Music has never been nothing less than entertainment. It has been used in most cultures as an effective communication of stories and transfer of knowledge between generations. Prior to the common use of written records, societies tended to use songs as a medium through which they recalled significant events, traditions, and experience in general. Via rhythm and melody, the stories were able to traverse between generations and stay alive in the memory of people.
A lot of the old time songs comprise stories of historical events, legends, and daily life. These songs would commonly narrate movements, companionships, battles, and festivals that defined the character of a society. Songs enabled people to memorize and repeat these stories when a written record was not as important because it was difficult to record all of these stories in writing.
A familiar instance of music as the means of telling stories is the ballad. These songs have a tendency of taking up a narrative format, telling characters and events in a manner that is easily discernible by the listeners. Ballads were used in most cultures during the occasions when people used to get together to listen, learn, and exchange stories. Gradually these musical accounts turned out to be a significant element of culture.
This is also achieved through music when telling stories. Melody, rhythm and tone of a song can contribute to the fact that the listener can experience the emotions which are conveyed in the story. Happy song could be a song of success or oneness and a slow melody could be a song of contemplation or nostalgia. These emotional aspects create more memorable and significant stories to viewers.
The other distinctive feature of storytelling music is that it evolves through time. Since the songs are transmitted across generations they can vary in little ways according to who sings them and according to the audience that hears them. New verses can be added, or even some parts can be modified to represent contemporary experiences.
In this world, music is still today used as a means of narration in a number of cultures. When artists come up with songs, they are usually influenced by some historical events, some personal experience, and the cultural tradition.
Be it on a stage or in an informal communal event, music will continue to be one of the most effective means of telling stories and uniting people based on the collective memory.