The Importance of Music

Music is sound arranged into pleasing or interesting patterns.  It forms an important part of many cultural and social activities.  We use music to express feelings and ideas.  Music also serves to entertain and relax. 

Like drama and dance, music is a performing art.  It differs from arts like painting and poetry, in which artists create works and then display or publish them.  Musical composers need musicians to interpret and perform their works, just as playwrights need actors to perform their plays.  Thus, musical performances are partnerships between composers and performers. 

Music also plays a major role in other arts.  Opera combines singing and orchestral music with drama.  Ballet and other forms of dancing need music to help the dancers with their steps and evoke an atmosphere.  Film and TV dramas use music to help set the mood and emphasize the action.  Also, composers have set many poems to music. 

Music is one of the oldest arts.  People probably started to sing as soon as language developed.  Hunting tools struck together may have been the first musical instruments.  By about 10,000 B.C., people had discovered how to make flutes out of hollow bones.  Many ancient peoples, including the Egyptians, Chinese, and Babylonians, and the peoples of India, used music in court and religious ceremonies.  The first written music dates from about 2500 B.C.

Today, music takes many forms around the world.  The music of people in Europe and the Americas is known as Western music.  There are two chief kinds of Western music, classical and popular.  Classical music includes symphonies, operas, and ballets.  Popular music includes country music, folk music, jazz, and rock music.  The cultures of Africa and Asia have developed their own types of classical and popular music. 

This article deals with the importance of music, musical instruments, the elements of music, and the system used for writing down music.  It also includes information on the various types of Western and non-Western music. 

Music plays an important part in all cultures.  People use music (1) in ceremonies, (2) in work, and (3) in personal and social activities. 

In ceremonies.  Nearly all peoples use music in their religious services.  One kind of religious music seeks to create a state of mystery and awe.  For example, some cultures have special musical instruments played only by priests on important occasions, such as harvest ceremonies and the burials of chiefs.  Similarly, much of Western church music attempts to create a feeling of distance from the daily world.  Other religious music, such as hymn-singing, helps produce a sense of participation among worshippers. 

Many nonreligious ceremonies and spectacles also use music.  They include sports events, graduation ceremonies, circuses, parades, and the crowning of kings and queens. 

In work.  Before machines became important, people had to do much difficult or boring work by hand.  And so, labourers sang songs to help make their work seem easier.  Crews aboard sailing ships sang shanties, songs with a strong, regular beat.  The sailors pulled or lifted heavy loads in time to the beat.  Today, the wide use of machines has made the singing of work songs rare in industrialized societies.  However, many offices and factories provide background music for their workers. 

In personal and social activities.  Many people perform music for their own satisfaction.  Singing in a choir or playing a musical instrument in a band can be very enjoyable.  Music provides people with a way to express their feelings.  A group of happy campers may sing cheerful songs as they sit around a campfire.  A sad person may play a mournful tune on a guitar. 

Many famous rulers have used music to help them relax.  According to the Bible, David played the harp to help King Saul take his mind off the problems of ruling Israel.  Kings Richard I and Henry VIII of England composed music.  Other leaders have performed music.  For example, the former British prime minister, Edward Heath is a spare-time organist and conductor.  Former United States presidents Harry S. Truman and Richard M. Nixon played the piano. 

People use music at a variety of social occasions.  At parties and dinners, music is often played for dancing or simply for listening to.  In some countries, 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.