Music

hide

Music is an art form whose medium is sound. Common elements of music are pitch (which governs melody and harmony), rhythm (and its associated concepts tempo, meter, and articulation), dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture. The word derives from Greek μουσική (mousike), "(art) of the Muses".

The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of music vary according to culture and social context. Music ranges from strictly organized compositions (and their recreation in performance), through improvisational music to aleatoric forms. Music can be divided into genres and subgenres, although the dividing lines and relationships between music genres are often subtle, sometimes open to individual interpretation, and occasionally controversial. Within "the arts", music may be classified as a performing art, a fine art, and auditory art.

To many people in many cultures music is an important part of their way of life. Greek philosophers and ancient Indian philosophers defined music as tones ordered horizontally as melodies and vertically as harmonies. Common sayings such as "the harmony of the spheres" and "it is music to my ears" point to the notion that music is often ordered and pleasant to listen to. However, 20th-century composer John Cage thought that any sound can be music, saying, for example, "There is no noise, only sound." According to musicologist Jean-Jacques Nattiez, "the border between music and noise is always culturally defined—which implies that, even within a single society, this border does not always pass through the same place; in short, there is rarely a consensus.... By all accounts there is no single and intercultural universal concept defining what music might be, except that it is 'sound through time'."

For more information about Music, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

News tagged with music

results timeline

Music and speech based on human biology (w/ Video)

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

Dec 03, 2009 | 4.6 / 5 (10) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- A pair of studies by Duke University neuroscientists shows powerful new evidence of a deep biological link between human music and speech.

Musical robots perform duets (w/ Video)

Electronics / Robotics

Nov 26, 2009 | 4.2 / 5 (6) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- A flute playing robot unveiled by Waseda University last year has been joined by a robot saxophonist in a Classical music duet. The aim of the project was to design robots that could respond ...

Glorious Dawn: Sagan, Hawking Sing (w/ Video)

Other Sciences / Other

Nov 12, 2009 | 4.6 / 5 (17) | 8

Astronomer and long time science advocate Carl Sagan once said that he was "not very good at singing songs." But on Nov. 9 in Washington D.C., his voice could be heard singing about the wonders of universe -- 13 years after ...

Monkeys get a groove on, but only to monkey music (w/ Audio)

Biology / Plants & Animals

Sep 01, 2009 | 3.7 / 5 (7) | 5

(PhysOrg.com) -- Music is one of the surest ways to influence human emotions; most people unconsciously recognize and respond to music that is happy, sad, fearful or mellow. But psychologists who have tried ...

Wagner's 'difficult' reputation unwarranted says research

Physics / General Physics

Jul 01, 2009 | 4.5 / 5 (4) | 3

The composer Richard Wagner is well-known, even notorious, for writing operas that can challenge both performers and listeners. A new study published in the Journal of the Acoustic Society of America reveal ...

From a Queen song to a better music search engine (w/Video)

Technology / Computer Sciences

May 15, 2009 | 4.5 / 5 (2) | 4

At a recent IEEE technology conference, UC San Diego electrical engineers presented a solution to their problem with the song "Bohemian Rhapsody,"—and it's not that they don't like this hit from the band Queen. ...

Muziic turns YouTube into rich source for songs

Technology / Internet

Mar 09, 2009 | 4.5 / 5 (2) | 0

A schoolboy and his father have unleashed software that lets people listen to YouTube's vast collection of music videos as if it were a private collection.

Musicians' Brains 'Fine-Tuned' to Identify Emotion

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

Mar 03, 2009 | 4.9 / 5 (15) | 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- Looking for a mate who in everyday conversation can pick up even your most subtle emotional cues? Find a musician, Northwestern University researchers suggest.

Apple's restriction-free music downloads create pause

Technology / Other

Feb 11, 2009 | 3.3 / 5 (7) | 9

When Apple Inc. announced in January that it would sell restriction-free music files, that was supposed to mean consumers could buy songs and play them on the portable gadget of their choice.

iPhones are musical instruments in new course and ensemble (w/ Video)

Technology / Hi Tech

Dec 01, 2009 | 3.4 / 5 (10) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- iPhones are being used as musical instruments in a new course at the University of Michigan.

MySpace in talks to buy imeem

Technology / Internet

Nov 17, 2009 | 2 / 5 (1) | 0

(AP) -- Online social hub MySpace is in talks to acquire struggling free music streaming site imeem, two people familiar with the matter said Tuesday.

Turn On, Tune In, Develop? Researchers Examine How Brain Benefits From Musical Training

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

Nov 06, 2009 | 5 / 5 (11) | 4

For most people music is an enjoyable, although momentary, form of entertainment. But for those who seriously practiced a musical instrument when they were young, perhaps when they played in a school orchestra ...

EU agrees on new Internet user rights

Technology / Internet

Nov 05, 2009 | 3.7 / 5 (3) | 1

(AP) -- EU lawmakers and governments agreed on new rights for Internet users Thursday, aiming to protect them from arbitrary crackdowns on those who illegally download music and movies on the Internet.

Review: Motorola's Droid is a serious smart phone

Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets

Nov 04, 2009 | 4.7 / 5 (6) | 0

(AP) -- Since its debut in 2007, millions of people have gravitated toward Apple's iPhone, wooed by its sleek hardware, simple user interface and abundance of applications.