David Huron
Society for Music Perception and Cognition Conference, 1999.
There is no direct evidence for music having an evolutionary origin. Nevertheless, there exist biochemical, neurological, ethological, anthropological, and archaeological observations that are consistent with an evolutionary origin or origins for various music-related phenomena. The works of Freeman (1995) and Dunbar (1997) are consistent with Juan Roederer's (1984) initial speculation about a social-cohesive function for music. This presentation expands on Roederer's original view while recognizing the pitfalls attending evolutionary story-telling.