Ancient and Functional Genre Divisions

• Ancient genre classifications emphasized the power of music to shape character and behavior, seen in Plato’s distinctions between modes in The Republic.
• Early music classifications were based on practical impact—encouraging bravery or contemplation—rather than personal taste or style.
• Pepys’ categories of ballads in the 1600s, which varied by purpose and mood, illustrate a midpoint in genre evolution.

These categories foreshadowed a transition from function-based music to the thematic and aesthetic labeling we see today.