Musik

Forms

Musik f (genitive Musik, plural Musiken, diminutive Musikchen n)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle High German mūsic, borrowed from Latin mūsica (“music”), in full ars mūsica, from Ancient Greek μουσική (mousikḗ), short for μουσικὴ τέχνη (mousikḕ tékhnē, “art of the Muses”), the feminine of μουσικός (mousikós, “of the Muses”), from Μοῦσα (Moûsa, “Muse”) (see Muse).^[2][3][4] Otfrid already took over the Latin word in the 9th century, but the EWA takes the Middle High German forms (also mūseke) and the modern word for fresh borrowings from Latin.^[5][3] Middle Dutch, Middle English and Old Norse borrowed it as well, and the stress on the last syllable in Dutch and Frisian points to French influence.^[5]

Until the 16th or 17th century the word was stressed on the first syllable; the stress on the last syllable, and the spelling ⟨Musik⟩, spread in the 17th century under the influence of French musique.^[4][3][6] Bavarian and other dialects keep the old stress, as in Bavarian Musi.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old High German musica is found only once, in Otfrid's Gospel Book (863–871), meaning “music”;^[5][7][8][9] Notker also used the Latin word as the name of one of the seven liberal arts.^[5][7][8][9] Middle High German mūseke appears from the end of the 13th century, in Reinfried von Braunschweig (after 1291).^[10]

Semantic evolution

Paul says the word at first meant chiefly the art of singing.^[11] In learned speech the Latin form musica long remained in use, still in Luther's Bible and in Schupp, and Frau Musica survives as a jocular or archaising personification.^[9] From French musique came, in the 17th century, the senses “piece of music” and “performance of music”.^[11][4][6] Colloquially, die Musik is also a band playing at an event.^[12][1]

Derivatives followed in the 16th century: Musikus about 1500, from Latin mūsicus, musikalisch at the beginning of the 16th century, from Medieval Latin mūsicālis, and musizieren about 1550.^[3][11] Musikant “player for dances” followed in the second half of the 16th century, and Musiker, now the usual professional term, about 1800.^[3][4] German Nachtmusik was borrowed into Hebrew, and English took Bühnenmusik as a technical term for music played on the stage of an opera.^[13]

Timeline

• 863–871 – Otfrid uses Old High German musica.^[7][5]
• After 1291 – Middle High German mūseke in Reinfried von Braunschweig.^[10]
• c. 1500 – Musikus “musician” is borrowed from Latin.^[3][11]
• 1519 – The spelling Music appears in Lorenz Fries.^[6]
• c. 1550 – musizieren “to make music” is recorded.^[3][11]
• 17th century – Final stress and the senses “piece of music, performance” come in from French.^[11][4][6]
• c. 1800 – Musiker appears.^[3][11]
• Mid-20th century – Musical is taken over from American English.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. music, the art of arranging sounds in melody, harmony and rhythm.^[12][1]
2. Music as heard: a work or works of music, or music being played.^[12][14]
3. Music as a school subject or a subject of study.^[12][1]
4. (colloquial) A band, especially one playing at an event: Die Musik spielt bis Mitternacht.^[12][1]

Word family

• musikalisch
• Musikant
• Musiker
• Musikus
• musizieren
• Musical
• Kammermusik
• Katzenmusik
• Zukunftsmusik

Related words

• Muse
• Museum

Usage notes

Musik in jemandes Ohren sein (colloquial) is to be welcome news to someone, and Musik im Blut haben is to be born musical.^[12] The proverb mit Musik geht alles besser “everything goes better with music” is recorded in the Duden.^[12] Paul notes the compounds Katzenmusik “caterwauling” and Zukunftsmusik “music of the future, pipe dreams”.^[11]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 642
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Pfeifer, Wolfgang, et al. (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Deutschen, 2nd ed., Berlin: Akademie-Verlag; digital revised version in the DWDS, dwds.de
4. ^ a b c d e Duden. Das Herkunftswörterbuch: Etymologie der deutschen Sprache (2020), 6th ed., Duden vol. 7, Berlin: Dudenverlag, p. 571
5. ^ a b c d e f Lloyd, Albert L.; Springer, Otto; Lühr, Rosemarie, et al. (1988–), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Althochdeutschen, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht; online ewa.saw-leipzig.de, p. 6, 701
6. ^ a b c d Schulz, Hans; Basler, Otto, et al. (1913–1988), Deutsches Fremdwörterbuch, 7 vols., Strasbourg / Berlin: Trübner / De Gruyter; 2nd ed., ed. Gerhard Strauß et al. (1995–), Berlin / New York: De Gruyter; via OWID, Leibniz-Institut für Deutsche Sprache
7. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling
8. ^ a b Schützeichel, Rudolf (2012), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 7th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 231
9. ^ a b c Grimm, Jacob; Grimm, Wilhelm (1854–1961), Deutsches Wörterbuch, 16 vols. in 32, Leipzig: Hirzel; digital: Wörterbuchnetz, Trier Center for Digital Humanities, p. 12, 2740
10. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Mittelhochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling
11. ^ a b c d e f g h Paul, Hermann (2002), Deutsches Wörterbuch: Bedeutungsgeschichte und Aufbau unseres Wortschatzes, 10th ed., ed. Helmut Henne, Heidrun Kämper and Georg Objartel, Tübingen: Niemeyer
12. ^ a b c d e f g Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag
13. ^ Lehnwortportal Deutsch (2012–), Leibniz-Institut für Deutsche Sprache, Mannheim, lwp.ids-mannheim.de
14. ^ Wiktionary, das freie Wörterbuch (German Wiktionary), de.wiktionary.org