Award-winning composer and author Andrew Ford, host of The Music Show on ABC Radio National, dives deep into the fascinating history of music. He discusses how cultural, social, economic, and technological forces have influenced music's evolution from ancient times to today. The conversation touches on the significance of the didgeridoo and oral traditions, and challenges the idea of music as a universal language. Ford also shares insights from his book, shedding light on the emotional power of music and its transformative journey over the centuries.
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Music as an Intrinsic Human Impulse
Music is an intrinsic human impulse that transcends culture and personal differences.
Even unmusical people are drawn to creating music when given an instrument.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Oldest Known Musical Instrument
The oldest universally accepted musical instrument is a 42,000-year-old vulture bone flute.
Found in an acoustically advantageous cave, it highlights early humans' musical activities though its exact sound is unknown.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Didgeridoo Tree Search Story
William Barton and his father searched for a didgeridoo tree, illustrating traditional music's living heritage.
Their story connects ancient instrument crafting to centuries of music evolution worldwide.
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Middlemarch, written by George Eliot, is a novel that delves into the complexities of provincial life in 19th-century England. The story revolves around the intersecting lives of its characters, particularly Dorothea Brooke and Dr. Tertius Lydgate, as they navigate marriage, vocation, and social class. Eliot critiques the conventional romance narratives of her time by portraying marriage as a complex and often problematic institution. The novel also explores themes of idealism, self-interest, hypocrisy, and the constraints on women's lives. Set in the fictional town of Middlemarch between 1829 and 1832, the novel incorporates historical events such as the Great Reform Act of 1832 and early developments in medicine. Eliot's realistic portrayal of ordinary human life, with its quiet tragedies and small triumphs, has made 'Middlemarch' a masterpiece of English literature.
The Shortest History of AI
Six ideas to understand artificial intelligence today
Toby Walsh
How the Mind Works
Steven Pinker
In this book, Steven Pinker delves into the workings of the human mind, addressing questions such as why we are rational yet often irrational, how we perceive the world, and the origins of emotions, social interactions, and higher cognitive functions. Pinker synthesizes insights from cognitive science, evolutionary biology, and other fields to explain how the mind evolved to solve the problems faced by our ancestors. He discusses topics like vision, emotion, social behavior, and the mysteries of consciousness, arguing for a computational theory of mind and an adaptationist approach to evolution[2][3][5].
Music has been around for at least as long as humans, and possibly even longer. How have forces like religion, the economy, society and technology, shaped music over time? And why, in lullabies and concert halls, songlines and streaming services, have humans always been irresistibly drawn to making it?
Big Ideas 
