What is music?

Celeb Talk Avo: Soul and R&B singer Dictionaries and encyclopaedias define music as 'an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner'. It is also defined as 'any pleasing and harmonious sound' and 'the sounds produced by singers or musical instruments'. There are a lot of definitions for music and it will take a whole book to explore the subject. If there is one true definition of music it is this: music is universal and yet it is also relative and subjective. What may be music to one may not be so to another. For me, music is the singing of the birds. I get this indescribable feeling when listening to good music. It takes me into a trance that I just can't explain and I know most of you would agree when I say that without music the world would have been a dull and boring place to live in. Take a moment to ponder what the meaning of music is for you. Is it a quick way for you to make a buck or is it a form of art or passion? What do you listen to when playing music, is it the beat or do the lyrics matter to you as well. We also learn a lot from music. There are many theories regarding when and where music originated. Many agree that music began even before man existed. Historiographers point out that there are six historical periods of music and each period has a particular style that greatly contributed to what music is today. Music during the Middle Ages is characterised by the beginning of musical notation as well as polyphony. During this time, there were two general types of music styles - the monophonic and the polyphonic. It's funny how when one is sad you listen to slow music that makes you even sadder and that moment you really understand what the person is singing about. So this is my view on music. Until then keep that volume pumping and nod your head to great tunes.