An art form with the medium of sound, with pitch covering harmony and melody as well as rhythm and sonic qualities of texture and timber is musics. Creation, significance, performance and definitions vary within social and cultural contexts. The art of ranges from compositions strictly organized, to improvised and random forms.
There are divisions of genres and subgenres that are open to interpretation. Music can be classified as a performing art, fine art, or auditory art. There is a wide range of music classifications. There is the division of classical art) and commercial/popular music, inclusive of rock, country and pop. Many genres cannot be classified neatly into these specifically defined classifications for example folk, world, or jazz. Universally in all cultures is a crucial part of lifestyles. Ancient philosophers defined music as harmonies vertically and as tones horizontally.
The concept of music has no single or universal definition and can be heard through various sources, the traditional way is live, in the presence. Live music is also broadcasted over television, radio, and Internet. Music styles focus on sound production performances, others focus on record production and mixing sounds together.
The music business industry is connected to creating and selling. There are record companies, publishers and labels distributing recorded music on an international level and have control over the music rights. A few music labels are "independent," and others are large corporate subsidiary entities. The advent of I-pods, MP3 players, or computers and file sharing sites or online sales through digital files drastically impacted the musics industry. There was a decrease in CD purchases. The study of musicology, has a definition of three sub-disciplines: historical musicology, comparative musicology/ethnomusicology and systematic musicology. Division disciplines in music are history and ethnomusicology. Musicology research has been enriched into cross-disciplinary in the fields of psychoacoustics. The study of non-western cultural music is defined as ethnomusicology.
The study of music in a technical manner is music theory. Musics theory embodies the mechanics and nature of music. It involves identification of patterns governing techniques of composers'. In a detailed sense, music theory also analyzes and distills the elements of harmony, rhythm, structure, texture and melody. Music theory is the study of these properties.It is not study within disciplines and refers to study related to composition, and can be inclusive of mathematics, anthropology and physics. Common lessons in initial music theory tutoring are the guidelines of writing style of the common period practices or tone music. The set theory of music is application of mathematics to music, applied initially to atonal music.
Speculative theory that contrasts to analytic music theory is focused on the synthesis and analysis of music materials such as tuning systems as composition preparation.
Styles of music vary within cultures and time periods. There is emphasis on different instruments and techniques in different cultures and time periods. Music is not just used for entertainment, and ceremonies, artistic and practical communication, but for propaganda as well. Music is performed and composed for aesthetic pleasure, ceremonial or religious purposes and as entertainment for marketplaces. Amateur musicians perform and compose musics for personal pleasure. Professional musicians are usually employed by organizations and institutions inclusive of churches, armed forces, symphony orchestras, synagogues, broadcasting or film production companies as well as music schools.
