The most musical country in the world. These music groups are recognized as the best in the world
When talking about music around the world, it is important to understand that different peoples develop their culture in different ways. This is largely influenced by their geographical position, their neighbors and proximity to the sea. If the country is in warm latitudes , the climate is mild and the land is fertile, residents will have time to develop culture, including music. If people live in conditions harsh climate , their musical development will be slow as they have to survive in difficult conditions.
One of the famous Russians opera singers said that the more singers there are in a country, the better it is climate . Because you can only speak loudly in a mild climate. Agree, when you are cold, you even try to breathe briefly and every once in a while, let alone sing. By the way, he believed that the most musical countries the world are located in Europe , since there is a mild climate and good social conditions for activities in an entertainment environment.
They also play a big role neighbours . If you have to live side by side with warlike countries or nomads who constantly attack other states, there will be no time for music or cultural development.
In addition to all of the above, the role in the development of music in the country, of course, plays government states. It can regulate both external relations and improve the lives of citizens. Certainly, a good life is a positive factor for the development of musical culture. However, in addition to improving life, the state can limit culture and set it certain direction, which can slow down development or stop it altogether.
Despite all this, music still remains an important part of the life of any person at all times. It always influenced him and was created by him, although it was expressed in different ways.
So, sociologists and cultural scientists have conducted several polls , concerning the most musical countries in the world. Here are their results:
1 place
... occupied by a small margin USA . The culture of this country is widely promoted everywhere, so its place in the ranking is not at all surprising. In the USA, music for many years absorbed the features of the most different styles. Popular among Americans are the violin, accordion and wind instruments, in particular the saxophone (think jazz).
2nd place
... divided Great Britain And India , no matter how strange it may sound, you can’t argue with the numbers. Let's see what professional sources tell us about them. When composing music, Indian musicians use special rhythmic and melodic schemes. Tabla drums and stringed instruments– sitars. British music is closely connected with marine theme, which is not surprising, because Britain was once the queen of the seas.
3rd place
... got in the rating Korea And Russia . We patriotically admit that in Russia musical culture I have always been highly developed, and dancing and generally shirking work in the field are simply in our blood. Korea has both its own stars and a very patriotic musical climate, unlike European countries, literally infected by the onslaught of American culture.
Who are they, the best rock bands of all time? The 50 best bands are in front of you.
AC/DC
The famous rock band was formed in 1973 in Sydney. Now, probably, there is no person, not even passionate about rock music, who has never heard this name - AC/DC. Unfortunately, in 2016, vocalist Brian Johnson received a disappointing diagnosis. Doctors strongly advised the musician to give up performing, otherwise he would face complete hearing loss. As a result, the singer decided to leave the band for health reasons. Axl Rose was invited to take his place.
Arcade Fire
A unique indie rock project from Canada found its audience from its first album thanks to its unusual and authentic sound. Their third album won a Grammy in the category " Best Album of the year".
Arctic Monkeys
Perhaps this is the best British band millennium. At least the guys from Arctic Monkeys themselves have no doubt about it!
Biffy Clyro
It took the Scottish rockers many years of hard work to gain recognition. In 2007, their album Puzzle reached gold status, and songs from it entered the top music charts.
Bloc Party
The British group was created in 2003. From the first album to this day, musicians have been tearing up the charts and the hearts of fans with new hits.
Blur
Who doesn't know one of the most successful rock bands of the 1990s? The musicians are still “on horseback” - in 2015 they released the album The Magic Whip, which was appreciated by both fans and critics.
Coldplay
Another British alternative band on the list of the best. Recognition came to them after the release of their second album Yellow, which blew up the charts in the US and UK. On this moment The group's albums have sold more than 80 million copies.
Courteeners
British musicians immediately made a powerful statement. The group's first two albums - St. Jude and Falcon - broke into the local music charts and immediately reached the top ten.
Doves
In the 90s the group was quite popular. Despite the fact that the musicians have been on sabbatical since 2010, we do not forget them.
Editors
The musicians' first two platinum discs sold more than 2 million copies. Many rock fans remember their stunning performance at Glastonbury, after which their second album Editors reached number one in the UK Albums Chart.
Elbow
From the very beginning of their musical career, the group received strong support music critics. They were called "the smartest band in Britain", their third album was called a "masterpiece". Many musicians are their fans, including such stars as R.E.M., U2.
Foals
The indie rock band was born in 2005 in the UK. Their work was influenced by such trends as math rock and dance-punk.
They can deservedly be called best rock band 21st century. It's that simple.
Green Day
With the release of the single American Idiot, the punks boldly expressed their opinions. And, of course, a true rocker’s September wouldn’t be complete without listening to Wake Me Up When September Ends.
Guns N' Roses
One of the most famous groups 1980s Their influence on rock music is difficult to overestimate.
Joy Division
Musicians were among the first to focus on mood, paving the way for alternative rock.
Kasabian
The British have an impressive number of awards. IN different years they won in the nominations "Best Performance of the Year", " The best group our time".
Kings of Leon
The group owes its name to the father and grandfather of its members. Both were called Leons. Famous song Sex On Fire ranked ninth on the Top 40 list best songs Great Britain.
The group is considered one of the most popular in rock: in total, more than 300 million albums have been sold. Having created their innovative sound style, the members of the group made a huge contribution to the development of music.
Manic Street Preachers
The guys started out as a punk band, but then they started playing rock. The lyrics have always been politicized.
Mumford And Sons
In 2013, the musicians became owners prestigious award"Grammy", their album was recognized as album of the year.
Muse
For my musical career the group released 11 albums, 7 studio and 4 live. Record sales exceeded 15 million. More than once the group has been awarded various prestigious awards, including Grammy, MTV Europe Music Awards.
Nirvana
(In the main photo.) The group's history was interrupted due to the suicide of its leader Kurt Cobain in 1994. However, thanks to the musician’s cult of personality, the band is still popular. The albums have sold over 75 million copies.
Oasis
They are one of the most commercially successful rock bands of the 90s.
Pink Floyd
The British band is known for its acoustic experiments, philosophical lyrics and large-scale live shows. One of the most popular rock bands modernity.
Pixies
The group had a significant influence on the rise of alternative music in the 1990s. The team's world tours are still very popular.
Placebo
The famous British alternative group was created by B. Molko and S. Olsdal in 1994. The depressive nature of the lyrics and music hit the mark. The group still releases albums and tours.
Primal Scream
The musicians showed a fresh sound by combining different styles of rock music.
Pulp
The group did not become popular immediately; the musicians achieved success only in the 1990s.
Radiohead
The group has existed since 1985. It is noteworthy that its composition has not changed since then. Radiohead have sold more than 300 million copies of their albums and significantly influenced the development of modern rock.
Razorlight
The English-Swedish group appeared in 2002. She is mostly popular only in her home countries.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
One of the most famous rock bands modern times, more than 80 million albums have been sold. In the rating "100 the best rock musicians" RHCP placed 30th and in 2012 the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
R.E.M.
The group had a very important influence on the development of alternative rock music.
The Rolling Stones
Everyone has probably heard about this group. The albums have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide. The Rolling Stone s inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Also, Rolling Stone magazine placed the group at an honorable fourth place on its "50" list. greatest performers of all times."
The Snow Patrol
An alternative rock band made up of Scots and Irish. They have received prestigious awards more than once, and their singles can be heard in famous TV series and films.
The Stereophonics
Over a quarter of a century, the group released ten albums, the circulation of which exceeded 10 million copies.
The Stone Roses
The band's debut album became a classic before it was released.
The team was formed in 1998 in the USA. The musicians play a mixture of indie and garage rock.
The Suede
The group appeared in the British capital in 1989. One of the "Big Four" of British pop along with Blur, Pulp and Oasis.
The Beatles
Many musicians mention influence on their work The group Beatles. The team is considered one of the best-selling and most popular in the 20th century.
The Charlatans
The group, which appeared in England, played Britpop. The musicians released ten studio albums, three of them became winners of the British hit parade.
The Clash
One of the first famous punk rock bands. The Sex Pistols played a big role in its appearance.
The Cure
Over a thirty-year musical career, the group has released 13 albums that have sold 30 million copies.
The Jam
The Jam played hard rock combined with American rhythm and blues.
The Killers
If you have never danced to the hit Mr. Brightside, then you have lost a lot.
The Libertines
The group was created by two friends in 1997. After the release of the second album, the team broke up as a result of a quarrel between colleagues.
The Smiths
It was formed in 1982 in England. Afterwards, critics noted the group's influence on the development of indie rock in the 1980s.
U2
The Irish rock band was formed in 1976. They are one of the most successful and famous groups in the history of rock. During their career, the musicians received as many as 22 Grammy awards - this is more than any other group in the world.
The White Stripes
Three latest album received a Grammy for "Best Alternative Album".
The Who
Considered one of the greatest rock bands of all times. The group became widely popular thanks to its unusual concert performances.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is widely known for its careful selection of objects world heritage. For connoisseurs of travel and real music, she also prepared a separate rating of the most musical cities.
The selection criteria do not include area or popularity; cities with a special musical history that changed the national or world culture, places where music has become part of the DNA.
These cities were able to prove that musical art became part of their economy and public life In addition, travelers will appreciate stunning attractions from the Middle Ages to the post-modern.
9. Seville, Spain
And, of course, we open our list with the city in which we first staged two opera's greatest of all times: " Barber of Seville Rossini and Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro.
This city is steeped in dozens of musical legends, it was here that flamenco was born, and it was Seville that managed to absorb the influence of other cultures that were part of the history of the entire region.
The most famous and extremely popular music festival in Seville is the Biennale de Flamenco, where you can hear both classical performances and artistic variations of young people.
8. Mannheim, Germany
Mannheim is an incredibly dynamic multicultural center of creativity. Who hasn't heard of the American rock band Mannheim Steam roller? These guys borrowed their name from local composers of the 18th century. Mannheim Steam - became a real revolution for large orchestras at the court of Charles III and influenced the work of Beethoven and Mozart.
UNESCO notes that no city can boast such a complete and deep musical pedigree, having been a leader and innovator for centuries, and with a developed musical infrastructure.
But it's not just classical music that thrives in Mannheim. The local pop academy is considered the best in Germany. And the annual Time Warp festival brings together connoisseurs of techno music from all over the world.
7. Hannover, Germany
Hanover is made for festivals and cabarets. The most famous European rock band Scorpion comes from this city.
The residents of Hanover confidently claim that they are at the center of the musical planet, and their statement is not far from the truth.
The extremely influential Hannover University of Music, Drama and Media mass media attracts talented students from all over the world. They teach there chamber music, contemporary creativity, ancient music, jazz, rock and, of course, pop.
In addition, it was in Hannover that the first music cassette, the first compact disc and the first vinyl record were created.
6. Hamamatsu, Japan
Have you ever heard of Roland, Yamaha and Kawai? But the headquarters of these companies are located in Hamamatsu for a reason.
There are 10 major events taking place here at once. music festivals, two of which have international status. This city is home to one of the world's most famous Shizuoka University of Arts and Culture and a stunning museum. musical instruments with an extensive collection of ancient artifacts.
And most importantly, Hamamatsu is the leader in the production of musical instruments in Japan.
5. Ghent, Belgium
This city became famous due to the fact that it was within its walls that Great Britain and the United States signed a treaty to end the War of 1812. Now Ghent in an unusual way managed to combine centuries-old heritage and modern trends.
There's a lot going on in the city interesting festivals. In 1843, when the "Ghent Festival" was held for the first time, the entire city was filled with numerous concert venues for all types of music.
It is in Ghent that the best like to gather jazz performers. So, over several decades, jazz performances have turned into an international festival.
4. Glasgow, Scotland
Of course, it is Glasgow that will become home to the World Bagpipe - the main trophy of one music competition. But Glasgow is not just a city, it is part of the history of the Old World with its unique creativity.
For almost a century, St Andrew's Hall was one of the most famous music venues in Europe. It burned down in 1962 due to the carelessness of one smoker, but despite everything, it continues to maintain its reputation.
Together with UNESCO, Scottish musicians published the book "Dear Green Sounds", which tells musical history Glasgow, where they talk not only about the great past, but also about the concerts of Frank Sinatra and Freddie Mercury.
3. Brazzaville, Congo
Speaking about the most significant and famous musical cities all over the world one cannot forget about Brazzaville. Trying to escape from the terrible reality, the inhabitants of this city gave the world a bewitching rumba and fiery soukous movements.
The city is home to the Pan African Music Festival and the Festival of Lights, where African music and cultural expression explode each year.
2. Bologna, Italy
Italy became famous throughout the world thanks to its opera. But if we first think about Milan with its opera houses and melodic Venice, UNESCO placed Bologna in second place on its top list. And it’s not surprising, because Bologna was home to the legendary university, which since 1088 has been raising the bar for musicians and artists.
And how many music festivals take place here? For example, on the streets of Bologna you can easily hear classical music, opera, jazz-blues and even Jewish jazz. The Congolese Rumba Festival alone attracts more than 50,000 fans.
1. Bogota, Colombia
Bogota is known to music lovers for its rich music scene. But new forms of creativity also play important role in the life of the city.
There are 60 festivals held here every year, the most important of which is Festivales Al Parque, which plays everything from opera and jazz to hip-hop and salsa.
UNESCO believes that the city plays an important role in the creation and maintenance of new musical movements and trends. In addition, Bogota has become a regional cultural center and represents musical interests all Latin America and the Caribbean.
Nobody in the world knows Soviet and Russian pop musicians. Especially in the West. However, musicians from Russia in different time entered the Western charts.
All attempts to promote and impose our popular music failed. Russian pop music is very secondary and backward - both technologically and stylistically.
But it has already become a good tradition to tell the Russian public lies about the successes of certain performers in the West. It's getting really funny.
Kirkorov traveled to Monte Carlo on The World Music Awards is a show of the best-selling performers in their countries, but it is quite difficult to find a person in Russia who has Kirkorov’s album. Pugacheva, as you know, in 1997 took only 15 place out of 25 at the useless Eurovision.
For some reason, Sergei Lazarev sings in English, something the human brain simply cannot handle. Joseph Prigogine, for whom pushing Valeria to the West became an obsession, once in a paid article in British newspaper stated that his wife sold 100 million albums in Russia.
Most big success was with the rapper Timati when the Swiss DJ Antoine made a remix of Timati's song Welcome to St. Tropez. The song topped the charts all over the world, except for the UK and the US. In Switzerland, the song took sixth place at the end of the year. This is our peak pop singers behind Lately.
Which of our musicians actually achieved high places in the Western (and this, in a musical sense, primarily the USA and Great Britain) charts and is generally more or less known in the West.
1. Composer Aram Khachaturian - 1972
One of the recordings of the music of his ballet “Spartacus” called Spartacus, which Khachaturian made together with the London symphony orchestra, entered the British albums chart in 1972, reached number 16 and stayed there for 15 weeks.
By the way, his music is so popular in the world that it was even used in such famous films like "2001: Space Odyssey"Stanley Kubrick, "Aliens" by James Cameron and "Caligula" by Tinto Brass.
2. Boris Grebenshchikov - 1989
His album Radio Silence, released in England and the USA, took 198th place on the Billboard200, despite the fact that it was recorded with the then super-popular group Eurythmics. The video shows BG's performance on David Letterman's popular TV show.
3. Gorky Park-1990
The success of Gorky Park in the USA cannot be exaggerated. They did not conquer America. Just look at their achievements on the charts. On the Billboard Hot 100 they only scored with the single Try To Find Me (81st place and 6 weeks on the chart), and on the Billboard 200 with the album Gorky Park (80th place and 21 weeks on the chart).
But Gorky Park generally sold well - 300 thousand copies sold in America alone - this is a very good result. The group achieved much greater success in Scandinavia. Gorky Park in Norway reached 9th place, and the single Bang - 5th. In Denmark, the album Moscow Calling It even went platinum.
4. Alsou-2000
With the song Before You Love Me "under Britney Spears" got to 27th place for only a week, during the period when they were trying to promote it in Europe after 2nd place at Eurovision.
5. PPK-2001
The Rostov trance project PPK, with the release of a separate single ResuRection (Eduard Artemyev’s melody from the film “Sibiriyada” by Andrei Konchalovsky with the voice of Yuri Gagarin), debuted in the UK immediately in third place!
The song became the first track from Russia to be in hot rotation on BBC Radio One. ResuRection was then released in other countries, where it also charted successfully - number 5 in the Netherlands, number 9 in Belgium, and number 15 in France and number 36 in Australia.
6. Tattoo-2003
In 2002, the English version of their album “200 in the opposite direction” was released and “Tatu” generally became the most popular Russian group in the world. The girls did not become stars of the first magnitude, and their success was not that long, but they sold about 10 million of their records abroad. This is an unattainable result for Russian performers.
The English-language album now has gold status in four countries and platinum in Europe as a whole, the song “All the Things She Said” occupied the first line of the British chart for several weeks, and a cover of The Smiths was performed in the TV series “Gossip Girl” in 2009.
7. Leonid Agutin - 2007
The author of “Barefoot Boy” and husband of Angelica Varum graduated from the Moscow Jazz School and from his youth was fond of not only pop music, but also a variety of acoustic guitar music- from jazz to flamenco. In the early 2000s, Agutin began playing concerts, and then recorded the album “Cosmopolitan Life” together with Al di Meola, an American virtuoso of the genre. In Germany the album had more than good sales.
8. Eduard Khil - 2009
Famous, sad and wonderful story, as a result of which the great pop singer known throughout the world as “Mr. Trololo”. On November 26, 2009, user RealPapaPit posted on YouTube the vocalization “I’m very happy, because I’m finally returning home” - today this video has 19 million 700 thousand views.
They say that the singer was even offered an international tour - but he refused. Both Gawker and The New York Times.
9. Pussy Riot-2012
This is the only group here that has not been on the Western charts, but it cannot be ignored. From a musical point of view, this is a comical story. A group whose songs no one had really heard anywhere became the most famous musical group from Russia recently. Suffice it to say that in the West the Cathedral of Christ the Savior is known as the Pussy Riot Church.
Soon after the arrest of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alekhina and Ekaterina Samutsevich, musicians around the world began to carry out actions in their support - ranging from Madonna and Paul McCartney to Mike Patton and The Knife and Die Antwoord.
10. Anna Netrebko - 2007 - present
The opera singer was able to achieve real world fame, including the United States. She enjoys particular success in Austria, where she received citizenship. Also lives in New York. Her records are constantly on the charts classical music, but in some countries they also appear on general music charts. Especially in Austria and Germany. Thus, 15 of Netrebko’s albums entered the Austrian chart .
Bonus: The most famous Russian music video in the world
Bloody viral hit "Bad Motherfucker" from Russian group Biting Elbows, shot in first person and therefore more reminiscent of an action video game than music video. The clip was publicly celebrated by Samuel L. Jackson and Darren Aronofsky. 24.6 million views on Youtube.
, .
