Musicality and gene-culture coevolution: ten concepts to guide productive exploration

Abstract

A growing number of researchers across the sciences and humanities theorize that human musicality arose via an interplay of cultural invention and biological evolution, or “gene-culture coevolution.” This chapter offers ten concepts to help guide productive cross-disciplinary discussions on this topic. Such interactions across traditional disciplinary boundaries are needed to propel deep explorations of human musicality. These explorations are important for the study of human origins because musicality may prove to be a model system for exploring cognitive gene-culture coevolution, a process increasingly thought to be central to the evolution of the human mind.

The shared genetic architecture and evolution of human language and musical rhythm

“…phonological awareness) 10,11,12,13 . Given this link between spoken language and reading, and in light of theoretical frameworks positing co-evolution of rhythm- and language-related skills in humans 5,39,40,41,44 , we leveraged genomic methods to investigate the evolution of the overlap between rhythm and the reading-related aspect of language over a range of timescales (Fig. 4A).…”

Confronting ethical and social issues related to the genetics of musicality

“…While these FAQs are a starting place, it is still important to note that genetic research on musicality cannot be socially neutral, because musical ability itself is a socially valued trait; instead, this research must be purposefully oriented towards the goal of improving human well-being. 5 To this point, the social function of music, coupled with how music-related activities may have provoked evolutionary adaptations 28 , highlights the basic science relevance of genetics of musicality. Society might ultimately benefit from unravelling phenomena such as the biological basis of moving in synchrony to music.…”

“…Musicality can be broadly defined as the capacity to perceive, appreciate, and create music; 6 in other words, the full spectrum of ways in which we as humans interact with music. Given that musicality is a ubiquitous feature of all known human cultures 7 and that human sensitivity to music seems to emerge early and spontaneously, many authors have proposed the existence of specific biological forces that push humans to create and engage with music; 8 some of these forces also exist in other animals, such as primates and songbirds 9,10 . It is worth pointing out that music can be defined very broadly, that is, encompassing “a variety of concepts surrounding human activities that may include structured sound (…[i.e.]…”

“…To this point, the social function of music, coupled with how music‐related activities may have provoked evolutionary adaptations, 8 highlights the basic science relevance of musicality genetics. As Lee 97 puts it, “we simply do not understand ourselves or the world well enough to predict everything we need or might need; basic scientific research ensures we are equipped to deal with issues beyond the limits of our present‐day imagination, should they arise.” Just as it is not possible to anticipate all the potential harms of research, society might ultimately benefit from unraveling phenomena, such as the role of biology in moving in synchrony to music, in ways that have not yet been imagined.…”

Perspectives on Musical Care Throughout the Life Course: Introducing the Musical Care International Network

“…For some discussants, notions of "excellence" were seen as an impediment for musical care activities, such as in cases where pursuit of the highest levels of achievement occur at the expense of physical, emotional, or mental health (Leech-Wilkinson, 2018). Others advocated for a continued emphasis on high quality musical experiences as a primary goal, perhaps reflecting speculation that, even at an evolutionary level, quality of musical activity was associated with the quality and cohesion of societal groups (Cross & Morley, 2010;Morley, 2013;Patel, 2023). This relates to broader differences in conceptualizing music (i.e., as a means to an end or as an outcome in itself) that correspond to disciplinary differences discussed further below in the section on positioning musical care.…”