What is music

What is Music?
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University
According to Nuttal (2008), music is one of the oldest forms of art. Its beauty depends on the composure and the listener. It gives the idea of eternity from its infinite and limitless qualities. For centuries, people have been listening to different forms of music. Traditional music tends to vary from one culture to another. Currently, several genres of music serve different purposes to the listeners. The man has studied music from various perspectives and come up with a different understanding of music. Also, man has tried so much to simplify music by modifying its structure, pitch, beats, and the manner in which it is consumed. These attempts have also enhanced how people understand and consume music. Therefore, man has been successful in incorporating music to be part of their life. But what exactly is music? Many people have tried to analyze music from various perspectives. This paper is an analysis of music by giving meaning to what music is.
According to Nuttall (2008), music has a long history of human civilization and development. Since ancient world, music has always been associated with human development. The humans have perfected the art of music as part and parcel of their lives. As time goes by, the humans have attempted to perfect the art of music to the extent they have developed new genres of music (Ward, Goodman, Irwin, 2014). The humans have loved music to the extent it has been incorporated into several aspects of life. Therefore, music has played important lives in human development and may continue to play a significant role in future human development.

Music has a major link to culture. Most researchers have linked music to culture. Traditionally, every society had their form of music by which they could be identified with. This music was played in a distinct manner to reflect the societal needs and culture. Therefore, music acts as a kind of identity for a particular group of people. Before reggae spread to other parts of the word, it was mainly linked to the Jamaicans (Kruse & Ebare, 2004). Any music listener will quickly tell you that reggae originated from Jamaica. Therefore, the Jamaicans and the Rastafarians could easily be identified by their form of music. For several years, reggae has been identified by the Jamaicans. To such groups, music makes them feel comfortable to be part of their group and cultural settings. They will do anything to ensure that they uphold their music retain their culture.
Music is not just a mere form of entertainment (Larsen, Lawson, & Todd, 2009). Although it is also used for entertainment, music serves various other purposes in life. However, the purpose of music in life tends to vary from one culture to another. First, music is a human form of expression. Many people use music to express themselves at various times. According to Nuttall (2008), music tends to contain a message that is created by the composer to the listeners. The listeners are at times affected by the messages contained in this music. The messages contained in the music vary depending on the genre and the composer. However, some messages tend to be general and directed to a wide variety of audiences. For example, some music is meant to motivate the people to work harder and smarter. During the Second World War, the British soldiers could sing some songs to provide them with the necessary motivation during the battle. This music was intended to motivate them and make them win wars against their opponents.
According to Kruse and Ebare (2004), music is used for religious purposes to connect the worshipers to the higher being. Religion tends to play an important role in religion. Some form of music always accompanies most religious practices. In most cases, the religious ceremonies and practices are accompanied by some form of music (Ward, Goodman, Irwin, 2014). The music varies from one religion to another. Specifically, the Christians are the biggest consumers of religion. However, other religions such as Hindu, Buddhists, and others also consume music. The music helps to tune the emotional state of the saints to their gods. This is the reason why people tend to sing slightly before and after meditation. It also contributes to relay the message to and from their gods. To most religions, music forms an important instrument of worship and communicating with their god. Therefore, music is an essential component of religion (Larsen, Lawson, & Todd, 2009).
Evidently, music reaches the human on the different way such as social intellectual, spiritual, mystical and even in an emotional way. The instruments used in music helps to enhance the psychological state of the listeners (Ward, Goodman, & Irwin, 2014). For this reason, there are several instruments used in playing music. These instruments also vary from one culture to another. Therefore, music provides a means of achieving a particular emotional state. Nature of which these instruments are played helps to achieve a certain emotion. Once we are back to our real self, it will be very easy to realize another potential side of us that we have forgotten, neglected, or never through existed. Despite the fact that we get exposed to music on a daily basis, it is much difficult for one to stop and think of what is music. The more we are exposed to music, the easier we are influenced by such music. The more the exposure to the musical tunes, the greater the influence of such music to the listener.
On the other hand, music is viewed to be a combination of sounds and many sound vibrations. These sounds are combined to produce the desired tune and voice that interests the listeners. On the same note, these vibrations create occur at a greater frequency that provides divergent feelings for the listeners. The most succinct definition of music is evident from an Italian composer named as Ferruccio Busoni, who asserted that music is sonorous air (Larsen, Lawson, & Todd, 2009). The rich emotional experience by the listeners also helps them to feel good and relaxed. The rhythm and the instruments used depend on the audience of the music and their cultural background. Some listeners prefer a high pitched music while others prefer a low pitched music. People tend to have varying tastes when it comes to music. Therefore, the musicians tend to play different types of music to interest their listeners.
Evidently, under the use of both the Tempo and the Rhythm, music tends to have a steady tempo that is often measured in beats per minute (Munkittrick, 2010). A greater observation is linked to the simple observation of music that ranges from 50-200 beats per minute. Again, a greater tempo of a piece of music is roughly equated to a person heartbeat and the corresponding physical state or emotion that is suggested by the music played (Larsen, Lawson, & Todd, 2009). It is certain to assert that there is a strong degree of suggestion evident between music and tempo. It has been suggested that movement made by our bodies while we are talking, walking, riding and dancing in parties can be influenced by the surrounding music. The balance between the tempo and rhythm affects the outcome of the music.
Just like other fields, music has employed millions of people across the world (Ward, Goodman, Irwin, 2014). There are people who are full-time musicians, and they use the music revenues to feed their families. Also, there are people who are employed by the music indirectly. For example, most music concerts are accompanied by dancers who are paid to participate in such events. On the same note, there are several support staff who takes an active role in music concerts. Therefore, music is a full-time profession that helps people to enhance their talents and exploit their full potential. Without music, renowned figures such as Michael Jackson would not have been known. However, music enabled them to be known and to become important persons in the society. Other notable figures in music are people like Rihana, Beyoncé among others. These people have equally made an important stride in music and their songs have left a significant impact on other people’s lives. However, it is evident from the millions of their followers that their music is very influential in the society (Kruse & Ebare, 2004).
In conclusion, it is hard to define music in a single word. However, music is an important form of art that helps humans in different perspectives. For centuries, people have been listening to different forms of music. The humans have perfected the art of music as part and parcel of their lives. As time goes by, the humans have attempted to perfect the art of music to the extent they have developed new genres of music (Ward, Goodman, Irwin, 2014). The humans have loved music to the extent it has been incorporated into several aspects of life. Therefore, music has played important lives in human development and may continue to play a significant role in future human development. Traditional music tends to vary from one culture to another. Currently, several genres of music serve different purposes to the listeners. The man has studied music from various perspectives and come up with a different understanding of music. Also, man has tried so much to simplify music by modifying its structure, pitch, beats, and the manner in which it is consumed. These attempts have also enhanced how people understand and consume music. Therefore, man has been successful in incorporating music to be part of their lives. It provides the human being with a form of expression and entertainment. It is also linked to various religious practices and beliefs. Also, music helps to identify various groups of people regarding their culture and society. Finally, music provides a means of achieving emotional integrity and for religious purposes to uplift the human spirit. Therefore, music is an important element of human lives.
References
Larsen, G., Lawson, R., & Todd, S. (2009). The consumption of music as self-representation in social interaction. Australasian Marketing Journal, 17(1), 16-26.
Nuttall, P. (2008). Thank you for the music? The role and significance of music for adolescents. Young Consumers, 9(2), 104-111. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17473610810879675
Kruse, H., & Ebare, S. (2004). Site and sound: Understanding independent music scenes. Canadian Journal of Communication, 29(3), 420-422.
Munkittrick, D. (2010). Music as speech: A first amendment category unto itself. Federal Communications Law Journal, 62(3), 665-690.
Ward, M. K., Goodman, J. K., & Irwin, J. R. (2014). The same old song: The power of familiarity in music choice. Marketing Letters, 25(1), 1-11. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11002-013-9238-1