The Sound/Music Dilemma: Why Is It That All Music Is Sound but Only Some Sounds Are Music?

Even if sound and music are deeply intertwined phenomena, it is still fiercely debated whether all music is made up of sound, and vice versa, whether all sound can be deemed as music. Researchers from many different backgrounds have proposed numerous solutions to the conundrum; however, most of them analyse music and sound out of their natural context, ignoring not negligible variables such as listeners and cognitive constraints.

This paper fills this gap, by introducing a theoretical model, called the Circle of Sound, which aims to solve the sound/music dilemma. The Circle of Sound is based on cognition, and has been developed according to the concepts of musical complexity, musical understanding and musical enjoyment. By combining these concepts, a new operational definition of music is proposed. The theoretical framework provided can also be used as a basis for future experimental investigations, willing to shed some light on how musical is understood by
people.