Music – the language of the spirit - is what we’re talking about today.
Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world. Nevertheless, it is an intrinsic aspect of all human societies, a cultural universe.
It is estimated today that, with the proliferation of popular music in the 20th century, there are more than 1,200 definable subgenres of music. That said, the generally agreed to main genres of music are: Rhythm & Blues (R&B); Rock; Jazz; Country; Soul; Hip Hop; Techno; Dubstep & EDM; Pop.
Research findings have shown that music supports our physical, mental and emotional health. It can help in regulating our emotions, improve our mood and enhance productivity and concentration plus it can even help us sleep better.
In 1818 Arthur Schopenhauer published his masterwork “Music is the food of the soul” from his book, The World as Will And Representation.
In it, he used the reference of music to explain the connection between human urges and satisfaction stating that, as humans, we are always longing for a will, a drive to keep us moving forward. These longings can be for love, money, status or spirituality. When we get the chance to fulfill our desires, we experience a momentary euphoria. But we always fail to understand that happiness is temporary. Without a longing desire for “something”, the sense of happiness is vague to us, becoming a forever chased after mirage.
Schopenhauer analogized the succession of melody to this primeval nature of human will and contentment. He saw melody as the entire span of human lives and the moments of happiness as the keynotes of the melody. The melody would have many deviations, just as human lives go through many deviations. What we long for in our journey is the ultimate return to the keynote followed by the chorus that we can sing along with to be happy.
Phew! That’s a lot to take in. We like what Bob Marley said about music: “The good thing about music is that when it hits you, you feel no pain.”
Music represents different things to each of us and touches each of us in its own unique way. Like a familiar odor, a familiar tune can instantly take us back to a special time and place.
We each have our own favorite types of music and particular songs. While there can be endless debate about “the best”, Rolling Stone recently updated its listing of the 500 “Best” songs of all time.
See if your favorites made the list here -
And speaking of favorites, we thought we’d end this very quick look at music by sharing the lyrics to one of our favorite songs by one of our favorite artists, Jackson Browne.
Lights and Virtues
Here’s to lights and virtues
Here’s to truths yet to be known
Knowledge to light the darkness
The search for things of your own
Here’s to lights and virtues
Here’s to reaching higher ground
A life of hope and purpose
Here’s to strength yet to be found
Honor, though it goes unrecognized
And truth, though liars abound
The pleasure of love and friendship
The courage to be alone
#jacksonbrowne #bobmarley #rollingstone #schopenhauer #rock #jazz #hiphop #country #soul #rnb #pop #techno #edm #dance #anyhigh
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