Music and Creativity in Ancient Greece

The effect of music is so profound to humans because people connect emotionally to it. Music can trigger different emotions in different ways, including a sense of adventure, thrill, and a sense of belonging. It can also create elation, create mood, foreboding, and fear. From birth, we are immersed in rhythmical sounds and get to realize that certain forms of music characterize certain attitudes, feelings, and emotions. As much as music helps us in promoting happiness, feel chills, aid sleep, and improve mental energy, its impacts on society are limited based on several factors, including civilizations. Different civilizations will have different responses to a particular type of music. Moreover, music can also facilitate crime and increase aggressive thoughts; for instance, a genre of rap referred to as “drill” music is usually characterized by threatening lyrics that can mess up society and steer society in a bad direction, particularly the youths (Estelle, 2014).

I strongly agree with the ancient Greek philosophers’ ideas on music, particularly Plato’s. I concur that one should only listen to music that improves their intelligence and speaks courage in them, promotes self-discipline, and avoids music that deviates from standard morals as expected by society (Dean, 2021). Music type greatly affects one’s personality and character (ethos). Therefore, it is through the type of music that the values of individuals, organizations, societies, and civilizations are shaped.

Yes, it is possible that music with no lyrics can influence someone to do bad things. Music without lyrics will definitely have an impact on the emotional side of one’s brain. For instance, when one listens to an instrumental that is happy sounding and has an up-tempo, it will impact them positively, whereas when listening to a low beat, depressing, and stressed-sounding music, it will trigger a negative effect and may lead an individual to do bad things.

References

Dean, J. (2021, October 3). 14 Magical Benefits Of Listening To Music. PsyBlog. https://www.spring.org.uk/2021/10/benefits-listening-to-music.php

Estelle. (2014, July 4). 10 Attempts To Blame Murder On Music. Listverse. https://listverse.com/2014/06/24/10-attempts-to-blame-murder-on-music/