Music is an art form which utilizes vocal or instrumental sounds for aesthetic or emotional expression, in accordance with culturally established norms for rhythm, melody and harmony. Music has long been recognized as an invaluable means of human communication and expression – it is one of the oldest forms of artistic activity known to humanity.
Music has an important place in language and thought development. It evokes powerful emotional responses in listeners, as well as being used as a form of relaxation or even meditation. Research into its effects has demonstrated its ability to increase concentration, enhance learning, enhance mood and emotion regulation and even aid with depression, anxiety or other psychological conditions.
Music comes from its Greek root (mousike), which means to dance. Ancient Greek mythology depicted nine muses as musical instruments: Calliope (epic poetry and lyric music), Clio (history), Euterpe (double-pipes and music), Melpomene (tragedy), Polyhymnia (hymns and sacred music), Terpsichore (dance), and Urania (astronomy).
Musical instruments developed due to technological advancement in manufacturing techniques, but there was also significant influence from traditional cultures such as Greece’s fascination with stringed instruments like lyres and harps that would later form the basis of Western music.
Music was an indispensable way of creating social bonds, from that between mother and child to dancing ancestor traditions before hunting or war. Music served as an excellent form of communication and entertainment in its own right as well as part of rituals or ceremonies both religious and secular.
Plato (428-348/347 BC), was perhaps the earliest exponent of music as symbolic meaning, seeing an association between human nature and how music is expressed. Like Confucius before him, Plato attempted to regulate particular modes that might become overly complex or too voluptuous, cautioning against extravagant musical styles that might create offence to audiences.
Modern explanations of music rely less on metaphorical models but still seek to comprehend its impact. Neuroscientist Daniel Levitin has proposed that songs activate the frontal lobe and release dopamine, producing feelings of pleasure similar to drugs, sex or food – producing dopamine which makes you feel good just like drugs, sex or food does. Similar reactions have also been noted when listening to other types of music such as Beethoven’s pieces.
Internet streaming services have fundamentally transformed how we experience music. Now we have access to nearly every album and song ever created for just a monthly fee, contributing to CD sales declining while potentially relieving pain from medical conditions like Bob Marley once sang about when music hit: he felt no pain himself when music hit! Perhaps Bob knew something?