Music is a humanly-organised set of sounds, typically with a definite rhythm and melodic structure, often used to express emotion or achieve beauty. It is usually part of a cultural tradition and is used in ritual and ceremony, entertainment, and religious worship. It can also serve as an accompaniment to a theatre or dance and is a popular feature of television, radio, cinema and video games. Its power to affect emotions and change attitudes and beliefs makes it a potent catalyst for social evolution and revolution, as witnessed by the way musical styles and genres develop in response to war, politics, and pop culture movements.
Despite the ubiquity of modern music, its precise definition remains elusive. Some authors see it as a complex amalgam of harmony, melody, timbre and silence in a particular (intended) structure (Plato); others describe it as something that mediates between noise and silence (Hanslick); a sonoric event that is ‘between sound and silence’ (Molino); or a ‘total social fact’ that puts truth to work (Heidegger).
Musical ideas are spread through written works, oral traditions, teaching and learning institutions, performances, and the dissemination of recordings. Its ubiquity is reflected in the fact that many universities now offer music degrees, even in countries outside Western Europe and North America. The word “music” itself derives from a Greek adjective: the ‘art of the muses’, referring to the nine goddesses that were praised in Ancient Greek mythology for their gift in each of the artistic endeavours of that age: Calliope (poetry and epic poetry), Clio (history and lyric poetry), Euterpe (double-pipes and music), Erato (love poetry), Melpomene (tragedy), Polyhymnia (hymns and sacred poetry), Terpsichore (dance) and Thalia (comedy).
Since prehistoric times, people have found ways to share and transmit musical sounds, a process that is still ongoing. Throughout history, musical ideas have been shaped by culture and war, politics and social revolution, and its power to influence emotions has long been exploited in propaganda, advertising and other social purposes. Its powerful ability to stir passions and affect attitudes and beliefs also makes it an important tool for directing human consciousness towards ideals that can resolve animosities between cultures, cultures and races and inspire ideals that support humanity’s collective aspirations for a culture of peace.