Abigail Sta. Ana
BCOMFIN K32
Music is Universal
“Music is the universal language of mankind.” – Henry Longfellow
Every day in our lives we hear music everywhere we go. It may not be what we always
listen to but around us there is always music that is present. This shows that as humans we
enjoy and understand music. From the very start of our existence as humans we have
expressed ourselves through music. It was through tribal music that had very simple beats and
rhythm which has now evolved to a lot of different types like pop, jazz, classical and many more.
Though there are many types and styles of music present everyone is still able to understand
and relate to them.
Music is like language it uses vocabulary or set of words to create sentences that is able
to convey its messages. In music, the tone and style of its lyrics cans represent the different
feelings and emotions that it portrays. Just like what my piano teacher said before that even
conversation is present in music. When different instruments play melodies together, with
different feeling and style it would seem that they are responding to each other. Moreover, just
like language, music changes too over time. Many new types of music and instruments have
developed to create new sounds and new messages. Language and music has numerous
similarities that’s why people are able to relate and understand it.
Although music may not technically be “a language,” it is universal. It can express and
communicate emotions as shown in scientific studies across many different cultures. It is a
universal language because it inspires common human feelings and bridges gaps between
cultures that spoken languages cannot. It brings people together in a sense that it is able to
transcend boundaries and bond people even thousands of miles apart together; it has certain
type that speaks to certain people. Music is global for a reason; it reaches every part of us,
because music is a form of expression. One can’t travel around the world and be able to
communicate with everyone through one’s native language. That is why I think that one can go
to another country, not understand a word of their language, but let the music from that county
to people, which is why Henry Longfellow is absolutely correct when he states that “music is the
universal language of mankind.”