Music-we have all heard it, we all love some types of it. But what is it? Music is defined by Webster’s dictionary as “the science or art of ordering tones or sounds in succession, in combination, and in temporal relationships to produce a composition having unity and continuity,” or “vocal, instrumental, or mechanical sounds having rhythm, melody, or harmony.” Some others, such as Princeton University define music as “an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner,” or as “any pleasing and harmonious sound,” and “the sounds produced by singers or musical instruments.”
And yet, while these definitions might be right, they may also be wrong. What is pleasing to my hearing may not be pleasing to you. While the sounds of crickets chirping may be ‘music to your ears one night,’ another night, they may be an annoying noise, keeping you from sleeping, that you want to stop. To famed classical composer Sir Neville Mariner, rock music is ‘noise,’ and ‘annoying,’ yet, to me, it often brings me great excitement and happiness.
Music is What We Say it Is
What is music then, is, like art, subjective to some degree. Further, some creators may deliberately violate all so called traditional rules and definitions of music theory. They may make breaks in successions of tone or harmonic unity, or they may deliberately destroy rhythm and all known structure for a certain effect, whether long, short, or constant. One may make what some call ‘noise,’ yet to others, is ‘music.’
How the Punk Scene Re-Defined Music
The punk music scene experimented with this theory in many regards, deconstructing, destroying, and re-creating the concepts of what is music, just as have done many avant garde performers, free jazz artists, and experimental musicians and singers, among more. And so, musica'”largely like art, is music if one says it is. It is a very broad definition, and one that I have therefore here re-defined;
Music- A New Definition
History of Music
Before humans existed on planet Earth, there was music. Whether it was the monkeys or apes banging coconuts on a fallen tree, a bird whistling, or a amphibian at sea making noises through its’ gills bursting water through the air, music may also be accurately interpreted as ‘the sound of the movement and motion of life.’
When human beings came into existence, we have record of early instruments being created beginning with the drums and rattles, wood instruments of whistles and flutes, and stringed instruments including early versions of the guitar among more. From ancient Egypt in Africa, to the middle ages and beyond, music became great and powerful as an art form, as a means of communication, and as an expression and celebration or even mourning of life itself.
The Power of Music
The famous musicians of all time have smashed their names forever upon the history of the world; Bach, Stravinsky, and later Mozart, and Beethoven, among more in the classical genre. Irving Berlin in 1910, And later in jazz, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Broadway composers George Gershwin, and Cole Porter among more. Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and later Muddy Waters and B.B. King in the world of blues, and in rock and blues; Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Bo Diddley among more. Patsy Cline, and later Johnny Cash cemented country among others, with The Everly Brothers, and later The Beatles, Elvis, The Rollings Stones, Janis Joplin, and The Doors further changing the face of rock, along with later artists including Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, and many, many more.
The Creation of Sheet Music
Eventually, the sound of music became transcribed through visual representation of its tones, chords, and timing among more. Sheet music was born, cementing humankind’s further brilliance in denoting and instructing the magic of what the creation of the universe has laid before us. To see such brilliance of music theory detailed with meticulously structured chords, witness here the magnificent Bach and the great complexities of his composition ‘Toccata and Fugue in D minor’ for an example. Listen and view that here:
Note: This video is not to to be used to judge the quality of the sound of a masterful recital of Bach, but rather, to ‘see’ the brilliance of his tonal, and melodic composition. With a finite number of scales, bars, tones, and keys, music can be arranged in a seemingly infinite number of ways, through varying arrangement, quality, and timing. Like words to literature, the musical scale can create as much diversity as the creativity of the artist. It has been said that the blank slate is the canvas of the artist, and that silence is what the musician paints on. Music can sadden, stun, shock, excite, or lift the spirit of a person in a matter of minutes or even seconds. Music has a powera'”when profound in its form, like little else. And so with that, we salute here in this special issue, The Music Issue, the greatness of music in all of its forms.
The Healing Power of Music
Subnormal Magazine- Current Playlist; October 2013
Judy Garland- Over the Rainbow
Irene Cara- Fame
Charlie Sexton- I am Not Impressed
Frankie Goes to Hollywood- Relax, Don’t Do It
Power Station- Some Like it Hot
The Cure- Fascination Street
Billy Idol- White Wedding
Sonic Youth- Dirty Boots
Iggy Pop- Cry for Love
Psychedelic Furs- Heartbreak Beat
Yeah Yeah Yeahs- Blasphemy
Lana Del Rey- Ride
Skinny Puppy- Dig It
Death In June- Nation
Red Lory Yellow Lory- Talk About the Weather
