The Origins of Music: From Evolution to Acoustics

Why does music exist?

It's a big question, so Bey and Kirsten turn to the past for answers! They sit down with evolutionary biologist Dr. David George Haskell, ethnomusicologist Dr. Carol Muller, and acoustician Philip Faraci, exploring the ways anatomy, culture, and physics have shaped music over time.

Links for Today's Episode:

Learn more about Dr. George Haskell and his book Sounds Wild and Broken, a 2023 Pulitzer finalist!
Learn more about Dr. Carol Muller and follow your curiosity to learn more about some topics she referenced, like music cognition expert Henkjan Honing, the Rorogwela Lullaby's evolution into an electronic hit, the Griot musical tradition from West Africa, and check out some South African jazz from Hugh Masekela
Learn more about Philip Faraci, learn more about Indian ragas, and listen to a full raga performance by Ravi Shankar , Ali Akbar Khan And Alla Rakha

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