Music Means the Art of the Muses
Music is sound organised in time. The word means belonging to the Muses, the nine Greek goddesses of the arts.
Music is sound organised in time to express ideas or emotion. Greek *mousike* means the art of the Muses, the nine goddesses who presided over poetry, history, dance and astronomy as well as song. Music was originally the whole educated territory they governed, not just what we hear. The Muses also gave English *museum*, a place of the Muses, and *amuse*, originally to make someone stare idly.
- Organised sound. *Classical music.*
- A written score. *Read the music.*
- Musical — of music, or a stage show. *A West End musical.*
- Muse — one of the nine goddesses. *The Muses.*
- Museum — from the same root. *A museum.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | music | Live music. |
| Adjective | musical | A musical ear. |
| Agent | musician | A musician. |
| Related | museum | A museum. |
| Greek | mousike | Art of the Muses. |
- The music started at eight.Performance.
- Mousike meant the art of the Muses.Etymology.
- Museum comes from the same word.Related.
The nine Muses
- Calliope — epic poetry
- Clio — history
- Euterpe — music and lyric poetry
- Terpsichore — dance
- Urania — astronomy, showing how wide the arts once reached
Greek *mousike tekhne*, the art of the Muses, from *Mousa*, a Muse, through Latin and Old French.
Are music and museum related?
Yes. Both come from the Muses. A museum was originally a place dedicated to them.
What did the Muses preside over?
Nine domains including epic poetry, history, dance, comedy, tragedy and astronomy, not only music as we understand it.