MUSIC
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its
common elements are pitch (which governs melody and harmony), rhythm (and its
associated concepts tempo, meter, and articulation), dynamics, and the sonic
qualities of timbre and texture. The word derives from Greek μουσική (mousike;
"art of the Muses").
The creation, performance, significance, and even the
definition of music vary according to culture and social context. Music ranges
from strictly organized compositions (and their recreation in performance),
through improvisational music to aleatoric forms. Music can be divided into
genres and subgenres, although the dividing lines and relationships between
music genres are often subtle, sometimes open to individual interpretation, and
occasionally controversial. Within "the arts", music may be
classified as a performing art, a fine art, and auditory art. There is also a
strong connection between music and mathematics.
To many people in many cultures, music is an important part
of their way of life. 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."
Musicologist Jean-Jacques Nattiez summarizes the relativist, post-modern
viewpoint: "The border between music and noise is always culturally
defined—which implies that, even within a single society, this border does not
always pass through the same place; in short, there is rarely a consensus ...
By all accounts there is no single and intercultural universal concept defining
what music might be."
A music genre is a categorical and typological construct
that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type
of music that can be distinguished from other types of music. It is to be
distinguished from musical form and musical style, although in practice these
terms are often used in an undifferentiated way.
Music can be divided into many genres in many different
ways. Due to the different purposes behind them and the different points of
view from which they are made, these classifications are often arbitrary and
controversial and closely related genres often overlap. Many do not believe
that generic classification of music is possible in any logically consistent
way, and also argue that doing so sets limitations and boundaries that hinder
the development of music. While no one doubts that it is possible to note
similarities between musical pieces, there are often exceptions and caveats
associated.
