Music is the expressive arrangement of sound, often characterised as encompassing aspects of form, harmony, melody, and rhythm.[1][2][3] Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all human societies.[4] Definitions of music vary widely in substance and approach.[5] While scholars agree that music is defined by a small number of specific elements, there is no consensus as to what these necessary elements are.[6] Music is often characterized as a highly versatile medium for expressing human creativity.[7] Diverse activities are involved in the creation of music, and are often divided into categories of composition, improvisation, and performance.[8] Music may be performed using a wide variety of musical instruments, including the human voice.
Music often plays a key role in social events and religious ceremony. The techniques of making music are often transmitted from as part of a cultural tradition. Music is played in public and private contexts, highlighted at events such as festivals and concerts for various different types of ensembles. Music is used in the production of other media, such as in soundtracks to films, TV shows, operas, and video games.
Listening to music is a common means of entertainment. The culture surrounding music extends into areas of #academic study, journalism, philosophy, psychology, and therapy. The music industry includes songwriters, performers, sound engineers, producers, tour organizers, distributors of instruments, accessories, and publishers of sheet music and recordings. Technology facilitating the recording and reproduction of music has historically included sheet music, microphones, phonographs, and tape machines, with playback of digital musics being a common use for MP3 players, CD players, and smartphones.
The modern English word 'music' came into use in the 1630s.[9] It is derived from a long line of successive precursors: the Old English 'musike' of the mid-13th century; the Old French musique of the 12th century; and the Latin mūsica.[10][7][n 1] The Latin word itself derives from the Ancient Greek mousiké (technē)—μουσική (τέχνη)—literally meaning "(art) of the Muses".[10][n 2] The Muses were nine deities in Ancient Greek mythology who presided over the arts and sciences.[13][14] They were included in tales by the earliest Western authors, Homer and Hesiod,[15] and eventually came to be associated with music specifically.[14] Over time, Polyhymnia would reside over music more prominently than the other muses.[11] The Latin word musica was also the originator for both the Spanish música and French musique via spelling and linguistic adjustment, though other European terms were probably loanwords, including the Italian musica, German Musik, Dutch muziek, Norwegian musikk, Polish muzyka and Russian muzïka.[14]