Where does music begin?

If we are honest with ourselves, we define personal boundaries on music every time we hear sound. Whatever the promoter, or amplifier (i.e. car radio, television, elevator sounds or person), our sonic filters make a decision to either absorb the sound or not. However, the linear idea of sound initiation goes back farther than the amplifier and starts with the composer.

The composer is the initial decision maker on what sounds will be used. Particularly, the composer is not the creator of sound, but the vehicle that chooses which sonority to utilize and at which point in the music notation or production. With this in mind, it is the composer that has the ability to push the sonic envelope by being on the musical fringe or stay within the known for-profit sector of music. It is the composer’s choice to work within the developed framework of the music marketplace or risk by venturing into new music streams that may not have a for-profit sector.

Since every person has some type of unique music within them - scientists have proven that DNA mapping is actually a sound – I submit that some composers have a built in need to release music no matter if it is for public consumption and/or economic reasons. Many people would call this built in need one’s passion. If one squelches passion, he or she is essentially denying the unique identity made within. Composers are generally people that cannot afford to let passion die within; they usually find someway to vent the music- be it in a form the public finds acceptable or a form that may only be acceptable to the composer himself.