The broadest definition of music is organized vibration.
There are observable patterns to what is broadly labeled
music, and while there are understandable cultural variations,
the properties of music are the properties of sound
as perceived and processed by humans and animals (birds
and insects also make music).
Music is a personal response to vibration
since the same piece of music will affect people differently.
Although it cannot contain emotions, it is sometimes
designed to manipulate and transform the emotions of
the listeners. For example, a piece of music created
for a movie is primarily designed to heighten the emotion
or mood of each scene in the film. Greek philosophers
and medieval theorists defined music as tones ordered
horizontally as melodies, and vertically as harmonies.
Music theory, within this realm, is studied with the
pre-supposition that music is orderly and often pleasant
to hear. However, in the 20th century, composers challenged
the notion that music had to be pleasant by creating
music that explored harsher, darker timbres. The existence
of some modern-day genres such as grindcore and noise
music, which enjoy an extensive underground following,
indicate that even the crudest noises can be considered
music if the listener is so inclined. |