Final answer:
Harmony has been a cornerstone of Western music for centuries, originating in the Medieval period and developing through to the modern day. While the 20th century saw composers like Arnold Schoenberg challenge traditional harmony, it remains a fundamentally important characteristic of Western music that can transcend cultural differences.
Step-by-step explanation:
Harmony has been an essential element of most western music for several centuries. The classical tradition of Western harmony dates back to the Medieval period, where the groundwork was laid for notational and theoretical practices. This evolution continued through periods such as the Renaissance and Baroque, each contributing to the rich tapestry of harmony as encountered in musical compositions. During the Renaissance, musicians were working within a familiar set of scales, creating music that aligned with societal expectations for harmonious sounds.
However, change is an inherent aspect of music, and in the 20th century, certain composers, such as Arnold Schoenberg, began experimenting with atonality and twelve-tone techniques, challenging the established conventions of harmony. Despite such avant-garde movements, harmony has persisted as a core element of Western music, deeply embedded in the cultural experience and often acting as a universal language of emotions.
Today, the concept of harmony in music continues to evolve, incorporating modernist ideas while still retaining its foundational importance in Western music. This can be seen in various efforts to break cultural barriers through music, such as the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra's mission to promote understanding across cultural divides through the universal appeal of music and its harmonious elements.