Music is an art form, social activity or cultural
activity whose medium is sound and silence.
The common elements of music are pitch
(which governs melody and harmony ), rhythm
(and its associated concepts tempo , meter ,
and articulation ), dynamics (loudness and
softness), and the sonic qualities of timbre
and texture (which are sometimes termed the
"color" of a musical sound). Different styles
or types of music may emphasize, de-
emphasize or omit some of these elements.
Music is performed with a vast range of
instruments and with vocal techniques ranging
from singing to rapping, and there are solely
instrumental pieces, solely vocal pieces and
pieces that combine singing and instruments.
The word derives from Greek μουσική
( mousike ; "art of the Muses"). [1] In its most
general form, the activities describing music
as an art form include the production of
works of music (songs, tunes, symphonies,
and so on), the criticism of music, the study
of the history of music, and the aesthetic
examination of music.
The creation, performance, significance, and
even the definition of music vary according to
culture and social context. Indeed, throughout
history, some new forms or styles of music
have been criticized as "not being music",
including Beethoven's Grosse Fuge in 1825 [2]
and early jazz in the beginning of the 1900s.
[3] There are many types of music, including
popular music, traditional music, art music,
music written for religious ceremonies and
work songs such as chanteys . Music ranges
from strictly organized compositions (and their
recreation in performance), through
improvisational music such as jazz and
aleatoric (chance-based) 20th and 21st
century forms of music. Music can be divided
into genres (e.g., Country music) and
subgenres (e.g., Country blues), although the
dividing lines and relationships between music
genres are often subtle, sometimes open to
personal interpretation, and occasionally
controversial. For example, it can be hard to
draw the line between 1980s hard rock and
heavy metal from that same era. Within the
arts, music may be classified as a performing
art , a fine art or as an auditory art. Music may
be played or sung and heard live, heard live as
part of a dramatic work (a music theater show
or opera), or it may be recorded and listened
to on a radio, MP3 player or CD player or as
part of a film or TV show.
In many cultures, music is an important part
of people's way of life, as it plays a key role
in religious rituals, ceremonies (e.g.,
graduation), social activities (e.g., dancing )
and cultural activities ranging from amateur
karaoke singing to playing in a funk band or
singing in a choir . People may make music as
a hobby, for example in a youth orchestra , or
as a professional musician or singer . Ancient
Greek and Indian philosophers defined music
as tones ordered horizontally as melodies and
vertically as harmonies. Common sayings
such as "the harmony of the spheres" and "it
is music to my ears" point to the notion that
music is often ordered and pleasant to listen
to. However, 20th-century composer John
Cage thought that any sound can be music,
saying, for example, "There is no noise, only
sound." [4]
