Music is a part of every culture on the planet. It can be heard at concerts, on television or the radio, on CD’s, computers, iPods and even mobile phones. It’s also an important component in many religious rituals, rite of passage ceremonies and celebrations, as well as cultural activities. The industry around music is vast and includes songwriters, musicians, record producers, sound engineers, tour organizers, instrument and accessory manufacturers and distributors of sheet music. Music is also enjoyed by amateurs who play and perform for their own enjoyment.
One way to define music is by listing the qualities it must have: sound which has rhythm, melody, and pitch; timbre (what a note sounds like); and harmony. This approach is sometimes called the rudimental theory of music, because it includes only those elements which are able to be easily understood by most people. It is often used in musical education, since it helps students understand how music is created and arranged.
Throughout history, philosophers and scientists have pondered the nature of music. The Greeks, for example, credited the nine Muses with inspiring creative endeavors. The Pythagoreans believed that the harmonic structure of music could be correlated to mathematical and astronomical concepts. Rene Descartes, a strong Platonist, prescribed temperate rhythms and simple melodies so that music would not produce imaginative, exciting, and hence immoral, effects. Other philosophical and scientific thinkers took more naturalistic approaches to music. The Epicureans gave great importance to human listeners, and denigrated the dominance of mathematical and acoustical considerations. The Stoics assigned a functional role for music, which should be in service to virtue.
Some people enjoy music by listening to it at home or in their car. They can do so alone, or with others who share their taste in music. They may also attend live performances, such as classical or pop concerts. A large number of musicians make their living by performing and recording music, including songwriters, musicians, sound engineers, record producers and studio engineers. They can also find jobs in related industries, such as marketing and promotion.
A song is a group of notes played in a specific order to create a musical piece. It can be sung by a solo singer without accompaniment by instruments (a cappella), or accompanied by a single musician (such as an acoustic guitarist or pianist), a duo, or a larger ensemble such as a choir or orchestra.
The chorus of a song is usually the most memorable part of the work. It contains a repeated sentiment that builds up to the climax of the work, usually the title or name of the song itself. A pre-chorus is a shorter section of the song that introduces the idea of the chorus.
A timbre is the quality of a sound, such as harsh or soft, loud or quiet, warm or cold. It is what makes a clarinet sound different from an oboe, or a voice different from another person’s. The term timbre is often used in music, but it can apply to any sound, whether it be speech or noise.