Editing Music theory (section)

===Expression===
{{Main|Musical expression}}
[[File:1Francisco20violinista.jpg|thumb|right|220px|A violinist performing]]
Musical expression is the art of playing or singing music with emotional communication. The elements of music that comprise expression include dynamic indications, such as forte or piano, [[Musical phrasing|phrasing]], differing qualities of timbre and articulation, color, intensity, energy and excitement. All of these devices can be incorporated by the performer. A performer aims to elicit responses of sympathetic feeling in the audience, and to excite, calm or otherwise sway the audience's physical and emotional responses. Musical expression is sometimes thought to be produced by a combination of other parameters, and sometimes described as a transcendent quality that is more than the sum of measurable quantities such as pitch or duration.

Expression on instruments can be closely related to the role of the breath in singing, and the voice's natural ability to express feelings, sentiment and deep emotions.{{clarify|date=July 2015}}<!--Does this mean that keyboard and stringed instruments are essentially inexpressive?--> Whether these can somehow be categorized is perhaps the realm of academics, who view expression as an element of musical performance that embodies a consistently recognizable [[emotion]], ideally causing a [[emotional contagion|sympathetic emotional response]] in its listeners.{{sfn|London|n.d.}} The emotional content of musical expression is distinct from the emotional content of specific sounds (e.g., a startlingly-loud 'bang') and of learned associations (e.g., a [[national anthem]]), but can rarely be completely separated from its context.{{Citation needed|date=July 2015}}

The components of musical expression continue to be the subject of extensive and unresolved dispute.{{sfn|Avison|1752|loc={{Page needed|date=July 2015}}<!--Where does Avison say there is a continuing and unresolved dispute?-->}}{{sfn|Christiani|1885|loc={{Page needed|date=July 2015}}<!--Where does Christiani say there is a continuing and unresolved dispute?-->}}{{sfn|Lussy|1892|loc={{Page needed|date=July 2015}}<!--On what page(s) does Lussy state there is an extensive and unresolved dispute, or indeed that there is any dispute at all?-->}}{{sfn|Darwin|1913|loc={{Page needed|date=July 2015}}<!--Where does Darwin state that there is a continuing and unresolved dispute?-->}}{{sfn|Sorantin|1932|loc={{Page needed|date=July 2015}}<!--On what page(s) does Sorantin contend that there is an extensive and unresolved dispute on thesubject?-->}}{{sfn|Davies|1994|loc={{Page needed|date=July 2015}}<!--On what page does Davies say the components of expression continue to be subject to unresolved dispute? He mentions particular disputes on pp. 105, 136, 213, and 364, but characterises none of them as "extensive", nor does he say whether these disputes are resolved or not.-->}}