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Cited by 179Neuroscience and Music PerceptionLanguage and cultural evolutionMusicology and Musical Analysis

The Prehistory of Music: Human Evolution, Archaeology, and the Origins of Musicality

Morley, Iain·2013·Oxford University Press eBooks
DOI 10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199234080.001.0001
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Abstract

Abstract Music is possessed by all human cultures, and archaeological evidence for musical activities pre-dates even the earliest-known cave art. Music has been the subject of keen investigation across a great diversity of fields, from neuroscience and psychology to ethnography, archaeology, and its own dedicated field, musicology. Despite the great contributions that these studies have made towards understanding musical behaviours, much remains mysterious about this ubiquitous human phenomenon — not least, its origins. This book brings together evidence from these fields, and more, in investigating the evolutionary origins of our musical abilities, the nature of music, and the earliest archaeological evidence for musical activities amongst our ancestors. It seeks to understand the true relationship between our unique musical capabilities and the development of the remarkable social, emotional, and communicative abilities of our species.

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Crossref · 10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199234080.001.0001

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  • Singing is found in all human societies and can be performed to some extent by the vast majority of humans: singing is a universal human behavioural capacity, and this implies that it could have arisen as an evolutionary adaptation.

    “Singing is found in all human societies and can be performed to some extent by the vast majority of humans: singing is a universal human behavioural capacity, and this implies that it could have arisen as an evolutionary adaptation [21,22].”

    From The ice-breaker effect: Singing mediates fast social bonding (2015) · cites this paper as [22]

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Authors
Morley, I.
Corresponding author
Morley, Iain
Venue
Oxford University Press eBooks
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Published
2013-10-24
DOI
10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199234080.001.0001
OpenAlex
W4244911669
Cited by
179
References
0
Citations by year
2026: 11 · 2025: 34 · 2024: 35 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 24 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 12 · 2014: 1
FWCI
2.16
Type
book
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
Oxford University Press eBooks (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Music Perception
  • Social Sciences › Cultural Studies › Language and cultural evolution
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Music › Musicology and Musical Analysis
Keywords
origins of music, prehistoric music, cave art, music and communication, music and emotion, human evolution

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