Composer Ned Rorem once said, “The hardest of all the arts to speak of is music, because music has no meaning to speak of” (Rorem 1). He has a point. What is the meaning of music? It is truly all up to personal interpretation. However, where does that interpretation come from? Generally, music makes everyone feel the same things. Sad music makes people cry. Scary, shrill music gives people goosebumps and makes them jump. However, when looking at individual songs and individual people, it is clear that music affects everyone differently. Crystal and Lily are sisters and are great examples of this concept. Crystal likes hard rock, ACDC, anything with a blaring guitar and head-banging tempo. Lily likes songs that come from musicals, The King and I and The Sound of Music are her favorites, …show more content…
Crystal has become more and more closed and lingers around the house all day. Lily has become controlling and constantly cleans just to give her hands something to do. Both girls on their worst days when there is nothing to clean, and nowhere to go, sit in their shared bedroom with headphones in listening to their respective music. Sometimes they will play cards while alternating through each other’s play lists. Crystal thinks musicals are boring, and Lily gets annoyed with rock; however, they know how much that music means for the other sister and they sit through it. For these girls, music is the glue holding them together while their world is falling apart. Now think about the mall, dentist’s office, parades, the streets of a city, the theatre, and grocery stores; music is played all around. As it turns out, there is actually science behind how people react to music, and there are some unique variables that leave the meaning of music undefined. While everyone has their own tastes in music and reacts differently to it, one should understand how music can deeply affect various
The impact that music has on individuals lives varies greatly from person to person and often provides a unique lifestyle to each individual. An author by the name Oliver Sacks talks about the unique cases that he has dealt with in the past in his writings. The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat and “Brainworms, Sticky Music, and Catchy Tunes” from Musicophilia are two articles written by Oliver Sacks, which show the relationship that music has on the mind and how music can change how a person perceives reality. The human mind is a complex machine and yet there is something about music that transforms a person’s thought process completely.
This reference shows how music lays a foundation of teenage values beyond school or parental teaching. A musical artist can influence a young mind by the chosen lyrics with greater effectiveness than formal education. Music can control or enhance moods. A good mood can get better or a bad mood can be worked through with the choice of music. A bad mood can also be enhanced by lyrics about suicide or violent behavior. Teens can also use music to gain information about the adult world, to withdraw from social contact, facilitate friendships and social settings, or to help them create a personal identity. (O'Toole, 1997)
What is the purpose of music? Music is created to bring happiness to the world. In “How We Listen”, Aaron Copland mentions “The simplest way of listening to music is to listen for the sheer pleasure of the musical sound itself.” (“Copland”) Music is defined as “an art of sound in time that expresses ideas and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and color.”
For as long as mankind has walked on this earth, music has been an important part of our culture and lifestyles. Each walk of life beats to a different drum. Different cultures use music for many aspects of their lives; for religious purposes, for celebrations, for comfort, for sorrow, for relaxation, for sports, for dances, for energy, for learning, for sleeping, and for sexual experiences. Everyone uses music for something. Music connects with people and reaches them in ways that words simply cannot. Music is a representation of what feelings sound like. It expresses emotion and brings that characteristic out from within us; it tells us a story. Every generation has its’ own sound and different music styles have emerged and become
Music is an expressive and emotional form of art. Each component of a piece adds to its character, depth, and personality. I have chosen three songs to describe in detail: Jackson by Johnny Cash, Crystallize by Lindsey Sterling, and I Hear The Bells by Mike Doughty.
Music is an activity that has been partaken in for centuries. The purpose of music is to allow the expression of emotions and what individuals’ lives have brought to them. Music tends to speak louder than words, which is the reason why there are so many love songs in the world. It is a way to express yourself and your feelings. This is the reason music has the capability to show others what has occurred during that time releasing all the secrets of the world.
The definition of music is very different to many people. Some say that music is the arrangement of sound and silence. Others like myself say music is that and much more. Music is an aural form of art that is used to express emotion and touch the hearts of the listener through the use of phrasing, dynamics, style and tone color. Music is a very universal art form.
Music has been the backbone of our society since the dawn of human intelligence. It has always been with us from celebrating a merry occasion to commemorating a sad event, and from venting off a day’s stress to healing emotional wounds. Victor Hugo, the famous author of the book Les Misérables, says that “music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent”. I feel that this quote perfectly describes the feeling that I had when I was little. Of course, I was only seven at the time so I could not express such thought as poetically like Mr. Hugo did right here, but I felt inexplicably drawn to the abstractly emotional aspect of music. I was sensitive to the subtle modulations of a music changing from major
In the end, the beautiful sound that is music brings us is the one of the best ways to connect us all to one another. Music is a way to communicate and show a little piece of us to
Music is one of the greatest human creations (DeNora, 2000). It plays an integral role in human society worldwide irrelevant of race, gender, age, wealth or well-being (Kemper & Danhauer, 2005). Indeed according to Batt-Rawden (2010), playing different music in diverse situations can introduce listeners to the desired and relevant atmosphere. In most circumstances, music is played to entertain people, but it can also form part of an accompaniment in sad situations. Music is often the fulcrum that influences the listener by creating a unique ambience and atmosphere (Bernatzky, Presh, Anderson, & Panksepp, 2011). Chamorro-Premuzic and Furnham, (2007) adds that music can be a medium to enhance communication,
Some may say music is just music; a song is just a song. However, music plays an enormous role in our psychology, because a single song has the ability to bring about many kinds of thoughts and emotions in the listener. Music is subtly one of the main factors in which people identify with certain groups and establish their belonging in society. It shapes people’s perspectives on how the world functions and the roles they play within it. Music can function the same way in a culture; it can reflect many of the culture’s values and ideologies. Music can have many effects on culture and the people’s idea of who they think they are within that culture. Music can serve in a way that promotes cultural identity and pride, yet it could also play a
Music elicits an emotional and cognitive response in all who listen to it. It is powerful at the individual level because “it can induce multiple responses – physiological, movement, mood, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral” (Francis, 2008,
Music to me is passion; it is what I enjoy the most be it any time of the day, no matter where I am and what I am doing. It is a universal language that brings about feelings, emotions and thoughts of musicians to people. Music to different people can mean a lot of different things.
Music is described in the dictionary as: an art of sound in time that expresses ideas and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and color. However, music is much more than just an art, it is part of life, something that we cannot exist without. Music is something akin to our hearts, minds, bodies,
The literal meaning of the word 'music' according to any dictionary is: 'art of combining vocal or instrumental sounds in a harmonious or expressive way.' But music has a meaning which is far broader than this. Music is life. Music means Self-expansion and oneness. It is an art by itself. Art, in any of its forms, is generated by a person, or a group of talented yet usually ordinary people, that express, willingly or not, an opinion regarding present times. It is not a want; it is a need. If you try to imagine yourself without it, you are bound to feel incomplete. For many of us, it has become a necessity of our lives. Music has no boundaries. Music is the