History Main / MagicMusic

* ''WesternAnimation/TalesOfTheNight'': One of the stories is about a boy with a magic tom-tom drum that can make anyone who hears it dance. When the drum is broken, it turns out that his hands are magic, and he can do it with any drum.

* ''Literature/ConanTheBarbarian''
** In Creator/RobertEHoward's story "Literature/RedNails", the enemies get through using piping as a form of magic.

** In 3rd Edition ''D&D'', Bards can not only play magical music, but can also cast spells -- but unlike any other class, every spell they cast has a vocal component, and also unlike any other class, they cannot cast silent spells as a bard even if they would have the ability to do so otherwise. It does not ''strictly'' have to be music, but magical recitation (Perform (Oratory), Perform (Comedy) and Perform (Acting) all qualifies the bard to use their abilities) is close enough.

** The alternate magic system ''TabletopGame/SpheresOfPower'' has the Skilled Casting drawback, which has you use a Perform, Profession, or Craft check to use your magic, so you can [[RuleOfFunny literally walk on walls by singing]] ''[[Music/LionelRichie Dancin' on the Ceiling]]''.

* In ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', Rose's Bankai,, Kinshara Butoudan, conjures a troupe of golden dancers and a pair of floating hands, one of which carries a conducting baton. Rose uses the hands to play music and control the dancers, who use the music as a medium to [[MasterOfIllusion cast powerful illusions on Rose's target]]. They may think that [[MakingASplash they are being drowned in a whirlpool]], or that [[PlayingWithFire they are being burned in potent streams of fire]], [[YourMindMakesItReal with the damage manifesting in reality thanks to the music tricking their hearts into believing that it is all real]]. Because Rose is kind enough to [[ExplainingYourPowerToTheEnemy explain his Bankai]] to Mask de Masculine, the latter figures out its LogicalWeakness and [[EarAche crushes his own eardrums]] to [[DisabilityImmunity render himself immune to the music]], something so extreme [[DidntSeeThatComing Rose did not believe anyone would think to try it]].

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

** Seems to be behind Scratchmen Apoo's powers as well. He can turn his own limbs into musical instruments and play notes that cause explosions or RazorWind.

* In ''TabletopGame/ArsMagica'' the Enchanting Music ability fits the mold as do the "Holy Music" (Holy) Method and the magic of the Hyperborean Hymnists. Certain applications of Performance Magic and the Enchantment (Faerie) Method also work.
* Bard classes are also popular here, based on the original ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' bard.

** Any monster with a hypnotic song, like harpies or cloakers.

* In ''TabletopGame/InNomine'' reality is controlled by something called "the Symphony;" the setting's "magic" consists of manipulating the Symphony in a couple of different ways. The most direct, used by angels and demons (and some special humans) are Songs, which are basically specific melodies which (when coupled with Essence expenditure) produce all sorts of special effects from healing to blowing stuff up. The less experienced have to actually vocalize the Song (and perform specific movements/gestures), while the more skilled can just invoke them mentally. The use of Songs creates "disturbances" in the Symphony which can be tracked down to their source (both the place and the person) by anyone with supernatural abilities who is close enough and perceptive enough to "hear" them.

* ''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 performed with seemingly any instrument, or even by simply whistling!

* In ''LightNovel/LogHorizon'', players of the Bard class in the [[MassivelyMultiplayerOnlineRolePlayingGame MMORPG]]-turned-reality ''Elder Tales'' are able to utilize music to buff their allies or de-buff their enemies for set duration of time.

* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'':
** In ''[[Anime/Pokemon2000 Pokémon: The Movie 2000]]'', playing a specific song on a specific ocarina can heal Lugia, no matter how far away he is, as well as calm the feud between the three legendary birds.
** In ''Anime/PokemonTheRiseOfDarkrai'', there was that song that made everyone who could hear it calm, even [[spoiler: Dialga and Palkia]].
** In ''Anime/PokemonRangerAndTheTempleOfTheSea'', Manaphy's singing can calm water pokemon and gain access to The sea temple.

* In ''Literature/TheMermaidSummer'', the mermaid's song can control anyone into doing anything. She punishes Eric for his scepticism by [[ScepticismFailure forcing him to crash his fishing boat, almost drowning him and his crew]]. Later, when Anna won't give the mermaid her comb, she forces Anna to walk to the shore and almost drown herself as a threat. [[spoiler:In the end, she uses her voice to make Eric come home to his family.]]

* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'':

* Ricardo from ''VideoGame/ShadowHearts: From the New World'' can play songs with his guitar for various effects, from casting positive status effects on the party, sans himself. More songs can be composed when Ricardo finds new items as his inspiration.

* ''Literature/{{Spellsinger}}'': The Steve Miller Band's "Fly Like An Eagle" is one of the most powerful magic forces in the universe. It summons the elemental personification of ''the universe itself'', but decreases the lifespan of the universe slightly each time it's used. Generally, the title Spellsingers are mages who work their magic by singing and playing musical instruments. And there is our protagonist, Jon Tom, who is an American student spirited away to this world and who sings rock songs to produce unpredictable results.

* In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'', [[ThatOneBoss Demyx]] (the Melodious Nocturne of Organization XIII) uses a blue sitar that's bigger than he is to summon water-clones. It also makes for a ''really'' effective club.

* Musa of ''WesternAnimation/WinxClub'' is the fairy of sound and music. Her spells often involve music a lot. Her attacks are based on music and sound. She usually uses attacks that are disco themed and can create disco-ball force-fields, distracting musical blasts, and virtual speakers which enclose an enemy and immobilize them through incredibly loud bass music. Musa can also create walls and barriers of the musical scale and explosive musical notes.

* In Fanfic/TheBestRevenge, Hagrid mentions that playing music to the crops on the Hogwarts gardens can make their grow up to three times their size if one plays just right. In the sequel, this is one of the elements in the ritual to remove the horcrux on Harry's scar.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'', the ritual to seal away the red panda spirit involves singing from the heart. The priest, Gao, [[MagicAIsMagicA says any song will do]], but Mei's grandma is old-fashioned and has everyone do a Cantonese chant. [[spoiler:In the climax the ritual is successfully pulled off with Mei's friends singing 4*Town's hit song "Nobody Like U", with 4*Town themselves later joining in.]]

* In Film/TheThreeStooges short ''Punch Drunks'', Curly is sent into a violent frenzy by "Pop Goes the Weasel". Moe takes advantage of this by making Curly a boxing superstar and having Larry play the song on a violin during fights.

* The ''Literature/FightingFantasy'' series of books have plenty of Minstrel characters who can play enchanted music.

* Creator/RobertRankin: One of his novels features Christeen, sister of Christ (written out of Literature/TheBible by the Church), a singer whose voice cures injuries and illness.
* [[Literature/TolkiensLegendarium Tolkien's Legendarium]]: As explained in ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'', Arda, the world in which Middle-earth exists, was literally sung into being through the Ainulindalë, or the Music of the Ainur. The [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Ainur]] - a race of angelic beings created by the deity Eru Illuvatar - actually laid out the shape and destiny of the universe by singing, so it makes sense that music would continue to have power within the physical world. As such, anyone with the genealogical clout - typically an Ainur or an exceptionally skilled/powerful elf - and lyrical ability can perform a lot of subtle and overt magic, literally shaping the world around them through words and song:

** Finrod Felagund, an elf of the Noldor clan and the eldest brother of Galadriel, dueled with Sauron by chanting songs of power. [[spoiler:He lost.]]
** Lúthien Tinúviel, the direct ancestor of Arwen Evenstar, would later use her own music in a duel with Sauron. [[spoiler:She ''won'']]