See Also: music box(dictionary)
music box(encyclopedia)
music(dictionary)
music(encyclopedia)
pop music(dictionary)
music(2)(dictionary)
music(1)(dictionary)
Music(medicine)
chamber music(dictionary)
Sound of Music, The(dictionary)

music(1) (iou)



music noun. ME.
[Old & mod. French musique from Latin musica from Greek mousike use as noun (sc. tekhne art) of fem. of mousikos of a Muse or the Muses, of the arts, from mousa MUSE noun1: see -IC.]
The art or science of combining vocal or instrumental sounds with a view to beauty or coherence of form and expression of emotion. ME.
a. Melodic or harmonic vocal or instrumental sound; an example or kind of such sound. LME.
baroque music, classical music, country music, dance music, early music, incidental music, Indian music, light music, orchestral music, piano music, pop music, programme music, rock music, soul music, violin music, vocal music, etc.
R. Ingalls The music came from a portable phonograph. New Yorker An overextended..sequence of procedures from traditional black and modern white musics. W. Trevor The music of the accordion floated up to my window.
b. Pleasing sound produced by an agent or agency specified or understood, as the song of a bird, the murmur of running water, the cry of hounds on seeing the chase; something which it is a delight to hear; an example or kind of such sound. L16.
G. Fletcher My love lay sleeping, where birdes musicke made. W. Davenant I shall now be kil'd, Even with the musick of her voice. Hounds Hounds hunted hard all day..and the music was enjoyed by a large mounted field.
c. Melodic or harmonic vocal or instrumental sound as devised by a composer; musical composition. E17.
A piece of music composed or performed; a performance of music, a concert. Long rare. L16.
Scrutiny To compose Pomp and Circumstance and the other occasional musics that so alarm the purists.
A company of musicians, a band. obsolete exc. Military, now chiefly in Master of the King's Music, Master of the Queen's Music, (the title of) an officer appointed to supervise and conduct military music for the monarch. L16.
collect. & in pl. Musical instruments. obsolete exc. dial. E17.
The written or printed score of a musical composition; such scores collectively; the graphic representation of musical composition. M17.
sheet music: see SHEET noun1.
E. Taylor Charles played the piano..without music. Listener He plays the piano with panache, but cannot read music.
Phrases: absolute music: see ABSOLUTE adjective 5. face the music: see FACE verb 2b. make music (together), make beautiful music (together), make sweet music (together) slang have sexual intercourse, have a sexual relationship. music of the spheres: see SPHERE noun 2. music to one's ears something very pleasant to hear. music while you work continuous light music played to workers, esp. in factories. rough music: see ROUGH adjective. set to music: see SET verb1 44. sweet music: see SWEET adjective & adverb. Turkish music: see TURKISH adjective.
Comb.: music book a book containing written or printed music scores; music box (a) a barrel-organ; (b) N. Amer. = musical box s.v. MUSICAL adjective; music case (a) Printing (chiefly Hist.) a case for a font of music type; (b) a case for sheet music; music cassette a tape cassette of pre-recorded music; abbreviation MC; music centre a stereophonic system combining disc-player, radio, and cassette tape recorder in a single unit, usu. with separate loudspeakers; music drama opera without formal arias etc. and governed by dramatic considerations; music gallery a gallery in a church or hall for the accommodation of musicians; music-grinder arch. an itinerant street musician; music hall a public hall or theatre used for musical performances, spec. for variety entertainment as singing, dancing, and novelty acts, of a type popular in the late 19th and early 20th cents.; the type of entertainment provided at such halls; music-hallish, music-hally adjectives suggestive of (a) music hall; music-house (a) a room in a theatre etc. in which musicians sat to perform; (b) a public hall or room for musical performances; music licence a magistrates' licence to give vocal and instrumental entertainments in a public building or apartment; music-paper paper ruled for writing music on, manuscript paper; music-roll (a) a container for rolled-up sheet music; (b) a roll, usually of perforated paper, used in a player-piano or similar instrument; music-room a room in which music is performed; formerly spec., a room at the side of a theatre-stage in which musicians sat to perform; music-shell any of various gastropods, esp. Voluta musica, characterized by lines and dots on the shell resembling written music; the shell of such a gastropod; music stand a rest or frame to support sheet music or a score; music stool a stool for a pianist etc., usu. with adjustable height; music theatre the combination of elements from music and drama in new forms distinct from traditional opera, esp. as designed for small casts; music therapy performing or listening to music as a form of therapy; music type Printing (chiefly Hist.) a font of type used for the typographic printing of music, as distinguished from printing from intaglio plates or lithographically; music volute = music shell above; music-wire steel wire such as is used for some stringed musical instruments.
musicless adjective (a) lacking taste or ability in music; unmusical; (b) without music: E17.