New Age

New age music grew out of an aesthetic built around inducing a sense of inner calm, emerging from meditational and holistic fields (AllMusic, n.d.-h). Most new age albums are harmonious and nonthreatening, tied to philosophies that promote spiritual transcendence and physical healing (AllMusic, n.d.-h). Think of it as the musical version of a spa treatment. The goal is not to challenge the listener the way a rock song might, but to slow the pulse down.

As a genre, new age formed in Europe and the United States during the 1960s and early 1970s, drawing on electronic, ambient, folk, classical, and progressive rock sources (New-age music, n.d.). Tony Scott's 1964 album Music for Zen Meditation is generally considered the first new age recording, and later works, like Irv Teibel's Environments series, which layered natural sounds, chanting, and gentle tones, helped establish the genre's early sound (New-age music, n.d.).

The genre effectively grew from two different directions merging together. One side came from electronic "space music," picked up by acts like Tangerine Dream and woven into progressive rock groups such as Pink Floyd. The other side came from musicians who felt technology had taken over popular music too much, so they went back to simple, mostly acoustic guitar and piano pieces (Encyclopedia.com, n.d.). It is a bit like two rivers starting from opposite mountains and eventually meeting in the same valley. One river carried synthesizers, the other carried acoustic instruments, and together they formed the new age sound.

New age reached its commercial peak in the 1980s and early 1990s, when artists such as Enya and Yanni brought it to global audiences (Study.com, n.d.). Around the same time, the genre absorbed ethnic and Celtic influences, further widening its sound (Encyclopedia.com, n.d.). Despite that variety, what ties the whole genre together is function over form. It exists to create a relaxing atmosphere for meditation or quiet reflection (Encyclopedia.com, n.d.).

Sources:

AllMusic. (n.d.-h). New age music genre overview. https://www.allmusic.com/genre/new-age-ma0000002745
New-age music. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New-age_music
New Age music. (n.d.). In Encyclopedia.com. https://www.encyclopedia.com/media/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/new-age-music
New Age music. (n.d.). In Study.com. https://study.com/academy/lesson/new-age-music-history.html