A universal and timeless definition of music has not been given so far - through the various attempts to define and the resulting versions, one can observe the evolution of perceptions about the essence and function of the phenomenon called music.
The word music has the same root as the word muse, which comes from the combination of the words mons (= mountain) and ja (= goddess). In the Doric dialect, the word "muse" is found in the form "mosa", which comes from the verb "mo" (= seek, explore). The Muses were mainly worshiped in Helicon, from where they also took the name Heliconiades. According to Plutarch, the first Sibyl was nurtured by the Muses. The Sibyls were believed to be inspired by Apollo and for this reason they acquired the ability to predict the future. Apollo, the leader of the Muses (Apollo Musagetes), was the God of music and divination. Homer, referring to the Muses, writes: "For you are goddesses, you are present, you know everything"; pan-sophia, therefore, is one of the main attributes of the Muses. According to Hesiod ("Theogony"), the Muses were the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne. As for their number, there were no local variations: seven in Lesbos, eight according to the Pythagoreans. [...] (from page 15 of the book)