Well I spent a good part of today writing my Chorus essay, so, not wanting to spend time writing you something new, you can read
it.
From the dawn of time, when man still walked without shoes and hunted food for the village, music existed as a means of storytelling, a way of conveying man’s emotions. Unlike many things that were around during this era of time, music has not gone extinct. In fact music remains on of the untouchable entities that remains through hard times, through revolution, and through peace. Music, not made of flesh or bone, survives wars and continues even after death. Whether it is the music of nature, music for propaganda, music for movies, music that tells a story, music that sells, music that fails, music that sparks a revolution, or even music that only remains between the few inches of heads, music will always remain invincible. Music provides the human soul with a release and without music the world would be a monotonous blob of equations and calculations.
The earliest forms of music came by means of story telling. Native tribes and civilizations used ritual songs which would in turn allow for stories to be passed down from generation to generation without the necessity of paper and pen. Many songs tell a story about an adventure or experience, which affected the creator, and its lessons or ideas can be told in order to further educate people later on. Not only was music used for storytelling, but also in religious services music played a vital role in the expression of emotion to the gods. The use of music in religion still continues to this day. A visit to any church will surely result in the singing of at least one song, if not many more.
The most forgotten music in recent times is the music of nature. It’s all around us, yet our minds have learned to tune it out and merely forget that nature in itself is filled with melodies and lyrics. The simple chirping of a lark can tell a magnificent story of a lonesome male searching for his life companion. Even the blowing of the wind and the babbling of a brook provide beats and sounds that provide relaxation to the human ear. For years now the sounds of nature have been recorded and put on CD’s and sold to people, a sad truth that people no longer have time for nature and need to it to be recorded in order to listen to it. Nonetheless, therapies used for relaxation, and meditation use the music of nature in order to calm the mind and focus thoughts. Naturally the most relaxing and pure sound to the human ear is in fact the sounds of nature which man has been further and further detached from over the years.
Without nature to listen to people have gone on to create their own music to serve the needs of the community. Governments seize the power of music in the use of propaganda. Many songs such as “Over There” written during WWI, was used to urge people to get off their couches and fight for the good of the country. This form of propaganda is effective because music is written so that the melodies and lyrics can be repeated and played over and over again. The repeated hearings of “Over There” would start to implant the words of the song into your mind and soon you would have the lyrics memorized, and could yourself spit the lyrics back word for word. Music also can provide a catchy, rhythmic tune to go along with a command. A song urging you to go to war wouldn’t work unless the song conveys the emotion of helping out your country. A monotone song with no rhythm and a dull singer would convey quite the opposite and would turn people away from fighting for the cause. Music has the ability to touch and connect with people’s emotions and governments can learn to take advantage of the powers of music for their own gain.
Music cannot only be used by the government, but can actually be used in the total opposite way. Every revolution that has come to fruition has also created along with the war, countless songs in support of their cause. Music provides a means by which thousands can unite behind the common melodies. The use of music has allowed for common people to voice their plight, and make it heard. Not only heard, but heard so that everyone who hears it and listens to the words can join the cause and fight for the man in plight. Along the same lines as its use in propaganda, music provokes an emotion and can rally thousands to the cause.
With the creation of moving picture, or movies, the two art forms have been combined to further develop the meaning behind the continuous stream of images. Without music, most movies would move slowly and would not envelope the emotions of the audience. Unlike a movie, music can stand-alone. Most movies as of late also release an official movie soundtrack, which features the songs or orchestral pieces used during the course of the movie. In the movie, the song helps to develop the visual, but the meaning of the music can still tell the same story without the help of visuals. Unlike the music from movies, you don’t see movies being released with only the visuals. Sometimes the most crucial and important features of a movie are in fact the music choices. Lord of the Rings for example received numerous awards for its soundtrack, and the power of the music used in the film magnified the storyline.
Some people choose to make music a living and the successful stars are honored as untouchable idols. The music that sells cannot only influence the musical styling of the era but also the attitude of the listener. A musician, who attracts millions of fans, can without having asked, found millions of supporters. Musicians, for example the Dixie Chicks, can take a political stand on a situation, and with them comes the support of many fans. Though along with fans, come the enemies, but when taking a stand, popular musicians have the money to make their point count and can afford the creation of enemies.
Music, an idea practiced for thousands of years, if not millions, has remained untouchable from its beginnings. Music remains after many other articles of the past have long been extinct. This abstract notion of music has remained throughout the many ages of war, reconstruction and peace and has influenced the actions at each stage. From affecting the emotions of an era, to inciting war where the weak are trampled on by the powerful, music has been at the cause of all of these. Music influences the society beyond its own recognition. Whether it is music telling a story, or music that inspires, music remains the one constant in a world of confusion and hate. Only music can effect the course of history in such a magnificent manner. When leaders die and can no longer influence the peoples, music will remain. Forever.
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