To the majority of us, music is an indispensable part of our daily life. It c

To the majority of us, music is an indispensable part of our daily life. It can be defined in this way, music is sound arranged into pleasing or interesting patterns. It forms an important part of many cultural and social activities. People use music to express feelings and ideas. Music also serves to entertain and relax when we are exhausted.
   Music is a performing art. It differs form such arts as painting and poetry, in which artists creates works and then display or publish them. Musical composers need musicians to interpret and perform their work, just as playwrights need actors to perform their plays. Thus, most musical performances are really partnerships between composers and performers.
   Music also plays a major role in other arts. Opera combines singing and orchestra music with drama. Ballet and other forms of dancing need music to help the dancers with their steps. Motion pictures and TV plays use music to help set the mood and emphasize the action. Also, composers have set many poems to music.
   Music is one of the oldest arts. People probably started to sing as soon as language developed. Hunting tools struck together may have been the first musical instruments. By about 10,000 B. C, people had discovered how to make flutes out of hollow bones. Many ancient peoples,  including the Chinese,  Egyptians used music in court and religious ceremonies. The first written music in the history can be dated back to 2500 B. C.
   Today, music takes many forms around the world. The music of people in Europe and the Americas is known as Western music. There are two kinds of Western music, classical and popular. Classical music includes symphonies, operas and ballets.  Popular music includes country music, folk music, jazz, and rock music.  The cultures of Africa and Asia have developed their own types of classical and popular music.