Music - the food of love?

If music be the food of love, play on - Shakespeare

It would be difficult to locate a corner of this world where music isn’t enjoyed or expressed. It is as natural to humans as breathing. Walk into almost any shop or cafe, grab the headphones from someone on the train, watch a film, attend a dance lesson, and you’re sure to find music playing. But what actually is music? And what value does it have for humans and society?

It is our habit to prove the worth of something by quoting its revenues, its profits, to measure value through money. But is this really an authentic measure of value? How else might we explore how valuable music is to us?

How about in our own individual experiences and how we use music. Many people use music to boost, change or enhance moods. If you need a bit of spark, why not whack on Get Your Freak on by Missy Elliot. Or if you’re planning a romantic dinner for two, why not have Let’s Get It On by Marvin Gaye ready to go, or maybe you want to start with I’m In The Mood For Love by Julie London. If you’re going for a run and need something to get you pumped, why not put on Call On Me by Eric Prydz. When your partner just walked out on you, make sure to find solace with Joni Mitchell’s A Case Of You.

As we can see there are endless circumstances where music can be used to enhance our lives, or provide a means to catharsis. And then there is the realm of dance - has anyone reading this tried to dance without music? How did that work out for you? Indeed, some tribal cultures do not have two separate concepts or words for both music and dance, they have just one concept, where music and dance are in fact the same ‘thing’. So music allows us to blow off steam, dancing at clubs, or just by yourself in your room...

Have you ever watched a film without a soundtrack? No Country For Old Men (2007) is one of the few successful films without a soundtrack. But can you imagine Star Wars without John Williams’ epic orchestral score, Friends without its incidental music or theme tune, or James Bond without John Barry’s compositions?

So we can find value in many circumstances, and these have nothing to do with revenue. But what exactly is music anyway? The Oxford learner’s dictionary says music is: sounds that are arranged in a way that is pleasant or exciting to listen to. I don’t know about you, but to reduce music to two feelings: pleasant and exciting, seems to be somewhat reductive. But we can see that clearly music and the emotions have an intimate connection. Let’s see what famous artists have to say about music.

‘Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy’ - Ludwig van Beethoven.

‘You can't copy anybody and end with anything. If you copy, it means you're working without any real feeling. No two people on earth are alike, and it's got to be that way in music, or it isn't music.’ - Billie Holiday.

‘Music is oxygen, if you don’t have oxygen you can’t breathe. To me music is something that’s always there, wherever I go it’s a part of me. Without it, I can’t live. It breathes with me’ - G-Dragon

‘Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art.’ - Charlie Parker

‘Where words leave off, music begins’ - Heinrich Heine

‘The food of love’ - Shakespeare

Now try to think about your own definition of what music is. Below you can find explanations of the idioms in bold featured in this article.

Language Focus:

Glossary

to spark something = something that begins something or starts something exciting Whack on = to put on, usually quickly, forcefully or suddenly get pumped = get excited, inspired or ready for something (usually for physical exercise/games) Walk out on someone = break-up with someone The realm of = the world of, the sector of To blow off steam = to do something that lets out strong emotions that have built up Incidental music = music played in film/tv/radio to create a mood or for in-between scenes reductive = presenting something to be simple, or simpler than it should be coda = a final or extra part of something (usually of a speech or article and originally for music)

Exercise 1

Write a short piece on what value music has for you in your life. Try to include some of the new phrases you learnt in the article.

Music Links

Get Your Freak On by Missy Elliot Let's Get It On by Marvin Gaye I'm In The Mood For Love by Julie London Call On Me by Eric Prydz A Case Of You by Joni Mitchell

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