Music is sound arranged into pleasing or interesting patterns. It forms an important part of many cultural and social activities. People use music to express feelings and ideas. Music also serves to entertain and relax.
Music is a performing art. It differs from such arts as painting and poetry, in which artists create works and then display or publish them. Musical composers need musicians to interpret and perform their works, just as playwrights need actors to perform their plays. Thus, most musical performances are really partnerships between composers and performers.
Music also plays a major role in other arts. Opera combines singing and orchestra music with drama. Ballet and other forms of dancing need music to help the dancers with their steps. Motion pictures and TV dramas use music to help set the mood and emphasize the action. Also, composers have set many poems to music.
Music is one of the oldest arts. People probably started to sing as soon as language developed. Hunting tools struck together may have been the first musical instruments. By about 10,000 B.C., people had discovered how to make flutes out of hollow bones. Many ancient peoples, including the Egyptians, Chinese, and Babylonians, used music in court and religious ceremonies. The first written music dates from about 2500 B.C.
Today, the music of Europe and the Americas is known as Western music. There are two chief kinds of Western music, classical and popular. Classical music includes symphonies, operas, ballets, and chamber music, music for small ensembles (groups of instruments). Popular music includes country, folk, hip-hop, jazz, and rock music. The cultures of Africa and Asia have developed their own types of classical and popular music.
