Music is a form of art. When different kinds of sounds are put together or mixed together to form a new sound which is pleasing to the human beings, it is called music. Music is derived from the Greek word Mousike, which means the art of muses. Muses included the goddess of music, poetry, art and dance in ancient Greece. Music includes two things, one is the people singing, and the other is sound from the musical instruments. The person who makes music is called a musician.
Every sound cannot be categorized as music. A sound may be noise or music. Music is the sound which is pleasing to the human ear but noise is not. It is also possible that a sound which is music for one person may be noise for some other person. For example, the loud rock music or hip-hop is music for the teenagers or the younger generation but it is the noise for the elderly.
There are so many theories which indicate when and where did music originate. Some historiographers believe that music existed even before the time when the man came into existence. They have categorized music into six eras. Each era is classified by the change in the musical style. These changes have shaped the music we listen to now. The first era was medieval or the middle ages. This age marks the beginning of polyphony and musical notations. Monophonic music and polyphonic music were the two main types of music which were popular in that era. In this era, the newly emerged Christian churches established universities which dictated the destiny of music. This was the time when the music called Gregorian chant was collected and codified. His era also created a new type of music called organum. Guillaume de Machaut, the great name in music, appeared in this era. This era was followed by the Renaissance. The word renaissance literally means rebirth. This era was from CA 1420 to 1600. At this time, the sacred music broke the walls of the church began to spread in schools. The music started to be composed in schools. In this era, dance music and instrumental music was being performed in abundance. English madrigal also started to flourish in the late renaissance period. This type of music was composed by masters like William Byrd, John Dowland, Thomas Morley and many others. After this, came the Baroque age which began in CA 1600 and ended in 1750. The word baroque is derived from an Italian word Barocco which means bizarre, weird or strange. This age is characterized by the different experiments performed on music. Instrumental music and opera started to develop at this age. Johann Sebastian Bach was the greater music composer of this period. It was then followed by the classical age which roughly began in 1750 and ended in 1820. The style of music transformed into simple melodies from the heavy ornamental music of the baroque age. A piano was the primary instrument used by the composers. The Austrian capital Vienna became the musical centre of Europe. Composers came to Vienna to learn music from all over Europe. The music which was composed in this era is now referred to as the Viennese style of music. Now came the Romantic era which began in 1820 and ended in 1900. In this era, the music composers added very deep emotions in their music. The artists started to express their emotions using music. The late nineteenth century was characterized by the Late Romantic composers. As the century turns, so did the music. Now came the twentieth-century music. This phase is characterized by many innovations which were performed in music. New types of music were created. Technologies were developed which enhanced the quality of music.
Music is not just a source of entertainment in our life. It is something more than it. Music has become very important in our life.
It’s not only the adults who benefit from music the tiny children also have benefited from music.
Research has shown that when we listen to music, our brain waves resonate in sync with the beats of the music. This means that when we listen to fast and energetic music, it brings sharp concentration and increased thinking level in our brain. On the other hand, when we listen to slow and calm music, our mind becomes all the way more relaxed and we attain a peaceful state of mind. With the changes in our brain waves, changes in our body function also occur. We can say that music has a direct impact on our nervous system which affects our breathing rate and heartbeat rate. This is how music helps the doctor to cope up with chronic stress in the patients and promote relaxation.
Conclusion
Other than entertainment, music has a very important role in our life. It develops our brain and the abilities associated with it. it is advantageous for developing skills in children and also in teaching them. Music therapy helps in healing dangerous and some chronic diseases. But we should be careful about what type of music we are listening to. For example, there are some songs which have rude language or abusive words which should not be heard by the children otherwise they will retain them in their mind which is not at all good for them. But overall, music is very beneficial for all of us and should be included in everyone’s daily life.