Part 1
Track 1 is music, track 3 is noise, track 4 is music, track 7 is noise, while track 6 is music. Track 4 is ranked as position 1 of the tracks I would like to listen to again, followed by tracks 1, 6, 7, and 3, in that order.
Track 1 was ranked as music because it fulfills four of the propositions of music. Sound is not only produced but is organized uniquely by the individual. Notably, the singer intended to recite religious verses.
Track 3 was ranked as noise because only sound was produced. Besides, there was no harmonic organization even though humans produced it. The intention is hardly known since the pitch was intolerant to hear.
Track 4 is music because of a pattern of sounds produced from the beginning to the end. The sound was organized in a rhythmic manner that projected towards a cultural practice of the community. It showed their perception of this happening around them.
Track 7 was ranked as noise since the sound was intolerable. There was hardly any organization of sound as sound waves were being introduced randomly. Based on music being a Western perception, it failed to convince as a harmonic sound.
Finally, track 6 is music since the instruments were played systematically to complement the voices. The sound was produced by humans and intended to elaborate on their culture using various instruments.
Part 2
Critically, the first “Mystery Example” is noise because the sound’s frequency and wavelength are random with no harmonic correspondence. “Mystery Example 2” could be considered music because of the play’s pattern generated by the elephants. Although the quality of musical output is poor, the sound is adequately balanced from beginning to end. The two mystery examples were obtained from a similar source (elephant orchestra).
Both examples satisfy the first proposition of music in which their primary property was defined by the sound produced. However, example 2 is ruled out of the second proposition because there was no stable sound organization. Both examples fail to accommodate the third and fourth propositions since music is considered as human harmonization of sound intended to serve a purpose in their lives. Finally, both examples are not related to beliefs from the Western culture used to define music. Based on the analysis, the middle ground for music and noise should be that it must at least fulfill the ideas mentioned in the first two propositions for a sound to be classified as music.
Part 3
Question One
The name for chordophone in the Middle East and India are spelled the same due to the close traditions that link people from these two regions. Indians initially borrowed the idea from Persians during historic social interactions. It implies that music is one of the constants that still link the two groups.
Question Two
Guitar, sitar, and setar are designed differently but are linked through the common factor of using strings. Each has a variety in the form of the number and size of strings used to produce different sounds. Based on history, they all originated from the Middle East, with the guitar being introduced in Europe by Egyptians who migrated into different parts of the continent.
Question Three
People from a particular culture initially designed most musical instruments. The knowledge was then shared through interactions with others from dissimilar cultures. It indicates that although instruments with similar features might have different names, their origins are similar and could be traced back to a specific group of people.