music vs singing :

music or singing

After my wife—an accomplished soprano—reported indignantly that a friend of hers had stated that her church had “no music, only singing,” I began to notice the same tendency among my students to equate music strictly with instrumental music. I was told by one that “the singing interfered with the music” (i.e., the accompaniment). In the classical realm most listeners seem to prefer instrumental to vocal performances, which is odd given the distinct unpopularity of strictly instrumental popular music. People rejoice at the sound of choral works at Christmas but seldom seek them out at other times of the year. Serious music lovers rightly object to the linguistic sloppiness that denies the label “music” to works by such composers as Palestrina, Schubert, and Verdi. From the Middle Ages to the late eighteenth century, vocal music reigned supreme, and instrumentalists strove to achieve the prized compliment of “sounding like the human voice.” The dominance of orchestral works is a comparatively recent phenomenon.

Facebook Twitter Google +


Definitions

  • n  an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner
  • n  any agreeable (pleasing and harmonious) sounds
    he fell asleep to the music of the wind chimes
  • n  musical activity (singing or whistling etc.)
    his music was his central interest
  • n  (music) the sounds produced by singers or musical instruments (or reproductions of such sounds)
  • n  punishment for one's actions
    you have to face the music

  • n  the act of singing vocal music
  • n  disclosing information or giving evidence about another
  • v  deliver by singing
  • v  produce tones with the voice
    She was singing while she was cooking
  • v  to make melodious sounds
    The nightingale was singing
  • v  make a whining, ringing, or whistling sound
    the kettle was singing
  • v  divulge confidential information or secrets
  • v  burn superficially or lightly
  • v  become superficially burned
  • s  smooth and flowing
News & Articles

  • Music fans capture Orion Music + More festival on social media
    Music fans capture the Orion Music + More festival on social media.
    June 14, 2013 - Detroit Free Press
  • ‘Music in the Mansions’ is Saturday
    Lovers of music and of Helena’s historic mansions can get a taste of both Saturday, as the Helena Symphony and some generous homeowners host “Music in the Mansions,” featuring food, wine, music and the striking interiors of two private residences.
    June 14, 2013 - Helena Independent Record
  • Broadcast Music Inc sues Pandora over license fees
    (Reuters) - Broadcast Music Inc (BMI), a songwriters' rights organization, is suing Pandora Media after the Internet radio company rejected a request to pay a higher license fee for playing songs across various devices, including mobile phones. In a lawsuit filed with the Manhattan federal court on Thursday, BMI said it had proposed an increase in Pandora's fees "consistent with market rates to ...
    June 14, 2013 - Reuters via Yahoo! News

  • Video of 86-year old man singing 'You Are My Sunshine' goes viral
    OREM, Utah, June 15 (UPI) -- A video of an 86-year-old man singing his wife of 66 years "You Are My Sunshine" from his hospital bed in Utah has gone viral on YouTube.
    June 15, 2013 - UPI
  • Singing lifts Cincinnati Opera’s “Don Giovanni”
    The ladies, sings Don Giovanni, “are more important than the bread I eat or the air I breathe.” That of course, is the crux of the tale of the infamous womanizer and protagonist of Mozart and Lorenzo da Ponte’s opera, “Don Giovanni.” An excellent cast and memorable singing overcame an uneven production of Mozart’s “Don ...
    June 14, 2013 - The Cincinnati Enquirer
  • Singing River Health System Regional Cancer Center earns national accreditation
    The Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons (ACoS) has granted three-year accreditation to the cancer program at Singing River Health System’s Regional Cancer Center. To earn voluntary CoC accreditation, a cancer program must meet 34 CoC quality care standards, be evaluated every three years through a survey process, and maintain levels of excellence in the delivery of ...
    June 13, 2013 - The Mississippi Press