Style, as a category of musicology, has been studied by scholars of different times. It has a wide range of questions under inquire. The problems of forming a system of style levels have repeatedly been the subject of scientific research. The article is devoted to the study of scientific information sources that consider the principles of style hierarchy, individual, national levels, and their importance in higher systems – the style of genres and eras. Based on research of scholars’ opinions in the field of music style, conclusions about features of hierarchy of style levels, dynamics of their formation are made. Individual style is dominant in the formation of other style levels, in particular styles of genres and era. At the heart of the problem of the individual style study is the personality of the composer with the characteristic features of individual oeuvre. The national style is formed based on social factors, professional national creativity, and folk traditions. The national style manifests the features of the historical category, therefore over time it acquires new characteristic features. Epochal style is a complex coexistence of national music cultures; it subordinates the styles of genres. Thus, the study of the category of style, its theoretical problems, in particular the dynamics of the formation of style levels, demonstrates the timeliness and the need for further exploration.

Keywords: music style, individual style, national style, genre, era.