Fictional music

The essence of fictional music is usually to convince the recipient that he could experience it in the real world. It often has a diegetic character. Depending on a work, it can be serious, but it can also take on a playful and parodic character (e.g. in concert from the 1964 film The World of Henry Orient). Fictional music can be important to the plot. For example, in Krzysztof Kieślowski's film Three Colours. Blue, the plot is centered on the fictional composer Patrice de Courcy and his music. == In literature ==

In literature, the description of fictional music can be very poetic (see ekphrasis). For example, the description of fictional music in books such as Doctor Faustus by Thomas Mann or A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess has been described in such a fashion. Science fiction writers have occasionally portrayed futuristic music, or alien music, some played on fictional instruments; such music has been said to be "difficult to describe". In the 2012 science fiction novel The Hydrogen Sonata by Iain M. Banks, the eponymous sonata is an extremely complex piece that exemplifies a challenge for virtually immortal beings in post-scarcity societies, and potentially a metaphor for the interaction of advanced civilization with material reality. Likewise, fictional music can be found in fantasy literature. Music and song are mentioned throughout Tolkien's legendarium, in the Tolkien scholar Bradford Lee Eden's view "most obviously" in the Ainulindalë ("Music of the Ainur", the creation account in said legendarium), but also importantly in the culture of the Elves, the Hobbits, and the Riders of Rohan. == In audiovisual media ==

In the case of audiovisual media, fictional music may be partly real. The band Spinal Tap, on the other hand, was initially fictitious, but gained popularity, and actors playing the roles of its fictitious musicians also performed at real concerts (and subsequently, a real film was also made about the not-quite-fictitious band itself, This Is Spinal Tap). Many other examples exist of real music attributed to fictional bands and musicians. == Fictional musical instruments ==

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction notes that future fictional instruments are generally either "variants on traditional instruments and those that exploit future technology". • In the Futurama television series, a fictional musical instrument called "the Holophonor" was introduced. It resembles an oboe and produces holographic images that respond to the mood of the performer. It has been suggested that this instrument, while currently fictional, might be constructed in the near future given the current trends in technology. • The aforementioned Hydrogen Sonata of Iain M. Banks can be performed only on a complex instrument called the Antagonistic Undecagonstring, which requires not only two feet for its pedals but also four arms. • The rock band Disaster Area, featured in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, play the "massive" photon-ajuitar (its name suggesting a guitar-like instrument, but also described as having a keyboard), the bass detonator, and the Megabang drum complex (often needing to be played by a robot due to the absence of the band's drummer). Hypothetical musical instruments using live animals, intended as thought experiments or as bizarre humour, include the cat organ and the piganino. == See also ==