Learn
Introduction to Music
Music is around us every day and everywhere. Music is in our cars, in our personal listening devices, in our stores and shops, and in the very pulse of the world in which we live.
Music has many functions; it can entertain, it can inspire, it can comfort.
Music is a part of most human ceremonies from the happiest to the saddest.
A member of the U.S. Army plays Taps in Arlington National Cemetery, March 11, 2009. Image by Beverly & Pack is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Music provides a creative outlet for expression of individual and communalshared by all members of a community emotions.
Music can touch us in ways that few other elements of our lives can. Music expresses, and allows us to express, what it means to be human.
Street musicians performing around the world, including New York, Brazil, and Germany
"Music has charms to soothe the savage breast
To soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak."
The Mourning Bride, Act 1 Scene 1 by William Congreve, English dramatist (1670 - 1729)
Music surrounds us in our daily life. But, no matter what music you hear, it can be divided into three purposes.
- Ceremonial music is created or performed for rituals or celebrations.
When would music be used for ceremonial purposes?
Answer: Examples of ceremonial music are patriotic music, music for a weddings, or music for worship.
- Recreational music is created for entertainment or fun.
When would music be used for recreational purposes?
Answer: Examples of recreational music are game songs, music for dances, music as a hobby, or for general listening.
- Artistic expression music is created with the intent to express one's emotions, feelings, ideas, or experiences.
When would music be used for the purpose of artistic expression?
Answer: Examples of artistic expression music would be music created and performed in a concert setting for an audience.
