Music is made up of sounds formed from nothing more than vibrating air that reaches our ears and somehow, when heard by the right person and if done well, brings pleasure, excitement, sadness, pain, and a plethora of other emotions to the listener. Some way, people just like you or I many decades ago discovered this perfect coincidence of nature and ever since, music has woven its way into the very essence of modern life. Whether it be a jingle in a TV commercial, a pop song blasting over the radio waves, or a rare and beautiful record playing on the turntable of an ardent audiophile, music is literally everywhere and its role in the history of humankind is irrevocable. To trace the evolution and proliferation of music is to follow in the footsteps of those who came before. Here we provide a textual as well as data-driven illustration of that evolution.