Music is Emotional

     Music is emotional. It can make a person feel happy or sad, even angry or scared. It triggers these emotions in all of us differently. One song may make a person feel sorrow, while another person feels joy from the same song. Humans always respond to music with emotions. Music initiates this emotion using its melody, lyrics (if present), dynamics, tone color, and harmonies. Doucleff (2012) of The Wall Street Journal states it best, “music is most likely to tingle the spine, in short, when it includes surprises in volume, timber, and harmonic pattern” (Para. 8). Michaeleen Doucleff writes an article about how Adele’s Someone Like You makes everyone want to cry because of its surprising changes in sound.

     Doucleff goes on to say that music always creates tension and then a resolution. During these moments, humans get the chills (Doucleff, 2012). Someone Like You is a perfect example of doing just this. The song starts with this slow rhythm in a kind of haunting lower frequency. The timber of Adele’s voice is very peaceful and soulful. All of this is creating tension and building us as the listener to the chorus. “When the chorus enters, Adele’s voice jumps up an octave, and she belts out notes with increasing volume” (Doucleff, 2012, Para 10). This is the resolution. In the chorus the harmonies also change creating this intensely dramatic moment. Our reaction to this is simply wow! Anyone listening to this song can’t help but feel emotion for this story.

     A similar song that makes me feel sadness is A Thousand Years by Christina Perri. You may know this song from Twilight: Breaking Dawn.

 https://open.spotify.com/track/6lanRgr6wXibZr8KgzXxBl

     This song is so beautiful in every way. There is really no other way to say it, but the harmonies are so pretty. The soft breathy tone in her voice really makes this song for me. When the guy joins in singing harmonies, everything takes off. After the big moment on the word more, we are giving a piano solo to calms us down. This is an example of tension and then resolution. The song as a whole does a wonderful job at telling this passionate love story with the use of dynamics and timber. It leaves you feeling warm and fuzzy.   

     On the contrary, a song that makes me feel joy is Happy by Pharrell Williams. This song is also in a movie called Despicable Me.

https://open.spotify.com/track/6NPVjNh8Jhru9xOmyQigds

     This song gives off the same emotion that it is named after. The fast tempo and rhythm of this song just makes me want to dance. The clapping in the background in certain sections is also great. It gives the piece so much momentum. Adding to that, the timber of Pharrell’s voice is perfect. He sings at a higher frequency that makes you feel good. The whole song is very bright. It reminds me of a beautiful sunny day at the beach. One can’t help but to feel excitement and happiness.

     In conclusion, music is very powerful. It plays with our emotions as it tells a story that we just can’t refuse to listen to.   

References

DOUCLEFF, M. (2012, February 11). Anatomy of a tear-jerker. Retrieved April 29, 2015, from http://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052970203646004577213010291701378

What is Music???

Music is an art form that uses sound as its medium to convey a message or story. It can be said to be emotional, powerful, and philosophical. The greatest thing about music is that it is universal. It is a language that everyone speaks. Music is also limitless in possibilities as art is free with no boundaries. An artists by the name of John Cage say’s “art is a sort of experimental station in which one tries out living” (Ross, 2010, Pg. 1). This is a great definition.     

John Cage wrote a musical piece called 4’33’’. It is indeed music. It is the music of silence. What Cage is trying to portray is that music is every single sound a person hears around them (Ross, 2010). It is the sounds that humans tend to ignore, the music of the earth. 4’33’’ acts as a reality check, teaching people how to listen. Silence is part of music; along with notes written on a page there are rests. So a piece consisting of nothing but rests could be considered music. After all, silence is actually very loud. It is also a myth. On earth, silence does not exist. True silence can only be found in the depths of outer space. 4’33’’ is telling a story of life using the sounds life is creating at that moment. Is that not the definition of music?

Naturally John Cage’s 4’33’’ was rejected, and mocked by most people (Ross, 2010). Even to this day people are angry at even the idea of this being music. In the words of Macklemore and Ryan Lewis (2012), “America the brave still fears what we don’t know”(Verse 1). So why wouldn’t people make fun and say how ridiculous Cage is. 4’33’’ is unlike anything that has ever been done. No one has every created a piece of music out of silence. I have to admit; when I first discovered 4’33’’ I had the same reaction. I insisted that this was not music until I stopped to listen. Then I thought silence IS sound. I also thought just because something is different doesn’t mean its wrong.

In addition to the words of Macklemore influencing my change in opinion, I was also influenced by the words of Alex Ross. In Ross (2010) he states, “Jackson Pollock, too, was once widely mocked. Now the art market bows before [him]” (pg. 2). Pollock created a whole new form of art, splatter painting. This style of painting is now very popular. Cage basically created a whole new form of music. Who’s to say that one day this idea might become popular?

In conclusion, this is yet another example of change and innovation being delayed. 4’33’’ although very strange is a form of music. It is undoubtedly art at its best. It causes controversy and intrigue, exactly what art is supposed to do. Some people will always reject this song but others will learn to listen. I said this at the beginning and I will say it again, music/art has limitless possibilities.    

References:

Macklemore, & Lewis, R. (2012). Same Love. On The Heist [CD]. Burbank, California: Warner Music Group.

Ross, A. (2010, October 4). The New Yorker Digital Edition: Oct 04, 2010. Retrieved April 14, 2015, from http://archives.newyorker.com/?i=2010-10-04#folio=052