ScottOpus PRODUCTIONS
ScottOpus PRODUCTIONS
TOPIC:- What is Music? by Kerry R. Scott
Throughout history there have been numerous attempts to define the performing art form "music". None have been particularly successful as the subject is an amalgam of emotion and the intellect as well as employing and combining the discipline of physical strength with the almost mystical aspects of creation, interpretation and innovation. It is therefore with some trepidation that I put forward the following definition of Music:-
Music is the Organization and Presentation of Sound.
The first criticism of this definition I am sure will be that it is "Too General". However, neither The Harvard Concise Dictionary of Music, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music or The New College Encyclopedia of Music make any attempt to define the very subject they are providing information on.On the other hand "The Free Dictionary by Farlex" determines that music is (among other things):-
The Art of arranging sounds in time so as to produce a continuous, unified and evocative composition, as through melody, harmony rhythm, and timbre.
WordReference.com has a similar (but based on "auditory communication" rather than "Art") determination:-
Music is "an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner".
Both the above so called definitions seem clumsy and unnecessarily complicated, furthermore they come from two different positions -- that is the "Art" versus the "Communication" positions. This composer and writer believes that fundamentally Music is an Art form. To be successful music should probably communicate something to a listener but as that communication is to a large extent subjective and possibly even abstract the communication concept of music must take a secondary role. Moreover, if some music communicates nothing to any listener it does not alter its existence but rather is an indication of its quality. It is still "music" but perhaps "poor music"
It is beyond the scope of this topic to delve into an aesthetic discussion of what constitutes successful music but I would recommend the article in Wikipedia, The free Encyclopedia titled "Definition of music". It is a detailed and well organized report on all the aspects of the word "Music". It is within this article that the following definition is quoted (possibly attributed to Wynton Marsalis):-"sound organized in time".
Personally I do not think that this definition goes far enough. Prosaically I believe sound must first be organized (by the composer), then it must be presented (by the performer) and lastly it must be received (by the listener). This continuum of creation, presentation and reception all need to be present for music to exist. The triptych can all be present at once, as in improvisation or the classical approach can be extant -- that is composition, rehearsal and performance. It appears to be implicit in the phrase "Sound organized in time" that there is an interaction of the composer, performer and listener; but this interaction is too important to be relegated to an "implication". It is for this reason that the word "Presentation" is included in my definition. Even in spontaneous improvisation the improvisors thought process conforms to the two stages of "organization" and "presentation". They are achieved at lightning speed but nevertheless they exist as two discreet thought processes.
Finally with regard to the definition possibly attributed to Mr. Marsalis, it should be pointed out that unlike painting or sculpture, the integral components of music (sounds, pitches etc.) can only exist "in time" and are contiguous in nature. With that in mind the phrase "sound organized in time" is almost redundant. It would be like indicating that the definition of sculpture was "shapes organized in space". It is for that reason that the concept of time is an assumed predicate of my definition of music.
From my definition it can therefore be seen that in order for "Music" to exist "sound" must be "organized" and then "presented". It is implicit in this definition that this can only happen within a framework of "time".
Having successfully defined music we can now look into what are the constituents or parts of music. They are as follows:-Pitch -- how high or low a musical item is.
Rhythm -- the rate and length of a musical item.
Timbre -- the quality/sound type of a musical item.
Dynamics -- how loud or soft a musical item is.
Links to Articles on the individual constituents of music are listed below.
As a composer I am particularly interested in the philosophy of composition and music in general Looking into the basic nature of composing, playing and listening is absolutely necessary for a composer -- if his works are going to be relevant and if he is going to try new concepts. New concepts in any art form are by definition "controversial" and thus a basic definition of music for the composer is indeed an obligatory starting point.
Music Notation
Further information on Kerry R. Scott's life and Compositions
A listing/portfolio of the music compositions of Kerry R. Scott
Further Information on The Tudor Rose School of Music
Further information on the Music CD -- Bubble and Squeak
Further information on the Music CD -- Rattle and Rhyme
Further information on the Music CD -- Beyond the Virtual Creation
Further information on the Music CD -- Brandy Butter, Brass and Bells
Further information on the Music CD -- The Old, The New, and an Eclectic Medley
Further information on the Music CD -- Mass 2100
Orchestral Suite from Mass 2100 and Mass 2100 original performance edition.
Further information on the Music CD -- Smphony No. ! -- Soundscapes of a Forgotten Britian
Further information on the live recording of the first performance of Mass 2100
Further information on compositional and composition commissions.
Further information on the stories and writings of Kerry R. Scott.
ScottOpus PRODUCTIONS