Dab solver - New Age music

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There is a significant overlap of sectors of New Age music, [[ambient music]], [[classical music]], [[jazz]], [[electronica]], [[world music]], [[Chill out (music)|chillout]], [[space music]] and others. The two definitions typically associated with the New Age genre are:

* New Age music with an ambient sound that has the explicit purpose of aiding meditation and relaxation, or aiding and enabling various alternative spiritual practices, such as alternative healing, Yoga practice, guided meditation, [[chakra]] auditing, and so on. The proponents of this definition are almost always musicians who create their music expressly for these purposes.^ref Prominent artists who create New Age music expressly for healing and/or meditation include , [[Deuter]], [[Steven Halpern]], [[Dean Evenson]] who in 1979 was one of the first to combine his peaceful flute music with the sounds of nature, [[Lawrence Ball]], and [[Karunesh]].

* Music which is found in the New Age section of the record store.^ref This is largely a definition of practicality, given the breadth of music that is classified as "New Age" by retailers who are often less interested in finely-grained distinctions between musical styles than are fans of those styles.  Music which falls into this definition is usually music which cannot be easily classified into other, more common definitions, but often includes well-defined music such as [[worldbeat]] and [[Flamenco]] guitar.  It also includes expressly spiritual New Age music as a subset. There are retail outlets, that specify subcategories such as Nature Sounds, Healing, Piano, Chants, and so on. [[Amazon.com|Amazon]] includes also Celtic, Meditation, World-dance, and Relaxation, and [[iTunes Store]] includes Nature, Environmental, Healing, and Travel, besides other subgenres. The German new-age site Silenzio lists almost 70 subgenres.

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{{distinguish|New Wave music}}
{{Infobox music genre
| name = New Age music
| color = black
| bgcolor = #FFCCEE
| stylistic_origins = [[Classical music]] [[Electronic music]] [[Folk music]] [[Ambient music]] [[Musique concrète]] [[Progressive rock]] [[Psychedelic rock]] [[Krautrock]] [[Traditional folk music]] [[World music]] [[Celtic music]] [[Minimal music]] [[Avant-garde music]] [[Free jazz]] [[New wave music]]
| cultural_origins = [[Europe]] and [[United States]], late 1960s
| instruments = [[piano]], [[synthesizer]], [[Sampler (musical instrument)|sampler]], [[music sequencer|sequencer]], [[stringed instruments|strings]], [[found sound]]s (often [[bird vocalization|bird song]] or [[whale sound|whale song]], [[waterfall]]s, etc), [[Folk instrument|folk and ethnic instruments]], [[acoustic guitar]], [[flute]]s, [[harp]], [[sitar]], [[Tanpura (instrument)|tamboura]], [[tabla]], [[organ (music)|organ]]
| popularity = Worldwide, often connected with [[New Age|New Age spirituality]]
| derivatives = [[Post-rock]] - [[Trip-hop#Post-trip_hop|Post-trip-hop]] - [[trance music|Trance]]
| subgenrelist = [[Tone poems]]
| subgenres = [[Neoclassical (New Age)]] - [[Space music]] - [[tone poem]]s - [[biomusic]] - [[Andean New Age]]
| fusiongenres = [[Celtic fusion]]
| regional_scenes =
| local_scenes =
| other_topics = [[New Age movement]], [[meditation]], [[environmentalism]], [[List of New Age music artists]]
}}

'''New Age music''' is an umbrella term for various [[downtempo]] music intended to create [[artistic inspiration]], [[relaxation technique|relaxation]], and [[optimism]]. It is used by listeners for [[yoga]], [[massage]], [[meditation]],<ref name=allmusicnewage/> and [[Reading (process)|reading]] as a method of [[stress management]]<ref>{{cite book|title=Principles and Practice of Stress Management, Third Edition|last= Lehrer |first=Paul M.|coauthors=David H. (FRW) Barlow, Robert L. Woolfolk, Wesley E. Sime |year=2007 |pages=46–47|isbn=1-59385-000-X|publisher=Guilford Press|location=New York}}</ref> or to create a peaceful atmosphere in their home or other environments, and is often associated with [[environmentalism]] and [[New Age|New Age spirituality]].<ref name=allmusicnewage>{{Allmusic|class=explore|id=genre/d117}}</ref>

The [[harmonies]] in New Age music are generally [[Musical mode|modal]], [[Consonance and dissonance|consonant]], or include a [[Drone (music)|drone]] bass. The melodies are sometimes recordings of nature sounds and used as an introduction to a track or throughout the piece. Pieces of up to thirty minutes are common.

New Age music includes both [[electronic music|electronic]] forms, frequently relying on sustained [[synth pad]]s or long [[Music sequencer|sequencer]]-based runs, and [[Acoustic music|acoustic]] forms, featuring instruments such as flutes, piano, acoustic guitar and a wide variety of non-western acoustic instruments.

Vocal arrangements were initially rare in New Age music but as it has evolved vocals have become more common, especially vocals featuring [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]], [[Sanskrit]], or [[Tibetan Music|Tibetan]]  influenced chants, or lyrics based on [[mythology]] such as [[Celtic mythology|Celtic legends]] or the realm of [[Faerie]].

== Past ==
New Age music was influenced by a wide range of artists from a variety of genres—for example, folk instrumentalists [[John Fahey (musician)|John Fahey]] and [[Leo Kottke]], classical minimalists [[Terry Riley]], [[Steve Reich]], and [[Philip Glass]], synthesizer performers [[Pink Floyd]] and [[Brian Eno]], and impressionistic jazz artists [[Keith Jarrett]], [[Paul Horn (musician)|Paul Horn]] (beginning with 1968's [[Inside (Paul Horn album)|''Inside'']]) and [[Pat Metheny]].<ref name=motherjones>{{cite news|title=The Sounds of Sominex|author=Derk Richardson|publisher=Mother Jones Magazine|date=Nov 1986|page=60}}</ref> Many different styles and combinations of electronic experimental and acoustic New Age music were introduced in the 1970s including music from Asia, such as [[Kitaro]] and [[Yellow Magic Orchestra]].
[[File:Kitaro 5.jpg|thumb|left|151px|[[Kitarō|Kitaro]], one of the most influential electronic/New Age artists in Asia]]
[[Steven Halpern]]'s ''Spectrum Suite'', released in 1975, is generally credited as the album that began the New Age music movement.<ref>Wright, Carol. [http://www.allmusic.com/album/spectrum-suite-r83082 ''Spectrum Suite'' – Steven Halpern]. [[AllMusic]].</ref> New Age music was initially produced and sold only by independent labels. The sales reached significant numbers in unusual outlets such as bookstores, gift stores, health food stores and boutiques, as well as direct mail. Another prominent example of an early New Age album was when in [[1979]], [[R&B music|R&B musician]] [[Stevie Wonder]] created the [[Soundtrack album|soundtrack]] for the documentary ([[The Secret Life of Plants|based on the book]]) [[Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants|The Secret Life of Plants]], which in turn was the first [[digital recording]] of a New Age album. In 1981, [[Tower Records]] in [[Mountain View, California]] added a New Age bin.<ref name=billboard1986/> By 1985, independent and chain record retail stores were adding sections for New Age music and major labels began showing interest in the genre, both through acquisition of some existing New Age labels such as [[Paul Winter]]'s Living Music and through signing of New Age artists such as Kitaro and jazz crossover artist Pat Metheny, both signed by Geffen.<ref name=billboard1986>{{cite news|work=Billboard Magazine|title=The Independents: Oasis of Individuality Offering Welcome Relief from the Volume Wars|author=Geoff Mayfield|date=October 25, 19896|page=22|publisher=Nielsen Business Media}}</ref>

On Valentine's Day in 1987, the former Los Angeles rock radio station KMET changed to a full-time New Age music format with new call letters [[KTWV]], branded as ''The Wave''.<ref name=Balfe>{{cite book|title=Paying the piper: causes and consequences of art patronage |first=Judith H. |last=Balfe |publisher=University of Illinois Press|year=1993|pages=279–81|isbn=0-252-06310-4}}</ref> During The Wave's New Age music period, management told the station employees to refer to The Wave as a "mood service" rather than a "radio station". DJs stopped announcing the titles of the songs, and instead, to maintain an uninterrupted mood, listeners could call a 1-800 phone number to find out what song was playing. News breaks were also re-branded and referred to as "wave breaks".<ref name=Balfe/> Stations in other cities followed this lead and in 1983, [[Stephen Hill (broadcaster)|Stephen Hill]]'s radio show ''[[Hearts of Space|Music From The Hearts of Space]]'' was picked up by [[NPR]] for syndication to 230 affiliates nationally.<ref name=Balfe/> Other New Age music specialty radio programs included Forest's ''[[Musical Starstreams]]'' and John Diliberto's ''[[Echoes (radio program)|Echoes]]''. Most major [[cable television]] networks have channels that play music without visuals, including channels for New Age music, such as the "Soundscapes" channel on [[Music Choice]].

By 1989, there were over 150 small independent record labels releasing New Age music, and New Age music and adult alternative programs were carried on hundreds of commercial and college radio stations in the U.S., and over 40 distributors were selling New Age music through mail order catalogs.<ref name=pjyoga>{{cite news|work=Yoga Journal|title=Dreamtime Return|author=PJ Birosik|date=March 1989|pages=94–95|publisher=Active Interest Media, Inc.}}</ref>

== Definitions ==
[[File:Vangelis HonoraryDoct.jpg|thumb|150px|Works of Greek composer [[Vangelis]], noted for his film scores, exemplify the progressive side of New Age music<ref>{{cite book|title=New directions in music|last= Cope |first=David|coauthors=|year=2001 |pages=259|isbn=1577661087, 9781577661085|publisher=Waveland Press|location=Michigan University}}</ref>]]

New Age music is defined more by the effect or feeling it produces rather than the instruments used in its creation; it may be electronic, acoustic, or a mixture of both. New Age artists range from solo or ensemble performances using [[classical music]] instruments ranging from the piano, acoustic guitar, flute or harp to [[electronic musical instruments]], or from [[Eastern music|Eastern instruments]] such as the [[sitar]], [[tabla]], and [[Tanpura (instrument)|tamboura]].

There is a significant overlap of sectors of New Age music, [[ambient music]], [[classical music]], [[jazz]], [[electronica]], [[world music]], [[Chill out (music)|chillout]], [[space music]] and others. The two definitions typically associated with the New Age genre are:

* New Age music with an ambient sound that has the explicit purpose of aiding meditation and relaxation, or aiding and enabling various alternative spiritual practices, such as alternative healing, Yoga practice, guided meditation, [[chakra]] auditing, and so on. The proponents of this definition are almost always musicians who create their music expressly for these purposes.<ref name="NAV">Steven Halpern, ''New Age Voice Magazine'', June 1999 issue</ref> Prominent artists who create New Age music expressly for healing and/or meditation include <<link:0>>, [[Deuter]], [[Steven Halpern]], [[Dean Evenson]] who in 1979 was one of the first to combine his peaceful flute music with the sounds of nature, [[Lawrence Ball]], and [[Karunesh]].

* Music which is found in the New Age section of the record store.<ref name="NAV"/> This is largely a definition of practicality, given the breadth of music that is classified as "New Age" by retailers who are often less interested in finely-grained distinctions between musical styles than are fans of those styles. Music which falls into this definition is usually music which cannot be easily classified into other, more common definitions, but often includes well-defined music such as [[worldbeat]] and [[Flamenco]] guitar. It also includes expressly spiritual New Age music as a subset. There are retail outlets, that specify subcategories such as Nature Sounds, Healing, Piano, Chants, and so on. [[Amazon.com|Amazon]] includes also Celtic, Meditation, World-dance, and Relaxation, and [[iTunes Store]] includes Nature, Environmental, Healing, and Travel, besides other subgenres. The German new-age site Silenzio lists almost 70 subgenres.

== Influences and themes ==
{{more sources|section|date=September 2012}}
[[File:Enyasweet.jpg|thumb|150px|Irish singer/composer [[Enya]] received  four [[Grammy Awards]] for Best New Age Album]]
From 1968 to 1973, German musicians such as [[Edgar Froese]] (founder of [[Tangerine Dream]]), [[Holger Czukay]] (one of the founders of [[Can (band)|Can]] and a former student of [[Karlheinz Stockhausen]]), [[Popol Vuh (German band)|Popol Vuh]], and [[Ash Ra Tempel|Ashra]] released a number of works featuring experimental sounds and textures built with electronics, synthesizers, acoustic and electric instruments which were referred to as [[kosmische musik|cosmic music]]. This experimentation provided early foundational influences for the [[ambient music]] and New Age music genres. In the late 1970s [[Brian Eno]]'s defining explorations in ambient music further influenced the formation of the New Age music genre, as developed in the styles of musicians such as [[Robert Fripp]], [[Jon Hassell]], [[Laraaji]], [[Harold Budd]], [[Cluster (band)|Cluster]], [[Jah Wobble]] (of [[post-punk]] band [[Public Image Limited]]).

In 1973, [[Mike Oldfield]]'s unconventional progressive rock album ''[[Tubular Bells]]'' became one of the first albums to be referred to under the genre description of New Age music.<ref>{{cite book |first=Patti Jean |last=Birosik |title=The New Age Music Guide |year=1989 |publisher=Collier MacMillan |page=138 |isbn=0-02-041640-7}}</ref> Other influences are early electronic music, [[classical music]], [[ethnic music]] and [[world music]]. The [[minimalist music|minimalism]] of [[Terry Riley]] and [[Steve Reich]] ([[India]]n influenced in the former case) can also be cited as an influence, along with artists like [[Tony Conrad]], [[La Monte Young]] who utilized drones since the early 1960s. Connected to the creation of New Age music is the resurgence of interest in [[Gregorian chant]] during the second half of the 20th century. Now, New Age music has branched out and also includes chanting of "spiritual" or ancient languages, and includes, but is not limited to Sanskrit, Latin, Gaelic, Hebrew and Gurmukhi. Popular artists in this genre include [[Krishna Das (singer)|Krishna Das]], [[Deva Premal]], [[Bhagavan Das (yogi)|Bhagavan Das]] and [[Snatam Kaur]].

The solo [[ECM Records|ECM]] performances by artists like [[Keith Jarrett]] (especially his record ''[[The Köln Concert]]''),  [[Ralph Towner]] (especially his records ''Blue Sun'' and ''Solo Concert'') and [[Lyle Mays]]'s first eponymous album, are usually thought to be an influence on Ambient/New Age music. The acoustic solo and group performances by the early [[Windham Hill]] artists such as [[William Ackerman]], [[Alex de Grassi]], [[George Winston]], and [[Michael Hedges]] were called ''New Age'' for much of the last 30 years.

Popular themes in New Age music include space and the cosmos, environment and nature, wellness in being, harmony with one's self and the world, [[dream]]s or dreaming and journeys of the mind or spirit. Titles of New Age albums and songs are frequently descriptive: examples include ''[[Shepherd Moons]]'' ([[Enya]]), ''Straight' a Way to Orion'' ([[Kitaro]]), ''Touching the Clouds'' ([[Symbiosis (musical ensemble)|Symbiosis]]), and ''[[One Deep Breath]]'' ([[Bradley Joseph]]).

== Alternative terms ==
[[File:YanniPressPhoto.jpg|thumb|200px|Greek musician and composer [[Yanni]] has had several albums peak at #1 on the ''Billboard''
New Age rankings.]]

As described in this article, the borders of this genre are not well defined; however music retail stores will include artists in the "New Age" category even if the artists themselves use different names for their style of music. Here are some other terms used for "New Age".

; Contemporary instrumental: This term can include artists that do not use electronic instruments in their music, such as solo pianist [[David Lanz]].<ref>[http://www.davidlanz.com/profile.shtml David Lanz Website Bio]</ref> Similarly, pianists such as [[Yanni]]<ref name="Yanni in Words">{{cite book|last = Yanni 
| coauthors = Rensin, David|title = Yanni in Words|publisher = [[Miramax Books]]|year = 2002|pages = 123, 202|isbn =1-4013-5194-8
| accessdate =2007-04-03}}</ref> and [[Bradley Joseph]]<ref name="Indie Journal Interview">{{cite web |author=Wheeler, Fred|url=http://www.indiejournal.com/indiejournal/interviews/bradleyjoseph.htm |title= Interview with Bradley Joseph|publisher = Indie Journal|year = 2002|accessdate=2006-12-21 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20050908010100/http://www.indiejournal.com/indiejournal/interviews/bradleyjoseph.htm |archivedate = 2005-09-08}}</ref> both use this term as well, although they use [[Keyboard instrument|keyboards]] to incorporate layered [[orchestra]]l textures into their compositions.

; '''Contemporary adult instrumental''': This term was suggested by Steven Halpern in the June 1999 issue of ''New Age Voice'' as an alternative catch-all label for music which is classified by retailers as "New Age", but which is not expressly spiritual in nature.

==See also==
* [[List of New Age music artists]]
* [[Meditation music]]
* [[Adult contemporary music]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:New Age Music}}
[[Category:New Age music|*]]

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