T.I.-Whatever you like.mp3
Music is sound arranged into pleasing or interesting pattern. it forms an important part of many cultural and society activities. People use music to express feelings and ideas. Music also serves to entertain and relax people. Like drama and dance music is a performing art, it differ from such art as painting and poetry in which artist create works and then diplay or publish then. Musical composers need musicians to interpret and perform their works, just as playwrights need actor to perform their players. Thus, musical performances are partnership between composers and performers.
Music also play an important role in other arts. Opera combine singing and orchestral music with drama. Ballet and other forms of dancing need music to help the dancers with thier steps and evoke an atmosphere. Films and T.V dramas use music to help set the mood and emphises the action. Also, composers have set many poems to music. Music is one of the odlest arts, people probably started to sing as soon as language developed. Hunting tods truck together may have been the first musical instruments. By about 10.000.BC, people had discovered how to make flutes out of hallow bones. Many ancient people including the Egypitians, Chinese and Babylonians ceremonies and the people of India, used music in court and religious ceremonies. The first written dates from about 2500BC.
Today music takes many forms around the world. The music of people in Europe and the Americans is known as Western music. There are two chief kinds of western music, classical and popular. Classical music including symphonics, opera and ballet. Popular music includes country nusic, folk music, jazz and rock music. The culture of Africa and Asia have developed thier own ype of classical and popular music. For information on Indian music, see the world book article India, Dance and Music.
This article deals with the importance of music, musical intruments, the elements of music and the system used for wrtting down music. It also includes information on the various types of western and non-western music. For information about the history of western music World book articles classical music and popular music.
Music play an important role in all the cultures. People use music firstly in ceremonies. secondly in work and thirdly in personal and social activities. I n ceremonies nearly all people use music in thier religious services. Our kind of nusic seek to create a state of mystery and awe. E.g. S ome cultures have special musical instruments played only by prists on important occassions, such as harvest ceremonies and the burials of Chiefs. Similarly, much western church music attepts to creates a feeling of distance from the daily world. Other religious music, such as hymn-singing, helps produce a sense of participation among the worshipers. Many non-religious ceremonies and spectacles also use music. They include sports, events graduation ceremonies, circuses, parade and the crowning of Kings and Queens.
In work before marchines become important, people had to do much difficult or boring work by hands e.g. labourers sang songs to help make thier worrk seem easier: crew aboard sailing ships sang songs shantics, songs with a strong, regular beats. The saiors pulled a lifted heavy loads in time of the beat. Today, the wide use of marchines has made the singing of work songs rare in industrialized societies. However, many officers and factories provide background nusic for thier workers.
In personal and social activities, many peole perform music for thier own satifaction. Singing in a choir or playing a musical instrument in a band can be very enjoyabble. Misic provides peole with a way to express thier feelings. a group of happy campers may sing cheerful songs as they sit around a campfire. A sad person may play a mornful tune on a guitar. Many famous rulers haved music to help King Soul take his mind off the problems of ruling Israel. King Richard1 and HenryVIII of England composed music. Other leaders have performed music e.g. The former British prime minister Edward Heath is a spare time organist and conductor. Former US president Harry S Truman and Richard M Nixon played the piano. People use music at a variety of social occassion. At parties and dinners music is oftern played for dancing or simply for listerning tp. In some countrys it is customary for a young man to show that a young woman is special to him by serenading her or by sending musicians to play and sing for her.
African music is the music of black peope who live south of the sahara. These people use music in almost every aspect of their lives, especially religious ceremonies, festivals and social rituals. Many African believes that music serves as a link with the spirit world.
Drums are the most important intrument in Africa music. Some drums are made of animals skins and may be playing with the fingers. Others consist of hollow drum/logs that the performers beats wuth sticks African musicians also play flutes, xylophones and stringed instruments. One kind of instrument, called the sensa or mbira, consist of a number of mental strips attached to a piece of word. The musicians plays the instruments by plucking the strips with the fingers or thumbs.
Most African music features complex rhythms. The musicians creates these rhythms by combining different patterns of beat played on drums and iron bells or produced by hands clapping. Some African songs have harmony. In many songs, a leader sings a phrase and then the churus repeats the phrase or sings a refrain. Elements of African nusic appears in Jazz, Spiritual and Gospel.
