The Meaning of Music

In the history of the first classical period, music was chiefly introduced and performed to the nobility by famous composers and performers. Today, music is broadly discussed in the media and is widely influenced by many great artists in genres such as pop, country, hip-hop, as well as many others, and therefore has become a part of the lives of many people whether they may or may not know it. Music can be defined in many ways, shape, or form. Music can also be described as feelings, emotions, art, or complex processes involving musical activities. In this essay, I will show an analysis of how other people with little to no musical knowledge may define music or portray how music affects their lifestyle. Music is a complicated process that cannot be defined directly through the use of words. Music therefore, may not be comprised of only musical instruments but may well exist as a large system of musical processes that depicts to us today as music.

In my quest to witness how one could define music or express what music means to him or her, I turned to my good friend Amy. Amy has had a wealth of experience playing instruments but was unfamiliar with the musical terms and its history. Since Amy has had experience with music, she was no stranger to the world of music. This was the reason why I chose her to interview. I wanted to analyze her ideas in describing what music meant to her. I attempted to ask her the first question, "What is music to you?" She replied, "Music is sound, patterns of sound. Music is something I can hear. If I cannot hear the sound, then it is not music." After hearing this response from her, I was truly impressed by her short and concise answer. Although I have been taught that music involves more than just sound, I had to agree with Amy's answer. However, I do not believe that if a tree fell in the forest and nobody was there to listen to the tree fall that does not necessarily mean that the tree did not fell. This was the same analogy I used to analyze Amy's response. Although music can be heard, it can also involve more unusual processes than just auditory processes.