Nothing soothes the soul like music. This is the reason why music has been used during all kinds of occasions in life. During wars, music was used to lift the soldiers’ spirits in readiness for war, in victories of all kinds, music has been used to express the amount of joy felt by the victors. In sorrow, music has also been used to console the bereaved as exhibited by dirges during funerals. Above all, music has also been used to appease gods and give praise and during periods of worship. Due to the various occasions that music has been used, there have arisen various forms of music. One of the most widely known music is classical music.
Classical music can be termed as one of the oldest music genres to exist. It has its roots back in times during the medieval period. It then transformed into a newer form of it during the renaissance period. Each era saw a change of the form of classical music running through all the important historical eras running through the baroque period, then the classical period, followed by the romantic era, and eventually the contemporary period (thinkquest, 2008).
Classical music is made up of several genres. Among them is orchestral music. This form of classical music has is an ensemble of many instrumentalists. The instruments used in modern classical music have their origin in the Baroque period of the 1600s. It was marked by string instruments which are cellos, double bass, violas, etc accompanied by operas. On special occasions, especially under lavish circumstances, wind instruments and brass instruments which are trumpets and horns were used. In the 18thC, the symphony became the most common form of classical music. This has been the trend from the 19thC to the 20thC. Haydn hailed as one of the greatest composers with more than 100 symphonies is credited for bringing changes in the orchestra by enlarging its size and including other instruments like the harp, piccolo, contrabassoon, and tuba. Currently, modern composers compose complex works that include as many as 100 instruments. Included in the list are pianos, vibraphones, saxophones exotic percussions, and other electronics which give different effects in addition to the original set of instruments (thinkquest, 2008).
Classical music is mostly played in live concerts in churches, schools, and other concert venues that were traditionally designed to host the concerts. In recent research on the audience of classical music, it revealed most of the followers are losing touch with the music. It showed that most of the ticket buyers for the concerts are few adult Americans who occupy 10% to 15% of the whole American population (Brown, 2002).1563
Classical music is accomplished under the active participation of very many people. Johann Stamitz one of the composers pointed out that an orchestra is composed of several sections. All these sections call for different people of different talents. The first part is the section of the instruments. This is a section handled by instrumentalists who have specialized in string instruments, wind instruments, and other instruments used in an orchestra. The second part is the part of a conductor. This is the person who conducts the performance. His work is usually more than the wagging of a baton but he is also the educator. Other people involved are vocalists and actors in case of a symphony (Estrella, 2009)
Merriam’s tripartite model of Music
To understand music, one had to take a point perspective according to Merriam (1964). He classified the three aspects as sound, behavior, and concept. In terms of sound Merriam refers to what the Westerners could view as the real constitution of music. This is the way in which vocals and instrumentals intertwine to produce a single harmony that will serve the expected function. This includes issues like harmony, tone, melody, and other qualities of music. Classical music has its own distinct ‘sound.’ This is actually what makes it become classical music.
Classical music is characterized by the harmony that is full of chromaticism. In addition to this, the harmony is also characterized by two triads that are stacked one on top of the other. Classical music has also a complex harmony in terms of tone. It is both atonal and polytonal. Atonal means that the music does not have a tonal center while polytonal means that different instruments are played at different keys at the same moment (thinkquest, 2008).
In terms of melody, classical music is characterized by an absence of melody. In Incases where the melody is employed, the intervals are extremely large with the phrases being either too long or too short and completely off-center. Apart from this, the rhythm is quite complex marked with irregularities and old numbered meters. Additive rhythms are without meters. Above all, the rhythm contains no bars (thinkquest, 2008).
The second position from which one can understand music is from its behavior. These are acts of the musicians both musical and non-musical together contribute to bringing out the expected meaning. These are activities performed during the show. Classical music performance contains more than just music. To bring out its full armor, the performers have to be well-dressed as a sign of respect to the audience. In some genres like the symphony, classical music is accompanied by plays that are in harmony with the lyrics of the song (Merriam, 1964).
The third and final point is the concept. This is how people perceive music in terms of its strength and how it related to other aspects of life. Classical music has always been viewed as deeply meaningful music that is not listened to by the ears but by the whole person. Music is meant to provide a meaningful interaction of the body and soul. It has been perceived that classical music is characterized by the upper-class society audience. The truth is that those people who attend concerts and those who buy CDs are not only upper-class Americans but ordinary people. Due to its availability in many spheres of life like in adverts and background music, many listeners tend to listen to classical music without knowing (thinkquest, 2008).
Functions of music
Merriam gives a wide range of functions and use of music. According to his definitions, the functions of music are the purpose that drives one to engage in music while the user is the instance when the function is put into application. The first function of music is communication. Music plays an important role in society in terms of communication. It is not about the words but also an exchange of feelings through deliberate manipulation of sound and other forms of musical ideas that are related to the wording. Music, therefore, serves as a vehicle facilitating communication of feelings. This effect is evident in the use of background music in commercials and adverts (Merriam, 1964).
Music can also be used as a form of emotional expression. Expression of love through songs has been one of the oldest practices to exist. This goes as far back as the days when the Holy book for the Christians; the Bible was written. It contains a love songbook called the Song of Solomon. Other emotions like victory, sadness, joy, patriotism, and all forms of emotions have been expressed through music. To prove this, an experiment was done on children aged between five and eight who were given a task to identify the type of facial expression that was appropriate to the given number of stories. This was done without any problems. They then had to identify the emotions expressed in brief songs given to them. They also did this one without too many problems. This gave researchers one conclusion. Those emotions perceptions are not restricted only to social interactions but also to other domains like music (Merriam, 1964).
Another function of music is the function of symbolic representation. Music can be used to represent an idea or entity. A close association between the two things can leave a clear picture in the mind every time the song plays. These symbols include seasons of the year, countries, churches, rituals, and ethnicity, etc. A national anthem, for example, could give a representation of a past regime. A Christmas song will give a picture of the season of the year (Merriam, 1964).
Music also serves as a form of entertainment. This is the ability of music to impart onto the listeners a feeling of amusement, enjoyment, or diversion. Art music and popular music may serve this function from different perspectives. While art music is great for entertainment and soundtrack purposes, popular music is more appreciated for its aesthetic value. It is easily acceptable and gives instant pleasure as compared to classical music that is more complex (Merriam, 1964).
Another function of music is its physical response. Hard, fast and loud music has been used for stimulative purposes while soft, slow music with less energy is more believed for its sedative power. Apart from that, music can be used to trigger a mood of dancing within an individual. Other physical reactions that can be triggered using music include running, marching, and other exercises including aerobic training. In a big group of people, music can be used to rejuvenate, excite or anger them. These functions change in relation to the way the music is being played (Merriam, 1964).
The music tries to encourage people to conform to social norms. Songs with well-drafted lyrics can contribute greatly in imparting good behavior to people. This includes adults and children as well. Sometimes, music of sub-cultural values might be used to create forms that are not acceptable to the community at large. The use of traditional folk songs and other songs that have been well devised has been a normal practice during early schooling. The major aim of this practice was to promote proper behavior (Merriam, 1964).
Music is used in the validation of social institutions and religious rituals. In most cases, music possesses a quality which makes valid the social environment in which it is performed. For example, ‘Happy birthday’ song makes a birthday look like one. Without it, the gathering might just be another social gathering and not someone’s birthday. Patriotic songs and other school anthems make the institutions in which they are affiliated to attain some realistic nature. Labor movements have always had music during their gatherings. This has its origin from early 20thC (Merriam, 1964).
Music plays an important role in the sustenance and making stable of a culture. Traditional folk songs carry lessons aimed at maintaining the attitudes and traditional values of a given society. The culture of celebrating Christmas might not mellow any soon. Christmas carols that are sung during this time carry the spirit to sustain the culture for many generations (Merriam, 1964).
Another function of music is its ability to integrate the society. Music has a quality which enables it to make people feel like they belong together. This, according to Merriam (1964) is the most important social function of music. A worshippers’ congregation makes them feel like one group that is aimed at going to heaven. The best of all is the national anthem which brings all the inhabitants of a nation from all backgrounds and cultures into one group. The group of citizenhood (Merriam, 1964).
Finally, music plays a role in aesthetic appreciation. People who relate to certain music may develop a certain perception of beauty and order that comes as a result of a feeling relationship triggered by the musical stimuli (Merriam, 1964).
References
Brown, A., (2002). Classical music consumer segmentation study. Audience Insight LLC. Web.
Estrella, E., (2009). What is an orchestra? Web.
Merriam, A. (1964). The anthropology of music. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press.
Oracle. Thinkquest, (2008). Classical music. Web.