Music is a universal art form that triggers our feelings in a variety of ways. It can be emotional, soothing, uplifting, calming and even meditative. It can bring us together and also act as a marker of our identity. There are many different genres of music and every country and culture has their own distinctive style. Some of the elements that make up music are Dynamics, Form, Harmony, Melody, Rhythm, Texture and Timbre. When you listen to a piece of music try to determine how the artist uses each of these elements. This will help you appreciate the music on a deeper level.
It is interesting that while many people believe that music is not necessary, everyone feels the need for it in some way. Perhaps this is because music touches the human soul more deeply than any other art. This is because music does not simply evoke emotions, it actually is emotion itself.
The artists that create music are not just copying the Ideas like the other arts, but are actually expressing the very will of the Idea itself. This is why it is so powerful and penetrating, and why it has such a strong influence on the minds of men throughout the ages.
Because of this enduring appeal, the theories advanced to explain music’s role in society are numerous and varied. Among the chief points of view that have emerged are formalist, symbolist, expressionist and psychoanalytical theories. Sometimes, these theories are diametrically opposed to each other.
While no one can doubt the importance of music, the question is why music is so popular and what its real value is. Historically, the answer to this has been elusive. During the late eighteenth century, composers began to add more and more layers of expressiveness to their musical forms. This new style was called Romanticism. It was a movement that sprang from a desire to express the ardent emotions of chivalry and heroism. The prevailing classical forms were being challenged, and they were augmented with melodies that were more lyrical.
Nevertheless, many intellectuals have been skeptical about the power of music. Immanuel Kant, for example, placed music lowest on his hierarchy of the arts, and distrusted its wordless nature. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, on the other hand, extolled the discursive powers of music, and regarded it as having a unique ability to express the most delicate and subtle ideas and emotions.