# Music

By [ROma](https://paragraph.com/@motoaptos) · 2023-02-01

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**Music** is generally defined as the [art](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_arts) of arranging [sound](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound) to create some combination of [form](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_form), [harmony](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmony), [melody](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melody), [rhythm](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhythm) or otherwise [expressive content](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_expression).[\[1\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music#cite_note-FOOTNOTE''OED''%C2%A71-1)[\[2\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music#cite_note-FOOTNOTE''AHD''%C2%A71-2)[\[3\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music#cite_note-FOOTNOTEEpperson2022%C2%A7_para._1-3) Exact [definitions of music](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Definition_of_music) vary considerably around the world,[\[4\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music#cite_note-FOOTNOTEMithen200526%E2%80%9327-4) though it is an aspect of all human societies, a [cultural universal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_universal).[\[5\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music#cite_note-FOOTNOTEMorley20135-5) While scholars agree that music is defined by a [few specific elements](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elements_of_music), there is [no consensus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elements_of_music#Selection_of_elements) on their precise definitions.[\[6\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGardner1983104-6) The creation of music is commonly divided into [musical composition](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_composition), [musical improvisation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_improvisation), and musical [performance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Performance),[\[7\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music#cite_note-FOOTNOTENettl2001%C2%A7III_%223._Music_among_the_arts%22-7) though the topic itself extends into [academic disciplines](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music#Academic_study), [criticism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_journalism), [philosophy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy_of_music), and [psychology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_psychology). Music may be performed or improvised using a vast range of [instruments](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_instrument), including the [human voice](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_voice).

In some musical contexts, a performance or composition may be to some extent [improvised](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Improvised). For instance, in [Hindustani classical music](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindustani_classical_music), the performer plays spontaneously while following a partially defined structure and using characteristic motifs. In [modal jazz](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modal_jazz) the performers may take turns leading and responding, while sharing a changing set of notes. In a [free jazz](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_jazz) context, there may be no structure whatsoever, with each performer acting at their discretion. Music may be deliberately composed to be [unperformable](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_MIDI), or [agglomerated electronically from many performances](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_of_Sound). Music is played in public and private areas, highlighted at events such as [festivals](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festivals), [rock concerts](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_concerts), and [orchestra](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orchestra) performance, and heard incidentally as part of a [score](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_score) or [soundtrack](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soundtrack) to a film, TV show, opera, or [video game](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game). Musical playback is the primary function of an [MP3 player](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MP3_player) or [CD player](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CD_player) and a universal feature of [radios](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radios) and [smartphones](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smartphones).

Music often plays a key role in social activities, [religious rituals](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_ritual), [rite of passage](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rite_of_passage) ceremonies, celebrations, and cultural activities. The [music industry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_industry) includes songwriters, performers, [sound engineers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_engineer), producers, tour organizers, distributors of instruments, accessories, and [sheet music](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheet_music). Compositions, performances, and recordings are assessed and evaluated by [music critics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_criticism), music journalists, and [music scholars](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musicology), as well as amateurs.

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*Originally published on [ROma](https://paragraph.com/@motoaptos/music)*