Explanations of the origin of music depend on how music is defined.

If we assume that music is a form of intentional emotional manipulation, music as we know it was not possible until the onset of intentionality- the ability to reflect about the past and the future. Between 60,000 and 30,000 years ago humans started creating art in the form of paintings on cave walls, jewellery and so on. They also started to bury their dead ceremonially. If we assume that these new forms of behavior reflect the emergence of intentionality, then music as we know it must also have emerged during that period. It is possible that the first musical instrument was the human voice itself, which can make a vast array of sounds, from singing, humming and whistling through to clicking, coughing and yawning

 Ancient music is music that developed in literate cultures, replacing prehistoric music. Ancient music refers to the various musical systems that were developed across various geographical regions such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, Persia, India, China, Greece and Rome.

the word music comes from the Muses, the daughters of Zeus and patron goddesses of creative and intellectual endeavours. People in ancient Greece loved music, and made it an important part of their lives. Greek people thought of music as a way of honoring the gods, sand making the world a more human, civilized place. Unfortunately we really have no idea what Greek music sounded like, because there were no tape recorders or anything like that then, and they had no way of writing down music either. We do know what kind of instruments the Greeks had. They had pipes, and lyres, and drums, and cymbals. Pipes and drums were played in a loud, lively way, for dancing, and people played this music when they were worshipping Dionysos , the god of wine and parties.

 Less is known about Ancient Roman Music than is known about the music of ancient Greece. The Romans are not said to have been particularly creative or original when it came to music. Yet, if the Romans admired Greek music as much as they admired everything else about Greek culture, it is safe to say that Roman music was mostly monophonic. and that the melodies were based on an elaborate system of scales

 ancient Egyptian music Although music existed in prehistoric Egypt, the evidence for it becomes secure only in the historical (or "dynastic" or "pharaonic") period--after 3100 BCE. In a culture as full of religious rituals as ancient Egypt, music tends to be a significant part of every day life. With countless wall murals showing musicians playing while dancers danced and others stood off and watched. Instruments have been unearthed as well. But, despite knowing how they played, the ancient Egyptian music itself -- the notes, the composition -- is wholly unknown to us.

 Medieval music is Western music written during the Middle ages The time we call the Middle Ages is a long period from about 400 AD to 1400 AD. Instruments used to perform medieval music still exist, but in different forms Medieval music was both sacred and secular. We do not know a great deal about music of this time because it was such a long time ago and music was not often written down.

Renaissance music is European Music written from about the year 1400 to1600. This section of time is called the Renaissance, a word which means rebirth. The Renaissance comes between the Middle ages and the Baroque times. Putting music into time sections does not mean that there were quick changes of type. Music changed slowly. Early Renaissance music was similar to Medieval. Slowly musicwriters started to try new ideas. A lot of medieval church music had become very hard with lots of rules about rhythms and clashes of notes to make dissonances. A lot of Renaissance composers wrote music which was smoother and more gentle. The music was still polyphonic with each voice having a share of melody. Music was starting to become less modal and more tonal. By the time the Baroque period started composers were using a system of major and minor keys like we do today.

 Baroque music is the style of Western music extending approximately from 16001750.This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era The word Baroque" comes from the Portuguese word barroco, meaning "misshapen pearl",a negative description of the ornate and heavily ornamented music of this period; later, the name came to be applied also to its architecture

The Classical music period is the time from about 1750 to 1820 when Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert were the most famous living composers. It is music which has been written by composers who have studied the art of composition. In some ways Classical music is often simpler than the music of the Baroque composers The word classical is often used to refer to the arts of ancient Greece and Rome. It has also come to mean any art form which has become very famous and is remembered for centuries afterwards. In music the Classical period comes between the Baroque and the period of R Romantism.

 Romantic music is music written in the 19th century. This was the period called the Romantic period by musicians In the Romantic period artists thought that feeling and passions were more important than formal plans. In music the Romantic composers may still use plans like sonata form, but feelings and passions are important. They often write what is called programme music which means: music that describes something or tells a story.

 20th century classical music was without a dominant style and highly diverse. Romantic style, Impressionism, Modernism, Futurism, Expressionism, Neoclassicism, Postmodern, Minimalism and so on. With 20th century music there was a vast increase in music listening as the radio gained popularity and phonographs were used to replay and distribute music. The focus of art music was characterized by exploration of new rhythms, styles, and sounds.

 Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed in the 1960s from 1950s rock and roll rockabilly, blues, and country music. The sound of rock often revolves around the electric guitar or acoustic guitar, and it uses a strong back beat. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, it branched out into different subgenres, ranging from blues rock and jazz-rock fusion to heavy metal and punk rock, as well as the more classical influenced genre of progressive rock and several types of experimental rockk genres.

 For its October 2009 edition, the BBC Music Magazine asked 10 composers, mostly British, to discuss the latest trends in western classical music. these composers all came to the same basic conclusion: music is too diverse to categorise or limit. In his interview with the magazine, Dutilleux argued that "there is only good or bad music, whether serious or popular".