The Role of Music in Society

Music is one of the most complex human phenomena, involving sound as a

feature and a vehicle, but involving way more cultural and emotional
aspects. Boethius, a medieval Latin author, fifteen centuries ago made a
statement that can be still considered agreeable: everyone who digs inside
themselves knows what it [music] is like (A.M.S. Boethius, De Institutione
Musica). The conception of what is musical changes throughout the years,
under the influences of popular trends, cultural interactions, media and
practical purposes, but nonetheless it never ceases to be recognized as
something different from just sound.
Music has accompanied man during its historical development since the very
beginning. Civilisations such as such as Ancient Greece, Babylon, Egypt and
China are archaeological evidence of this theory. However, music is more
likely to have been invented much time before; amongst prehistoric cultures.
Proof of this lies in the fact that many indigenous Polynesian, African or
Amazonian tribes that have always been isolated in their primitive lifestyle
do exercise some form of instinctive musical knowledge. The common
ground that links all those cultures together, despite the internal
dissimilarities, is the key role of singing as both a musical and verbal means
of communication, and of dance as the most natural physical reaction to
music.
The various functions covered by music across the centuries can be
summarized in quite a short list: the main purposes for which music is
traditionally employed involve religion and ceremonies (sacred or gospel
music, wedding marches), oral documentation (epic Greek poems, such as
the Iliad and the Odyssey that were reportedly accompanied by music),
entertainment (musical theatre, film soundtracks and dance music), cultural
identity (folkloric and traditional music, including national anthems), and increasingly in the latter decades - social commentary (American folk protest
songs, rap) and art (performative avant-garde works).
Two principal aspects are highlighted by all these functions: the
communicative and the connective sides of music. Music, in fact, is able to
connect people through approachable and immediate means, both
conveying a message and keeping human communities strongly united. This
is an essential presupposition in order to understand the role that music has,
especially in contemporary history, in shaping cultural as well as
countercultural movements.
Focusing on the latter century, it must be pointed out that modern society
led to one of the most important turning points in the history of music. In
fact, the development of recording techniques in the latter half of the 20th

century has revolutionized the extent to which most people have access to
music. All kinds of music are available to most people, 24 hours a day, at the
touch of a switch. (https://musicmagic.wordpress.com/2008/07/10/music-insociety) Such a wide range of available channels through which music
became broadcastable (radio, vinyl records and television), besides live
shows, empowered it to reach big audiences like never before.
Besides the advent of music records, another aspect must be pointed out. In
fact, a new live music culture has grown around pop music; pop concerts
reject posh theatres in favour of open-air venues and festivals. Since the
very beginning of this phenomenon, during the late 60s, with the iconic
Woodstock episode, its influence especially in youth culture has been
enormous. Festivals have become unprecedented experiences of mass
aggregation, in which young people can enjoy their favourite music in fullimmersion and for a relatively cheap price. Their importance is corroborated
also by the possibility of meeting and networking amongst the musicians
that attended them as live acts, especially in the context of national and
international festivals (e.g. during Monterey festival, artists from the West
and from the East side of the USA happened to meet each other for the first
time).
Popular music literally became one of the strongest cultural phenomenon of
the 20 Century, together with the so-named seventh art (cinema and
television). As I pointed out previously, especially among youngsters, music
allows people to connect and share cultural experiences and ideas. Some of
the cultural movements that came about with particular musical trends are
countless: the hippie movement of the late 60s, along with psychedelic rock,
and the hip-hop culture, along with rap and urban music, are just examples.
It is interesting to point out how these musical styles are internally
inseparable from the cultural movement the used to belong to, in a
relationship that involves both causes and effects in the musical production.
These examples will now be explained in detail. Psychedelia is at the same
time a result of the need for sonic experimentalism derived by the use of
hallucinatory drugs amongst hippies, and at the same time one of the most
important reasons why people felt attracted to the whole countercultural
phenomenon. Likewise, rap music is not only the means through which
ghetto people (mostly of colour) convey their frustration towards society (the
primary goal), but is also closely related to hip-hop dance styles and graffiti
art (the result is a fusion of these elements in hip-hop parties, without
differences in importance amongst all these different feature).
th

Social commentary, as briefly introduced here as the consequence of social

unease, is another topic that must be analysed more deeply. As a result of

the higher accessibility of music, whoever had anything important to say to
the rest of society could now opt for this communicative channel. During the
classical era, theatre palimpsests were subjected to a strict selection of
contents just as censorship can never be strong enough towards pop music
these days, as technology allows many different ways to literally spread the
word. Bob Dylan, the American folk singer-songwriter, is certainly the
reference icon when talking about social commentary in music. Even though
he appeared to be a singer he was so much more than that; with his
influence he would [win] a whole generation. Bob Dylan was a folk singer
was involved with the Civil Rights Movement and even performed with other
prominent singers. His impact in the music world by being one of the first
musicians to take an active role on moral issues. Dylan was essential, by
getting uniting people through his music. If Dylan was not around there are
many movements that might not have been as successful if they did not
have
a
pop
culture
icon
like
Dylan
being
an
advocate
(http://faculty.wagner.edu/lori-weintrob/bob-dylan-more-than-just-a-singer).
The power and influence of music in society does not stop here. Technology,
especially multimedia and synchronization, has allowed music to be
potentially included in every production. From movies to video games, and to
advertisement, music has become an integral part of many aspects of our
daily lives. Music has the great ability to trigger emotions, memories and
sometimes even visual ideas. For example, this incredible feature was
actually employed in theatrical productions since Ancient Greece, and even
prior to this. A powerful arrangement can build tension during a video game
or a thriller movie, or also a melodic hook from a commercial can get stuck in
your head for days. Music enriches our everyday experience, often
communicating a lot without saying a single word.
In this manner, contemporary art is employing art and multimedia devices as
a completing feature in order to get the fullest multi-channeled
communicability possible. Album artworks already have a history of
collaborations between artists and musicians (emblematic the example of
Andy Warhols Banana on the Velvet Underground & Nicos album), but
nowadays a real and deeper fusion is occurring. Integrating live
performances as a part of the works, visual art is taking more and more from
the musical and theatrical world. Artists that employ these innovative
techniques include Yoko Ono Lennon and Marina Abramovic; pioneers of
multimedia art. Featuring music videos (Abramovic on the short film to Cut
The World by Antony and The Johnsons) and making music themselves as a
side career (Plastic Ono Band), are helping widen the horizons of music in
society through art.
On the other hand, there are musicians like Bjork who are getting closer and
closer to a more sophisticated and full-rounded artistic awareness that goes
way beyond sound itself. The multidimensional nature of her artin which

sound and music are the spine, but never the confines, for multimedia
performances that also encompass graphic and digital design, art, cinema,
science, illustration, philosophy, fashion, and moreis a testament to her
curiosity and desire to learn and team up with diverse experts and creators
(http://www.moma.org/explore/inside_out/2014/06/11/biophilia-the-first-appin-momas-collection). These are words by Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator at
the Department of Architecture and Design of the MoMa, New York; Bjork, in
fact, is one of the first musicians ever involved in a retrospective exhibition
at the aforementioned prestigious museum, and could be therefore
addressed even as a visual artist with full rights. She also holds the title of
being the inventor of the album-app, as her 2011 work Biophilia was
published as an iPad application on Apples App Store in correspondence with
the release on iTunes. Every single song features a multimedia-graphic
extension, that includes playable digital instruments, mini-games and video
presentations, creating a full rounded artistic experience.
Considering the growing importance gained by music in society through the
decades, especially due to technology, what would be the new paths that are
likely to be taken in the future? It is very difficult to state, since many
changes are happening. Personally, I think that songs are slowly taking over
poetry in terms of social importance, diffusion and relevance of content.
Moreover, the fact that more and more musicians, such as the
aforementioned Bob Dylan, are being praised by academic representatives,
is encouraging a shift in this direction. Bob Dylan was awarded with the
special citation [], making history as the first rock and roll artist to be
honored. Singer, songwriter, author, musician, and poet, was recognized for
his profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by
lyrical
compositions
of
extraordinary
poetic
power.
(http://bobdylan.com/news/dylan-wins-pulitzer-prize). Therefore, it is very
likely that the work of singer-songwriters will be studied in schools along with
others classics of literature, since they are definitely influencing our
contemporary society with their lyrics more than poets or even novelists. I
also think that another powerful branch of knowledge to be explored more in
depth should definitely be music therapy, as it is scientifically proven how
powerful the influence of music on our brain truly is. Healing physical
sufferance, depression and other mental disorders through music could
become the new definitive frontier of alternative medicine. Being free of
material resources to have to spend on, it is therefore administrable at no
end without any chemical waste or pollution.
In conclusion, the functions that music can potentially have in society are
innumerable. Its historical importance is likely to never deafen, as one of the
most interesting phenomena in human culture. Citing a famous quote by H.
W. Longfellow: Music is the universal language of mankind. In such a
worldwide and multicultural era as nowadays, music is just necessary, and its
constant contribution in connecting people should never cease.

Bibliography:
-

Boethius, A.M.S. (n/A). De Institutione Musica. Strunk 1950:85. book 1, chapter 2.

Francis, D. (2008). The Powerful Role of Music in Society. Available:

https://musicmagic.wordpress.com/2008/07/10/music-in-society. Last accessed 14th
Mar 2016.

Barnes, S. (n/A). Bob Dylan: More than just a singer. Available:

http://faculty.wagner.edu/lori-weintrob/bob-dylan-more-than-just-a-singer. Last
accessed 15th Mar 2016.

Antonelli, P. (2014). Biophilia, the First App in MoMAs Collection. Available:

http://www.moma.org/explore/inside_out/2014/06/11/biophilia-the-first-app-inmomas-collection. Last accessed 10th Mar 2016.

n/A. (2008). Dylan Wins Pulitzer Prize. Available: http://bobdylan.com/news/dylanwins-pulitzer-prize/. Last accessed 15th Mar 2016.