Abstract
Music is an exclusive feature of humankind. It can be considered as a form of universal communication, only partly comparable to the vocalizations of songbirds. Many trends of research in this field try to address music origins, as well as the genetic bases of musicality. On one hand, several hypotheses have been made on the evolution of music and its role, but there is still debate, and comparative studies suggest a gradual evolution of some abilities underlying musicality in primates. On the other hand, genome-wide studies highlight several genes associated with musical aptitude, confirming a genetic basis for different musical skills which humans show. Moreover, some genes associated with musicality are involved also in singing and song learning in songbirds, suggesting a likely evolutionary convergence between humans and songbirds. This comprehensive review aims at presenting the concept of music as a sociocultural manifestation within the current debate about its biocultural origin and evolutionary function, in the context of the most recent discoveries related to the cross-species genetics of musical production and perception.
Highlights
Since ancient times music is paramount in many social and cultural activities, such as rituals, education and performances, included choreutics [1]
A fundamental debate among scientists relates to the possibility that music, originated as an evolutionary adaptation, rather than a cultural product [26]: if music can be treated as a biological trait under selective pressure, it may have played a role in the survival of the human species [9,27]
The results show that musical aptitude and creativity display a percentage of heritability [93,94], and that there are several genetic loci linked to musical aptitude, mainly including genes involved in neurocognitive functions, auditory pathways and the development of the inner ear
Summary
Since ancient times music is paramount in many social and cultural activities, such as rituals, education and performances, included choreutics [1] Together with language, it is present in all populations and cultures, around the world and over time: no human group has been found, that does not bear at least a rudimentary form of music and verbal communication [1,2]. It is noteworthy that the sound produced by a seashell horn has been analyzed and recorded for the first time just recently This seashell, forgotten for many years and not considered until now a music instrument, shows signs of human modifications, such that it can be classified as wind instrument. These universal music features can be considered as the ‘musical possibilities’ of the human being and are based on an anthropological and phylogenetic substratum, which guarantees the existence of cultural universals [17]
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