Music has been an integral part of the whole worlds’ culture since 800C.E, beginning with the Gregorian Chant as a form of pleasure to the followers of the Christian church. Since then, the audience for music has grown from churchgoers to encompass anyone who is willing to listen. Although the outlets for music are continuously changing, the instruments used to create it have not changed as much as society would like the population to think that they have. The first classical instruments that were used during the first few eras of music included bowed instruments, stringed and plucked instruments, organs, percussion instruments, and wind instruments (Music History). Although these instruments have evolved over the centuries, their general composition and use to create music have remained the same. Music is the art of performing a published work created by a composer via the use of a classical instrument; music is not improvisation, computerized sounds, a performance riddled with mistakes, or a vocal performance.
Music has changed so drastically over the decades, that it is difficult to encompass it all in one broad term. Some of what society has labeled as music, are simple sounds being amplified to attempt to connect with a specific audience. This alone is not music. Music is a unique art, defined by the usage of classical instruments, a real musical score, and perfection. These are what separate true music from noises made in a semi-melodic way from beautiful harmonious music. Classical instruments, although they have evolved over the years, are essentially equivalent to modern day violins, cellos, violas, basses, acoustic guitars, pianos, oboes, clarinets, flutes, piccolos, trumpets, French horns, tubas, and drums. It will only be true music when these instruments are used exclusively. In addition to these instruments, there must be a real musical score, created by a composer and published. Once perfection of the use of these things has been attained, only then are the glorious sounds music.
Improvisation is often defined as “to make, invent, or arrange offhand”, or in more colloquial terms to disregard any written material and perform regardless, attempting to please the audience (Merriam-Webster). The idea of improvisation is widely understood as an outlet for creativity, which is crucial to the understanding the mind and soul. The up and coming organization, International Society for Improvised Music (ISIM), promotes the art of improvisation, and even attempts to educate the population about the wonders of improvisation. The ISIM believes that “today’s musical world is increasingly characterized by creative expressions”, making improvisation a “core aspect of this global confluence”(ISIM). The ISIM promotes learning about life and cultures all over our increasingly global nation, but this is just learning and not the final answer to understanding the world. Improvisation may be a creative expression, but it is not a true representation of what all can be accomplished. Improvisation is a way that a person can learn, not necessarily create. The creation of music is ultimately the result of trials worked to perfection; therefore, something that is simply improvisation is not a true composition of music. Many people may argue that music could not have been created without the art of improvisation, backed up by the fact that there cannot be perfection without practicing it first. Although it is true that music could not have been created without improvisation, it is not music until it has passed that stage.
One could argue that in fact the only reason to play a musical instrument is to compose something, and have it live on throughout history. In an article about improvisation and composition, author Chris Dobrian suggests an idea why artists compose rather than merely improvise. Dobrian discusses the difference between a person who improvises versus a person who sits down and methodically composes a piece of art. After stating that the artist who improvises is a prideful being who “believes in her/his ability to produce a good musical experience spontaneously”, he follows up with an opinion about the contrasting composer. He shares that the composer will talk about his/her music as “musical notations (that) contains at least one idea that I, after careful consideration, believe that will benefit others and therefore deserves to be disseminated and repeated”(Dobrian). Therefore, the art of composing a piece of music is a natural process by which all music should pass through. Without this methodical process and careful consideration, real music cannot be created and enjoyed.
Unbeknown to the vast population of the world, much of the music that comes from out of today’s music industry is computer enhanced. Computerized sounds attempt to enhance the music that has been performed. Mainly this is done so that the once true music sounds more appealing to the target audience, essentially distorting it so that the original music is no longer recognizable. These sounds that the computer creates to try and enhance the music are not sounds that are derived from classical instruments, which is not what real music is. Another reason that a performance is electronically enhanced is to hide the mistakes that the performer has made. When a performance is riddled with mistakes, no matter how negligible they are, it detracts from the original musical piece, meaning that it is no longer true music.
The common colloquial expression, “Practice makes perfect”, implies that mistakes are being made all throughout this practice. However, the end result is perfection, which is what most human beings strive to achieve. Music, although not a conscious being, also strives to be performed in perfection. A musical performance that is not flawless is merely practice and becomes synonymous with improvisation. A completely accurate performance of a composition not only becomes music, but also harmony. Harmony, as defined by Merriam- Webster, is the “pleasing or congruent arrangement of parts” (Merriam-Webster). The word ‘arrangement’ suggests that it is not an accident, but an intended grouping of sounds meant to please the listener. If the piece is not performed accurately, these harmonies can easily be lost in a jumble of notes. Therefore, it is imperative that the piece be performed as it was intended by the composer for it to be considered true music.
Music was formed over fifty thousand years ago, and the general idea of it has not changed as drastically as the surrounding world has. The avenues through which these pleasing sounds are created have not been altered completely, and thus music can still be defined as the pleasing sounds coming from a classical instrument. Many may argue that because of this definition, vocal composition is not considered music. This is an accurate statement. Although people have known since the beginning of time how to use the voice to create different noises on command, this does not involve an external instrument. This external instrument is crucial to the creation of true music. Although it is true that pleasing sounds can be made with the voice, it is not really music in the true sense. However, when coupled with a wind instrument, the voice may be transformed into a musical instrument. Some would argue that the voice couples a musical instrument, creating an even more complex harmony, yet that cannot be considered true music, because music is defined as the use of a classical instrument exclusively.
Music is the art of performing a published work created by a composer via the use of a classical instrument, by means of practiced perfection and effort. Improvisation, therefore, cannot be true music because it is simply a spontaneous act of creativity. Although improvisation does play a crucial role in the creation of music, a person who continuously improvises the way the melodies are intertwined is not creating real music. Likewise, randomly altering the sounds of a piece of music detracts from the original harmonies that were created. Because of this, when music is digitally enhanced or simply recreated it is no longer music but a coincidence of pleasing beats laced together by an artificially intelligent device. A computerized device will rid the melodies of mistakes that were made in the original piece, furthering the idea that these pieces placed in the digital age were not true music to begin with. Real music must be a completely accurate performance exactly how the composer intended the piece to sound. Anything that deviates from this could be considered improvisation, which as discussed earlier, is not music. Once the piece is flawlessly performed, the audience can recognize it as truly pleasing music. Perhaps the most appealing aspect of music is that it requires an external source to create. This means that not everyone has the skills to create the harmonious melodies that are integrated into music. Because of this, the act of singing is merely glorified chatter to a musically trained ear. Vocal compositions are not aided by a classical instrument which is what makes music, truly harmonious. Music is an art of many different components intertwined to create the perfect balance of harmony.
Works Cited
"Composition and Improvisation." News | Music.arts.uci.edu. Web. 12 Oct. 2011.
"Harmony - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary." Dictionary and
Thesaurus - Merriam-Webster Online. Web. 12 Oct. 2011.
webster.com/dictionary/harmony?show=0>.
"Improvising - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary." Dictionary and
Thesaurus - Merriam-Webster Online. Web. 12 Oct. 2011.
International Society for Improvised Music. Web. 12 Oct. 2011.
"Music History." Think Quest. Oracle. Web. 12 Oct. 2011.
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ReplyDeleteYou did a really good job at proving that your definition of music is the right definition. Great format and structure of the essay. I liked how you referred music to that phrase "practice makes perfect" because I never really thought of music as perfection. I disagree when you mentioned that when altering the sound of a music beat is no longer music because I still think it is music. Other than that good job and this definition is arguable.
ReplyDeleteGreat paper! Since Im a music major I had to read this! The only thing is i would argue that improv is music. For instance look at jazz, you have a piano, double bass, guitar, drums and a trumpet in most combos. The trumpet would improv for minutes. I would consider that to be music because there is an actual score to read over. Also I recommend not using the word "things" in your paper. Other then that good job at arguing your point!
ReplyDeleteYour essay is very organized and one of the best ones I have read thus far. It approached each qualifier effectively, passionately and logically. This essay though I still believe the definition of music is arguable, you successfully proved that your definition was correct with the qualifiers and argument you provided.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great paper! I think you have really strong qualifiers, and you supported each of them with ample research. I think that you also did a great job of presenting the opposing argument and explaining why only your definition is the correct one. I liked how you gave the history of some music in your intro paragraph--this gave a great lead-in for your argument. Great job!
ReplyDeleteyou did an exceptional job on narrowing down the definition of music. It was very specific and debatable. I like that you narrowed what music is down to such a specific type of music. I can tell that you have a lot of knowledge on music which functions rhetorically because if you know what you talking about I have no choice to agree with you! Well done.
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