Figure/Ground of Sound
If life is a movie, who is the composer, who are the actors that are involved and who or what is watching? For it is the audience that would be affected by the emotional context of the music. Film actors don't have the benefit of a composed score and soundtrack to bring an energy to the scene, save for the live performance/improvisation in a theatrical context.
Ambient music, per se, began with the association of random background sounds blending in with a recording playing in the foreground, such as a car horn or squeaking brakes in juxtaposition with various complementary pitches in the music. Music (or indeterminate sound that possesses a musical pattern) is always potentially present if we are mindful of hearing it.
To the extent that we include all sound as being potentially musical, then background music is ubiquitous. The only place devoid of all sound or music is an anechoic chamber, in which sounds from your body would be acutely perceptible, and could be "background music".
Ambient music, per se, began with the association of random background sounds blending in with a recording playing in the foreground, such as a car horn or squeaking brakes in juxtaposition with various complementary pitches in the music. Music (or indeterminate sound that possesses a musical pattern) is always potentially present if we are mindful of hearing it.
To the extent that we include all sound as being potentially musical, then background music is ubiquitous. The only place devoid of all sound or music is an anechoic chamber, in which sounds from your body would be acutely perceptible, and could be "background music".
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