Abstract
For much of history - before the advent of recording or widespread use of notation - music was passed from person to person aurally, and most people in their lifetimes would only hear the music of their local area in whatever the contemporary style happened to be. However, with the advent of world travel, music literacy, recording and digital media, we have now arrived in an age where a vast resource of music from all countries, cultures and ages is available to all of us. A piece of music can become widely popular no matter when, where and for what purpose it was created.