One human alone, in a state of nature, is a medium-sized animal struggling for survival (and with no use for music). Working in tandem, we produce homes, towns, cities, factories and all the rest.
Music is a vital part of that process. Most traditional music is highly functional. It’s used for religious ceremonies, community events, family gatherings, dancing, courtship and labor (keeping workers in sync). Sometimes, as in the case of the Scottish bagpipe, it plays a role in battle.
Music is like an intangible thread tying us together. Anything that facilitates human cooperation confers a major survival advantage. It’s no wonder that music, like language, is universal among us.
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[Hunter College ethnomusicologist and anthropologist Anna Lomax Wood]: Music research points in many directions: When music changes, what does it retain? Do factors such as climate, subsistence and diet influence musical styles? Will a warming planet, shifting migration patterns, and availability of water and food affect music? While we don’t yet know why music came into being, we’ve always known that it is a direct line to the human heart.
