A Million Years of Music

A Million Years of Music PDF

Author: Gary Tomlinson

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2015-02-27

Total Pages: 367

ISBN-13: 1935408658

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What is the origin of music? In the last few decades this centuries-old puzzle has been reinvigorated by new archaeological evidence and developments in the fields of cognitive science, linguistics, and evolutionary theory. Starting at a period of human prehistory long before Homo sapiens or music existed, Tomlinson describes the incremental attainments that, by changing the communication and society of prehuman species, laid the foundation for musical behaviors in more recent times. He traces in Neandertals and early sapiens the accumulation and development of these capacities, and he details their coalescence into modern musical behavior across the last hundred millennia

Music, Language, and Human Evolution

Music, Language, and Human Evolution PDF

Author: Nicholas Bannan

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2012-07-19

Total Pages: 359

ISBN-13: 0199227349

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The accompanying DVD provides some glimpses of the practice of music in a variety of cultures and illustrates ways of listening to the human voice that reveal its intrinsic musicality. The DVD was edited by Pedro Espi-Sanchis, who recorded further material in South Africa.

Music, Evolution, and the Harmony of Souls

Music, Evolution, and the Harmony of Souls PDF

Author: Alan R. Harvey

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2017

Total Pages: 321

ISBN-13: 0198786859

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Music is central to human cultural and intellectual experience. It is vitally important for the welfare of human society and - this book argues - should become more widely accepted in our community as a mainstream educational and therapeutic tool. This book explores the importance of music throughout human evolution, and its continued relevance to modern-day human society. Throughout, the emphasis is on the origin of music and how (and where) it is processed in our brains, exploring in detail the genetic and cultural evolution of modern, loquacious humans, how we may have evolved with unique neural and cognitive architecture, and why two complementary but distinct communication systems - language and music - remain a human universal. In addition the book explores, in some depth, the different theories that have been put forward to explain why musical communication was (and remains) advantageous to our species, with a particular emphasis on the role of music and dance in enhancing altruistic and prosocial behaviours. The author suggests that music, and the social harmonization it brings, was of vital importance in early humans as we became more and more individualized by the emergence of modern language and the modern mind, and the realization that we are mortal. Music, Evolution, and the Harmony of Souls demonstrates the evolutionary sociobiological importance of music as a driver of cooperative and interactive behaviour throughout human existence, and what this evolutionary imperative means to twenty-first century humanity and beyond, from social and medical/neurological perspectives

The Digital Evolution of Live Music

The Digital Evolution of Live Music PDF

Author: Angela Jones

Publisher: Chandos Publishing

Published: 2015-07-17

Total Pages: 144

ISBN-13: 0081000707

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The concept of ‘live’ has changed as a consequence of mediated culture. Interaction may occur in real time, but not necessarily in shared physical spaces with others. The Digital Evolution of Live Music considers notions of live music in time and space as influenced by digital technology. This book presents the argument that live music is a special case in digital experience due to its liminal status between mind and body, words and feelings, sight and sound, virtual and real. Digital live music occupies a multimodal role in a cultural contextual landscape shaped by technological innovation. The book consists of three sections. The first section looks at fan perspectives, digital technology and the jouissance of live music and music festival fans. The second section discusses music in popular culture, exploring YouTube and live music video culture and gaming soundtracks, followed by the concluding section which investigates the future of live music and digital culture. gives perspectives on the function of live music in digital culture and the role of digital in live music focuses on the interaction between live and digital music takes the discussion of live music beyond economics and marketing, to the cultural and philosophical implications of digital culture for the art includes interviews with producers and players in the digital world of music production furthers debate by looking at access to digital music via social media, websites, and applications that recognise the impact of digital culture on the live music experience

The Prehistory of Music

The Prehistory of Music PDF

Author: Iain Morley

Publisher:

Published: 2013-10

Total Pages: 464

ISBN-13: 0199234086

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This volume investigates 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 relationship between our musical capabilities and the development of our social, emotional, and communicative abilities as a species.

The Evolution of Music Through Culture and Science

The Evolution of Music Through Culture and Science PDF

Author: Peter Townsend

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2019-11-25

Total Pages: 283

ISBN-13: 0198848404

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The Evolution of Music by Culture and Science aims to recognise the impact of science on music, why it occurs, how we respond, and even to tentatively see if we can predict future developments. Technology has played an immense role in the development of music as it has enabled the production of new sounds, introduced new instruments and continuously improved and modified existing ones. Printing, musical notation, and modern computer aids to composition, plus recordings and electronic transmission have equally enabled us to have access to music from across the world. Such changes, whether just more powerful pianos, or new sounds as from the saxophone, have inspired composers and audiences alike. Acoustics and architecture play similar roles as they changed the scale and performance of concert halls, and with the advent of electronics, they enabled vast pop music festivals. No aspect of modern music making has been untouched by the synergy with scientific innovation. This is not a one-way interaction as the early attempts to make recordings were a major motivating force to design the electronics for amplifiers and these in turn inspired and enabled the designs of semiconductor electronics and modern computer technology. To appreciate the impact of technology on music does not require any prior scientific background as the concepts are invariably extremely simple and are presented here without technical detail. Understanding music and why we like different genres is far more complex, as this involves our personal background and taste. Both aspects change with time, and there is no contradiction in enjoying items as diverse as baroque madrigals, symphonies, jazz or pop music, or music from totally different cultures.

Opera and Drama

Opera and Drama PDF

Author: Richard Wagner

Publisher: U of Nebraska Press

Published: 1995-01-01

Total Pages: 444

ISBN-13: 9780803297654

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With Richard Wagner, opera reached the apex of German Romanticism. Originally published in 1851, when Wagner was in political exile, Opera and Drama outlines a new, revolutionary type of musical stage work, which would finally materialize as The Ring of the Nibelung. Wagner's music drama, as he called it, aimed at a union of poetry, drama, music, and stagecraft. ø In a rare book-length study, the composer discusses the enhancement of dramas by operatic treatment and the subjects that make the best dramas. The expected Wagnerian voltage is here: in his thinking about myths such as Oedipus, his theories about operatic goals and musical possibilities, his contempt for musical politics, his exaltation of feeling and fantasy, his reflections about genius, and his recasting of Schopenhauer. ø This edition includes the full text of volume 2 of William Ashton Ellis's 1893 translation commissioned by the London Wagner Society.

The Evolution of Electronic Music

The Evolution of Electronic Music PDF

Author: David Ernst

Publisher: New York : Schirmer Books

Published: 1977

Total Pages: 324

ISBN-13:

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"This is the first comprehensive historical study of electronic music from World War II to the present. Giving an overall perspective of the electronic medium, David Ernst correlates historical developments with structural procedures. To aid the reader in understanding the evolution and compositional aesthetics of electronic music the author divides it into three categories: solo tape, performer with tape, and live electronics. In discussing each category Ernst concentrates upon small groups of pieces so that the structural relations between them become apparent. The Evolution of Electronic Music has a number of important features: A chronological list of pre-1948 events related to electronic music provides an historical background; It is the first non-technical examination of specific categories of electronic music based on sound sources and compositional techniques; Ernst analyzes major compositions of Stockhausen, Berio, Ligeti, Reich, and the Paris school of musique concrète composers; Graphic illustrations of selected works aid the reader in listening to those compositions; The appearance of voice in electronic works is documented; The use of electronics in jazz and rock is fully explored; Over ninety percent of all electronic compositions that are available as recordings are discussed; The detailed coverage of compositional techniques includes suggestions for original compositions; Each chapter has a discography; The bibliography includes general readings, works on computers and acoustics, and musical scores. The Evolution of Electronic Music covers both 'serious' and popular music, both notated and improvised uses of electronic sounds. It is the most complete and up-to-date book on the subject." --Back cover.

The History of Music Production

The History of Music Production PDF

Author: Richard James Burgess

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 265

ISBN-13: 019935717X

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The History of Music Production offers an authoritative, concise, and accessible overview of nearly 140 years of production of recorded music. It describes what role the music producer has played in shaping the creation, perception, propagation, business, and use of music, and discusses the future of the music production industry.