New-age music

Not to be confused with New wave music.
New-age
Stylistic origins
Cultural origins1960s and early 1970s, Europe and United States
Subgenres
Fusion genres
Celtic fusion
Other topics

New-age is a genre of music intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation,[1] and reading as a method of stress management[2] to bring about a state of ecstasy rather than trance,[3][4] or to create a peaceful atmosphere in homes or other environments. It is sometimes associated with environmentalism and New Age spirituality;[5][1] however, most of its artists have nothing to do with "New Age spirituality," and some even reject the term.[citation needed]

New-age music includes both acoustic forms, featuring instruments such as flutes, piano, acoustic guitar, non-Western acoustic instruments, while also engaging with electronic forms, frequently relying on sustained synth pads or long sequencer-based runs. New-age artists often combine these approaches to create electroacoustic music. Vocal arrangements were initially rare in the genre, but as it has evolved, vocals have become more common, especially those featuring Native American-, Sanskrit-, or Tibetan-influenced chants, or lyrics based on mythology such as Celtic legends.[6][7][8][9]

There is no exact definition of new-age music. However, it is often judged by its intent according to the Grammy screening committee in that category.[7] An article in Billboard magazine in 1987 commented that "New Age music may be the most startling successful non-defined music ever to hit the public consciousness".[10] Many consider it to be an umbrella term[11] for marketing rather than a musical category,[8][12][13] and to be part of a complex cultural trend.[14]

New-age music was influenced by a wide range of artists from a variety of genres. Tony Scott's Music for Zen Meditation (1964) is considered the first new-age recording.[13][15] Paul Horn (beginning with 1968's Inside) was one of the important predecessors.[16] Irv Teibel's Environments series (1969–79) featured natural soundscapes, tintinnabulation, and "Om" chants and were some of the first publicly available psychoacoustic recordings.[17] Steven Halpern's 1975 Spectrum Suite was a key work that began the new-age music movement.[18]

  1. ^ a b New-age music at AllMusic
  2. ^ Paul M. Lehrer; David H. (FRW) Barlow; Robert L. Woolfolk; Wesley E. Sime (2007). Principles and Practice of Stress Management, Third Edition. New York: Guilford Press. pp. 46–47. ISBN 978-1-59385-000-5.
  3. ^ Marini 2003, p. 169.
  4. ^ Whittall 2003, p. 184.
  5. ^ Newport 1998, p. 475–483.
  6. ^ Newport 1998, p. 475–479.
  7. ^ a b Hale and Payton 2000, p. 26.
  8. ^ a b Shuker 2002, p. 212.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference PopView was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Newport 1998, p. 476.
  11. ^ John Schaefer (December 1985). "New Sounds". Spin. Vol. 1, no. 8. p. 63. ISSN 0886-3032.
  12. ^ Steven Rea (February 22, 1987). "New-age Music: Hard To Define, But It Sells It Even Has A Grammy Category Of Its Own". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on March 30, 2012. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  13. ^ a b Don Heckman (February 27, 1994). "Trends: New Age Enters a New Phase: Call it what you want, but the sound of Yanni and his similarly minded pals ... is reaching far beyond its old image of ambient mood music". Los Angeles Times.
  14. ^ Newport 1998, p. 476, 478.
  15. ^ "Roots of Space". Hearts of Space. Season 7. Episode 200. 1989-07-14.
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference LATimes19881202 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ "Irv Teibel Obituary". Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home North. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  18. ^ Wright, Carol. Spectrum Suite—Steven Halpern. AllMusic.