Introduction
For a long time, music has been used by various cultures globally as a tool for the expression of the individual and communal tenets of such cultures. For example, in Asia, there is compelling evidence in the literature to suggest that individuals and different cultures have used music as a way of expressing their beliefs and views for more than four thousand years. Despite each culture having different approaches to composing and performing music, nonetheless, it has been discovered that they all use music for one purpose: creating a bond among the various members of society. Music has proved one of the most effective methods of uniting people towards a common goal. In this case, the music cuts across the class divide in a society, in effect making it an effective way of developing and nurturing cohesion within the society. Apart from culture using music as a tool of expression, individuals also use it to express their feelings and opinions. For example, various artists have composed songs to correct social injustices within the society in which they live (Krumhansl 45). Base on the foregoing assertions, there is the need to explore the different ways in which music has been used as a tool of cultural and individual expression across the world.
Cultural expression through music
Amongst the musical genres that have for a long time been used in cultural expression is Hip Hop. Many artists subscribe to this genre of music as a way of expressing the urban culture for example, or to depict the plight of the youth in such a culture. How hip-hop songs are composed and performed depicts the luxurious life that urban youths live (Kitwana 65).
For years there was a conflict in the United States where the black community was considered as second-class citizens. Most of the composed songs (mainly the blues) were opposed to African Americans’ way of life. This resulted in the establishment of soul music which tried to portray the African American culture in a good way. Most of the artists associated with soul music including Eldridge Cleaver were opposed to blues claiming that the songs were outspokenly against the black culture. Latin Americans living in the United States use salsa music to express their way of life. In their songs, they use various symbols to reflect the shared life they experience in America (Padilla 28).
Gender discrimination is an issue of cultural practice. It originates from the cultural practices of different societies. In most cases, different cultures treat women as inferior to their male counterparts. They do not have an opportunity to make decisions in society and are treated as sex objects. This cultural behavior is reflected in their music. For example, women participating in the songs composed by these artists appear to play insignificant roles. Most of them are included in songs to appeal to the fans with men treating them as sexual objects. This is mostly reflected in rock music. McRobbie and Frith refer to it as ‘cock rock’ where male sexuality is strongly reflected in the music. This way, younger boys are introduced to adult sexual behavior within their cultures making them assume the patriarch roles established in their society (Hann pp. 223-230).
Individual expression through music
As a wide group of people listens to music, different individuals and groups see it as the best channel to use in expressing themselves or putting across their ideas. In addition, ideas put across through music are easily understood as music attracts the attention of a large part of the population in question. For a long time, different groups and persons have used music to educate people on various issues. In addition, music has been used as a tool to rebuke injustices meted on the poor and the marginalized in society. One of the best examples where music is used as a method of expression is at work. When employees perceive that their employers are exploiting them, they come up with songs aimed at expressing their displeasure at the actions of their employers. Music is seen as the most effective method of inciting people in such instances (Hann pp. 231-239). For example, the song ‘Dixie’ which was originally composed in New York has for many years been used as a protesting song by different movements and individuals throughout the world. John Henry was a folk song that had been composed to describe the suffering Henry went through at work eventually leading to his death. This song was used by labor movements to explain how greedy employers enriched themselves at the expense of their employees by forcing them to work for more hours in poor working conditions.
At times, it becomes hard to express one’s feelings towards another person. This may be the loved one has towards his or her parents or towards a person with whom you are in an intimate relationship. To ensure that one effectively understands the seriousness of a relationship, different persons express themselves through songs. There is a strong relationship between different cultures and their songs. Every culture has different ways of expressing love through music. O’Sullivan composed the song ‘Alone again’ to express his feelings after the death of his parents. Through music, artists can express the love and companionship they share with their family members and the loneliness they go through when they lose their loved ones. In relationships, breakups are sometimes inevitable owing to irreconcilable differences.. At such a time, a person who had sacrificed his or her life for the sake of the other feels hurt. It becomes hard to express themselves through mere words. To ensure that society and partners understand the life one is going through, most people compose songs. In music, various composers vary the tones, rhythms, frequencies, and pitch of their songs to express their emotions. Artists use rhythm to express joy and melody to reflect romance. For example, melodies found in most of the eastern classical especially Indian music reflect various moods at different times of the day (Cater para.1).
Various evils rock society today. Some of these include the use of drugs that have adversely affected youths in different countries and a poor system of governance. For most artists who are not pleased with the system of governance in their countries, they use music to express their displeasure as well as enlightening the public on the steps to take to ensure that their leaders have diligently undertaken their responsibilities. Various music has been composed that talks against drug abuse among the youths. Musicians use music to educate youths on the adverse effects of drug abuse. Indian Americans young musicians compose songs to express the life they and their colleagues have gone through due to drug abuse. In their lyrics, they clearly outline how they have lost their loved ones or how they suffered from the drugs. They also describe the activities they engaged in due to drug influence. Through this, they are able to communicate with other younger Indians who may be thinking of indulging in drug abuse thus making them change their perceptions (Cater para. 3)
Conclusion
Through music, different cultures have been able to express themselves for many years. Due to the period and resources required for one to conduct a feasibility study of a particular ancient culture, different scholars use various documentations of these cultures. Music is one of them. As different societies used music to transfer their culture from one generation to another, studying their music would help one clearly understand the culture of such societies. By studying the composition, instruments used and the participants in the music, one can be able to understand the organization of the culture that a certain genre of music endeavors to express.
As a result, we now have various communities borrowing different cultural practices from other communities eventually leading to the emergence of a new culture. Apart from cultural expression, individuals use music as a way of passing their opinions and expressing their emotions. Artists compose love songs aimed at showing their loved ones how they appreciate their relationship. Others compose music to express their heartbroken feelings in case of a broken relationship. Music is viewed as one of the most effective ways of passing any information be it cultural or expression of emotions and feelings among different people.
Works Cited
Cater, Sean. “Music-Expression of Emotion.” 2006. Web.
Hann, C. M. Creeds, Culture and ‘The witcheries of music.’ Journal of the royal anthropological institute, 9.2, (2003), pp. 223-239.
Kitwana, Bakari. The Hip-Hop Generation: Young Blacks and the Crisis in African American Culture. New York City, NY: Perseus Books group, 2002.
Krumhansl, Carol. “Music: A link between cognition and emotion.” Current directions in psychological science, 11.2, (2002), p. 45.
Padilla, Felix. Salsa Music as a Cultural Expression of Latino Consciousness and Unity. Hispanic journal of behavioural sciences, 11.1, (1989), pp. 28-45.