The Art of Music
by: Patica Masicuz
Music is the art of arranging sounds in periodic time so
as to produce a continuous, unified, and evocative composition,
as through melody, harmony, rhythm, and timbre.
It is also the vocal or instrumental sounds possessing a
degree of melody, harmony, or rhythm. Music can also be when
an aesthetically pleasing or harmonious sound or combination
of sounds are produced example the music of the water falling
from a tap in a vessel.
Most of the time music is kept in memory and performance
only. If handed down orally, this music may be considered
"traditional" or not considered composed by individuals.
Different musical traditions have different attitudes towards
how and where to make changes to the original source. If the
music is written down, it is generally in some manner which
attempts to capture both what should be heard by listeners,
and what the musician should do to perform the music.
In most of the parts of the world music is a part of everyday
life. Chanting and singing during religious rites and festivals
are very common. Music as a performing art is very usual among
Indians. It was also among the seventeenth-century New England
settlers who used music during their religious observances
by chanting psalms in the meeting house as an important communal
activity.
By the end of the century psalm singing had become dissonant
since worshipers could no longer read the musical patterns
in the religious book. The right rendering of tunes was of
lesser importance than religious passion so many ministers
and musical refreshers, observed the teaching of musical notation
to restore order in the community. Regular singing soon gave
rise to the development of singing schools and the creation
of music for secular entertainment.
The revolutionary war saw a flowering of musical creativity.
Supporters of the American cause quite often changed the words
of British songs, such as "Yankee Doodle," to taunt
their adversaries. The immediate post revolutionary cultural
climate was one of optimism that Americans could create their
own culture free of English influence.
In the 1850s, the call for an independent American music
was heard again, this time from a composer whose New York
lectures in the early fifties inspired an interest in the
development of an American musical language. But the drive
for cultural independence fell short.
With the wars came the marches and sentimental songs that
spoke of home, wives, mothers and children became popular.
Composers and entrepreneurs printed many of these. In the
second half of the century, many successful American composers
had studied in Europe and adopted the romantic style despite
the ongoing arguments for an American music. Many men who
earned their livelihoods as professors achieved respectability
with works that bore considerable resemblance to similar pieces
being composed in Europe at the time.
In the end of the century, major orchestras came up in New
York. Smaller communities observed performances by local bands,
which reflected the popular taste for dances, marches, and
synchronizing excerpts. The troupes moving throughout the
country, performed combined comedic episodes, scenes from
Shakespeare's plays, dancing, and minstrel songs performed
in black face.
About The Author
Patica Masicuz is the owner of BTX Music which is a premier
resource for music information. for more information, go to
http://www.btxmusic.com.
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