make their hatred for their oppressors known,
09:50calling for soldiers to fight back against them with everything they had.
09:54It quickly circulated throughout the faction,
09:56and within days, became their rallying cry.
09:58It ended up becoming the country's first anthem a few years later in 1795,
10:02and though it was banned during Napoleon I's reign,
10:05it was reinstated in 1879.
10:08Since then, it's been played during times of strife
10:10and used as a protest song in other areas of the world,
10:13invigorating listeners centuries after being written.
10:16It's a perfect microcosm of a tumultuous era in seven verses,
10:20capturing the desperate spirit of those determined not to be suppressed any longer.
10:24Beethoven's Symphony No. 5
10:42Protest songs weren't the only art born from revolution.
10:54During times of extreme unrest,
10:56even the most unlikely pieces become cathartic in nature.
10:59One of the best examples is Beethoven's Fifth Symphony,
11:03a piece created during a time of war and occupation that were both led by Napoleon.
11:07The current turmoil he'd been living through,
11:09and his reported support for the French Revolution,
11:12may have had a hand in inspiring its tone.
11:14Those first four chords are the definition of bombastic,
11:18mirroring the chaos happening in the world around him.
11:27The intensity doesn't decrease for a single moment,
11:30and though there are no lyrics,
11:32it feels like a response to the cataclysmic events that had been occurring at the time.
11:35Its importance and impact lies beyond its historical context.
11:39Musically, it signals the shift from the classical period to the romantic one.
11:43Where the former was characterized by rigid adherence to technical perfection,
11:47the latter are love for genuine emotion within the piece.
11:57The symphony is a perfect combination of the two,
12:00serving as a perfect midpoint during the transition.
12:03Its use of certain brass and wood instruments,
12:05were a spark of innovation that forever changed their orchestral roles.
12:20It also shows how tensions from the real world
12:23can impact the popular sound at the time,
12:25proving how deeply intertwined music and the zeitgeist truly are.
12:29The Handloom Weaver's Lament
12:47Though the Industrial Revolution undoubtedly served as a stepping stone
12:58to the modern conveniences we have today,
13:00it didn't come without the subjugation of the working man.
13:02The hardships felt by the less fortunate
13:04are well detailed in the Handloom Weaver's Lament from around 1810.
13:09At the time, those working in that profession found themselves being phased out by machines
13:13so they could perform the labor for them at a quicker pace and lower price.
13:17Their pay plummeted as a result,
13:19and any attempts to protest this were met with violence.
13:22The response was a righteously angry song,
13:25lambasting those in power.
13:26They spared no expense,
13:41dragging the elites for stripping them of their pay,
13:43enabling conditions that allowed adults and children alike to starve,
13:47and using the Napoleonic Wars as an excuse for it all.
13:50It's angry throughout,
13:51but does have one slight glimmer of hope at the end,
13:53a call to rise up and take care of the problem themselves.
13:57You tired and surmingled,
13:59and your ace may soon be wrong,
14:01you may be brought into account for what you've sorely done.
14:04The piece ended up ringing true about 15 years later in 1826,
14:08when Handloom Weavers rose up to protest
14:11and destroy the very machines that had taken their livelihoods from them.
14:14The song has a folk sound,
14:16which will remain a staple of activism-based music well into the present day.
14:20It signaled the dark underbelly of the continued technological progress,
14:23with similar poor working conditions appearing around the world with its introduction.
14:27And now, well, let's vote to conclude,
14:30it's time to make an end.
14:32Let's see if we can form a plan that these bad times may mend.
14:36March of the Volunteers.
14:37In times of immense strife,
14:46unity among citizens is all some people have to rely on.
14:49Throughout the 1930s,
14:50citizens of China found themselves under attack by Japanese forces.
14:54It began with the occupation of Manchuria in 1931,
14:57which spiraled into a full-on war
14:59that found that same populace being subjugated
15:02to horrific crimes against humanity.
15:04In 1935,
15:05a poem written by Tian Han the year beforehand
15:08was set to music
15:09and featured in the film
15:10Children of the Troubled Times.
15:20It served as a rallying cry
15:22for those tired of being made to feel terrified in their own homes.
15:25March of the Volunteers
15:26both honors those already putting their lives on the line
15:29to stand up to the oppressors in their country
15:31and encourages others
15:32to stand up and do the same.
15:34Crowds were heard all over the country singing it,
15:43signaling that they wouldn't stand down,
15:45even in the face of imminent danger.
15:47It gained traction throughout World War II,
15:49and by the end of 1941,
15:51it was being broadcast all over the world.
15:53The protest song became China's anthem,
15:55only for it to be stifled by their post-occupancy leader,
15:58Mao Zedong.
15:59He imprisoned its author
16:00and banned the piece as written.
16:02It wasn't until his own passing
16:04that it could be reinstated in 1982.
16:07Since then,
16:07it remains their anthem
16:08and a reminder of how they
16:10and most of the world were truly united,
16:12even if for just a moment.
16:23Strange Fruit
16:24A country allowing its citizens
16:33to attack others with impunity is shameful.
16:35Yet, leaders in the United States did little
16:37as primarily African-American citizens
16:39were targeted, brutalized,
16:42and often killed by racists.
16:44The first reports go back at least to the 1830s,
16:46and after a century,
16:48thousands had been victimized.
16:49The crowd gathered at the Ed Johnson Memorial
16:51to remember his life.
16:53Johnson was brutally murdered
16:54and then hanged on the Walnut Street Bridge by a mob.
16:57This left it up to artists to make the issue known.
17:00In the late 1930s,
17:02the protest poem,
17:03Strange Fruit,
17:04was set to music,
17:05and Billie Holiday began singing it
17:06at the end of her live performances.
17:08The bulging eyes
17:12and the twisted mouth
17:16She recorded it as its own track in 1939,
17:19and it slowly rose to prominence.
17:21All over the country,
17:23people were met with haunting lyrics
17:24describing the visceral scenes left behind
17:27after a violent lynching had taken place.
17:29Despite the heavy subject matter,
17:41it still sold over a million units.
17:43It was proof
17:44that people all over the country
17:45didn't support the twisted vigilante violence
17:47taking place.
17:48Unfortunately,
17:49it also highlighted the hatred felt by others.
17:52Holiday was relentlessly targeted
17:54by Harry Anslinger,
17:55the leader of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics.
17:57He didn't stop until she'd been entrapped,
18:00arrested,
18:00and banned from performing in nightclubs.
18:02Meanwhile,
18:03the lynchings continued,
18:05including that of teenager Emmett Till in 1955.
18:08The last recorded incident occurred in 1981,
18:10but an act criminalizing the behavior
18:12wouldn't pass until 2022.
18:14The song has remained a beacon through it all,
18:16acting as a reminder
18:17of the country's not-so-distant past.
18:19Before we continue,
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18:51We Didn't Start the Fire
18:52With all the advancements made over the last century,
19:02it can be hard to keep up
19:03with the rapid changes in pop culture
19:04and geopolitics.
19:06Luckily,
19:07Billy Joel was able to map most of it out for us
19:09in less than five minutes.
19:10In that span of time,
19:11We Didn't Start the Fire
19:12covers many major events,
19:14celebrities,
19:15and trends that received national attention
19:17from 1949 to 1989.
19:20What else do I have to say?
19:21We Didn't Start the Fire
19:23We Didn't Start the Fire
19:23We Didn't Start the Fire
19:24We Didn't Start the Fire
19:24We Didn't Start the Fire
19:25We Didn't Start the Fire
19:26We Didn't Start the Fire
19:27Some may just remember the movies and stars
19:29that are referenced,
19:30but don't be fooled.
19:31This piece has much more to offer.
19:33Beneath the upbeat production and line delivery
19:35lies a dark undercurrent
19:37revealing the pain and strife
19:38that occurred within that four-decade window.
19:41Between mentions of Hollywood stars
19:42and popular toys
19:43are that of violent conflicts
19:45like the war in Vietnam
19:46and epidemics like the AIDS crisis.
19:56It also makes mention of citizens
19:58from Hungary to South Korea
19:59coming together
20:00and attempting to protest
20:02their oppressive governments,
20:03shining a spotlight on issues
20:05that would have otherwise gone unnoticed
20:06in the long run.
20:12Immortalizing these events by way of song
20:16has ensured that they won't merely
20:18slip through the cracks of the public's memory
20:20and be lost for good.
20:21Musically, it marks a complete evolution
20:24from where it all began
20:25with the hurry and hymn.
20:26What was once a simple lyre and melody
20:28honoring a deity
20:29has branched out into a complex,
20:32multi-instrument, highly produced bop
20:34bursting at the seams with people,
20:36places, and things
20:37that hadn't even been conceptualized.
20:39What song do you think
20:47captures a perfect snapshot
20:48of human history?
20:49Let us know in the comments below.
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