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").[1]
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.[2]
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."[3]
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
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").[1]
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.[2]
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."[3]
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