The Musical Human: A History of Life on Earth

Description

65 million years ago saw the birth of rhythm. 66 million years ago came the first melody. 40 thousand years ago Homo sapiens created the first musical instrument. Today music fills our lives. How we have created, performed and listened to this music throughout history has defined what our species is and how we understand who we are. Yet music is an overlooked part of our origin story. The Musical Human takes us on an exhilarating journey across the ages – from Bach to BTS and back – to explore the vibrant relationship between music and the human species. With insights from a wealth of disciplines, world-leading musicologist Michael Spitzer renders a global history of music on the widest possible canvas, looking at music in our everyday lives; music in world history; and music in evolution, from insects to apes, humans to AI. Cover Half Title Title Copyright Dedications Contents Part One Life Chapter 1 Voyager Chapter 2 Cradle and All Chapter 3 The Soundtrack of Our Lives Chapter 4 Imaginary Landscapes, Invisible Cities Part Two History Chapter 5 Ice, Sand, Savannah and Forest Chapter 6 The Tuning of the West Chapter 7 Superpowers Chapter 8 Endgames Part Three Evolution Chapter 9 Animal Chapter 10 Human Chapter 11 Machine Chapter 12 Eleven Lessons on Music’s Nature Notes Index