Music

Music is art and cultural activity in which organized sound and silence convey meaning and emotion. It encompasses vocal and instrumental performance and may be notated or improvised. Core elements include pitch, rhythm, dynamics, timbre, articulation, and texture. Music is produced within social contexts and serves diverse functions such as expression, communication, ritual, entertainment, and communal identity.

Melody is a sequence of pitches perceived as a unit; harmony refers to simultaneous pitches; rhythm organizes time; timbre (tone color) distinguishes different sound sources; dynamics indicate loudness; form describes overall structure. Scales and tuning systems shape melodic and harmonic options, while notation technologies enable preservation and transmission of ideas. Instruments and voices vary across cultures.

History and genres: Music has ancient origins and has evolved through diverse traditions. In Western tradition, periods include medieval, renaissance, baroque, classical, romantic, and modern. Globally, folk, traditional, popular, jazz, and world musics, as well as experimental and electronic forms, have developed in parallel and continuously influence one another.

Performance and technology: Music is performed live and recorded. Advances in printing, recording, broadcasting, and digital platforms have transformed creation, distribution, and access. The music industry encompasses composition, publishing, performance rights, education, and streaming services.

Reception and study: Music engages listeners emotionally and cognitively and supports education, ritual, and social cohesion. It is studied in musicology, ethnomusicology, psychology, and neuroscience, reflecting its broad cultural significance.