We are in something of a golden age of music research. Technological advances have merged with philosophical interests to produce an array of distinct yet converging studies illuminating the musical nature of our species. This book adds a unique and compelling voice to this body of literature, which is ever growing in sophistication and popularity.
Music research has entered something of a Golden Age. Technological advances and scholarly inquiry have merged in interdisciplinary studies--drawing on psychology, neuroscience, evolutionary biology, anthropology and other fields--that illuminate the musical nature of our species. This volume develops, supports and challenges that body of research, examining key issues in the field, such as the difficulty of writing about music, the formation of musical preferences, the emotional impact of musical sounds, the comparison of music and language, the impulse for making music and the connection between music and spirituality.