Seeking the Key to Music

摘要

Why did the ability to carry a tune evolve? At an unusual, high-level meeting, researchers pondered whether music helped our ancestors survive and reproduce or whether it is merely a happy evolutionary accident. READING, ENGLAND—On a recent fall evening, the lobby of the archaeology building at the University of Reading was the scene of a strange ritual. Twenty-five researchers danced in a circle while blowing on the ends of differing lengths of rubber tubing. Pedro Espi-Sanchis, a music educator based in South Africa, had cut the tubing such that the notes produced by the pieces spanned two full octaves. Espi-Sanchis encouraged everyone to toot to his or her own inspiration, but to try not to repeat what others were doing. After several minutes, to everyone's delighted surprise, the individual notes coalesced into a single pleasing melody to which the dancers swayed and dipped in rhythm.