Life Examined
The human history and relationship to music
Music has always played an important role in cultures across the globe and across the millenia. The discovery of a 40,000-year-old bone flute in a German cave showed that hominids, our prehistoric ancestors, could use a tool to produce sound.
By Jonathan Bastian • • 51m ListenMusic has always played an important role in cultures across the globe and across the millenia. The discovery of a 40,000-year-old bone flute in a German cave showed that hominids, our prehistoric ancestors, could use a tool to produce sound. Technology continues to impact the history and evolution of music, from the lyres depicted in the art of ancient Greece to the orchestras, synthesizers, and electronics used today.
Music professor and author Michael Spitzer traces our history of and relationship to music, and tracks the impact music has had on our lives, from Mozart and jazz to Beyonce and hip-hop. Harvard psychiatrist David Silberswieg also discusses how listening to music enhances brain function. Could listening to music help with depression and Parkinson’s disease?
In this episode
2 storiesWhy music is ‘our umbilical cord to Mother Nature’
Sounds and rhythms are such an intrinsic part of our lives, it’s hard to imagine a world without music. Music has been used to communicate and to coordinate with others for thousands of years, but humans weren’t the first source of song.
Read the story34 minHow the brain processes music—and uses it to boost function
From babies to the elderly, music touches our emotions and lifts our spirits. A familiar melody can transport us back to a time and place. So how does the brain process music, and can music boost our cognitive performance?
Read the story36 min
