History Main / MagicMusic

*** As an Alicorn god of Music, Blue Goldstone has similar powers as Blue Suede Heartstrings and other fellow Music deities. He can create a magical drum set with his own magic and do various percussion-based spells, such as [[SuperEmpowering empowering/invigorating listeners]], compelling his enemies to [[InvoluntaryDance dance to his rhythms]], and [[HealingHands healing his allies]]. He can also wield [[MakeSomeNoise sonokinetic magic]], allowing him to [[MakeMeWannaShout unleash powerful, disorienting screams]], nullify sound indefinitely and send destructive shockwaves through the air or [[EarthquakeMachine through the ground to make earthquakes]]. The fact that most of his spells are percussion-based really comes in handy with deaf people, as he can help them by stomping his hooves on the ground and send music-based vibrations to them.

*** Nirn's [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Dragons]] are capable of bending reality with their LanguageOfMagic, known to mortalkind as the "[[MakeMeWannaShout Thu'um]]". As seen most prominently in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'', the ancient [[HornyVikings Nords]] were taught this technique during their Merethic Era war against the dragons, who were seeking to be worshipped as gods. They not only defeated the dragons using the Thu'um, but expanded their empire across all of northern Tamriel. It took a coalition including the aforementioned Dwemer for their expansion to finally be halted. One of their leaders, Jurgen Windcaller, experienced a HeelFaithTurn and preached that the Thu'um should only be used to honor the gods, preaching pacifism and founding the [[OldMaster Greybeards]]. Use of the Thu'um as a weapon of war would drop drastically in the centuries to follow.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' refers to these techniques as Bard Magic. Witches in this Coven channel their magic through their music and performances to either put people or objects under their sway, disrupt the magic of others, or just straight-up fire sonic blades at their enemies. It can be channeled using any instrument, which Bard witches can summon at will, though some bard spells can also be channeled through singing or whistling.

* [[Myth/GreekMythology Orpheus]], who sang so well he (almost) restored his wife to life. And made the Furies weep. And made trees pick up their roots and rocks roll over to him just so they could listen.
-->''Orpheus, with his lute, made trees and the mountain tops that freeze, Bow themselves when he did sing: To his music, plants and flowers Ever sprung; as sun and showers There had made a lasting spring. Ev’ry thing that heard him play, E’vn the billows of the sea, Hung their heads and then lay by...''

* ''Literature/{{Spellsinger}}'': When college student and amateur rock musician Jonathan Thomas (Jon-Tom) Meriweather is pulled into another world by an errant spell, he discovers that in this world, he is a spellsinger: a wizard who works magic through music. Jon-Tom quickly finds that his spellsinging is very powerful, but also unpredictable: sometimes it works as intended, sometimes it doesn't, and sometimes it gives him what he ''needs'', not what he ''wants''. In one particularly extravagant case, he's trying to conjure up a way to attack the Plated Folk, and chooses to sing "Fly Like An Eagle" by the Steve Miller Band. What he actually gets is the elemental personification of ''the universe itself''.

* In the ''Literature/{{Siren}}'' trilogy, siren song can be used to hypnotize or steal energy from human men, as well as to exert dominance over other sirens.

* In Irish folklore there are the Fíli or 'Filidh' , an elite of bards from medieval Ireland, although their "poetry" is very out of the ordinary; known for their magical powers, killing kings, subduing rivers and populations and, according to later etymological analysis, it is believed who in ancient times were comparable to prophets.

* In Irish folklore there are the Fíli or 'Filidh' , an elite of bards from medieval Ireland, although their "poetry" is very out of the ordinary.
Known for their magical powers, killing kings, subduing rivers and populations and, according to later etymological analysis, it is believed who in ancient times were comparable to prophets.

** The Irish ''filidh'' could also do that. Accordingly, they were held on the same level as the kings of Ireland, since they could destroy their reputation (and potentially ''maim'' them) with a song.

** [[OneGenderRace The all-female race of Reyvateils]] was created with the ability to create various magical effects through their songs. This includes things like healing, creating elemental bursts, summoning beings to attack, or even (on the upper scale of things) creating entire continents. Songs can sometimes be in upwards of 6 minutes in song length and can either be sung solo or in combination with other Reyvateils. What makes this particularly interesting is that a single song can have multiple voices in it at any given time, but it is still being sung by one individual capable of singing in multiple voices at once. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFdRhJpUKt0]]. Additionally, most of the music has very computer-style names usually including EXEC or some variation. The implication of many of these is that the music is similar to some kind of computer executable that is executed by the goddess of the land.
** [[ConLang "Magical languages"]] (Hymmnos, Pastalia, Risshizentsukyomi, and Ar Ciela) are used to create the really earth-shattering effects. The ''Nosurge'' prequel duology also introduces Emotional Song Pact and REON-4132, the latter of which is pretty much a programming language that can be sung.

DiscoTech is the tech equivalent. Compare ThePowerOfRock, BrownNote, MagicDance. Also see the SubTrope, MindControlMusic.

** ''Literature/ApprenticeAdept'': It's made explicit that, although Blue's magic can be invoked simply with rhyme, the spells are dramatically stronger if sung (and stronger still if he uses a musical instrument before reciting his chosen spell).

** The Two Trees of Valinor - colossal lumionus flora and precursors to the Sun and Moon - were created by the chanting and singing of Yavanna, the Ainur who ruled over all plant life.

* ''Series/FraggleRock'': In "The Day the Music Died," the Ditzies, the source of light in Fraggle Rock, are dying, and no one knows why. The caves of Fraggle Rock have all gone dark and, without the light of the Ditzies, everyone but Gobo has entered a ForcedSleep. But as he sings "Shine On, Shine On Me," Ditzies begin to appear. The other Fraggles wake up, joining in the rousing song, and Gobo realizes it's music that keeps the Ditzies alive.

* ''Film/{{Pokemon}}'':

** The Eight Melodies (Queen Mary's Song) from ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'' is an interesting example of this trope. While you learn each melody from some really interesting places (including a singing cactus), the song itself is not magical. The real power of the song comes from the memories associated with it, which is why it only has an effect on [[spoiler:Queen Mary and Gigyas]].
** At the start of ''VideoGame/{{Earthbound}}'', Buzz-Buzz gives Ness the Sound Stone and tasks him with journeying to the eight 'Your Sanctuary' locations, each of which conferring part of a song. In a similar vein to the prequel above, this song relates in some way to Ness' early childhood, and, with every melody gathered, Ness experiences a nostalgic sensation, such as the smell of his favourite food, or an image of his mother from when she was younger. When [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bM-BfVcS6Ho all of the melodies are recorded on the Sound Stone,]] [[spoiler:Ness is whisked away to [[JourneyToTheCenterOfTheMind Magicant]] to face off against [[EnemyWithin his Nightmare]]]].

* Music/TheyMightBeGiants: "The Bells Are Ringing" from ''Music/FactoryShowroom'' revolves a small town where the people live peacefully [[BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood because they're being controlled by magical bells]].

%%* "The Bells Are Ringing" by Music/TheyMightBeGiants.