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Music plays a large role in everyday life. Not only is it important on its own but it also plays a large role in every other art form in the world, including the soundtracks to films and TV shows. It also dates back to the dawn of man, predating many other forms of entertainment.
Msuci has been defined very differently over the years. Ancient Indians and Greek Philosophers called it tones ordered vertically as harmonies and horizontally melodies. In the 20th Century, composer John Cage had a more simple solution, declaring that any sound can be music: There is no noise, only sound. So the definition of music is blurred. Typically, people today do not debate whether a noise or a sound is music, but instead debate whether specific bands fall into this category. It is unlikely, for example, that a fan of heavy metal would consider Britney Spears to be music.
But with sound and noise all around us, it is no wonder that primitive man found music to be such an obvious way to express himself or to entertain. Researchers say that man probably heard birds singing and heard the rhythm of sounds all around them and this led quite naturally to the development of music as we know it, developing considerably, of course, to the modern day.
Music has had its place in every part of history and a specific style can often denote a specific period of time, showing quite clearly its development. For example, it is often easy to spot the sound of a 14th century guitar. It's not hard to imagine the renaissance having a clear affect on music, despite it going strong in the middle ages. Once devices such as the printing press had been invented, music was much easier to write down and mass produce on a grand scale.
With the internet of today, this is having the same effect, bringing music to more people all over the world, both with the written sheet music and the downloading of tracks (both legally and, unfortunately, illegally) bringing music to people who would not otherwise have heard it. We hear a lot about internet piracy and the knock on effect isn't just angry record companies but a whole new way of listening to music as the industry embraces the internet as a positive way to share.
It all brings a new meaning to the idea of music being a part of everyday life.