Hidden patterns in folk songs reveal the evolution of music

Hidden patterns in folk songs reveal the evolution of music

Alison Parthall, Duncan Gear & Miriam Quick

Yuto Ozaki, a musicologist at Keio University, says humans must have learned to sing early in history because “we can find something we can call music in any society.” . But did singing evolve as just a byproduct of speaking, or did it evolve with its own role in human society? To investigate this question, Ozaki and a large team of collaborators compared samples of songs and speeches from around the world. These categories vary widely depending on culture. Songs may be lilting lullabies, rhythmic chants, lamentations, etc., and some spoken languages ​​have a more “musical” quality, such as tonal language that conveys meaning through pitch.

Despite this variation, researchers found three global trends. That said, songs tend to be slower, higher pitched, and slightly more stable than spoken words. These consistent differences suggest that song is not simply a vocal byproduct, but it is still unclear why it evolved. It was probably developed to bring people together, an idea called the social cohesion hypothesis, says co-author Patrick Savage, a musicologist at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. “Slower, more regular, more predictable melodies may enable us to synchronize and harmonize, and through them unite us in ways that language cannot.” ” he says.

break down the song

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This chart visualizes two recordings (one sung and one spoken) of the British folk song “Scarborough Fair” by study author and participant Patrick Savage. The song unfolds at about half the speed of the spoken version, and the pitch is generally higher. In addition, expressive pitch fluctuations such as scoops and vibrato have been added around fixed notes, making it more stable. In contrast, spoken performance never settles into a pitch for long.

Similar patterns in different songs

The researchers analyzed 300 audio recordings by 75 collaborators speaking 55 languages. Each person sang a traditional song, recited its lyrics, played an instrumental version of the melody, and then explained its meaning. The authors show how pitch height, tempo, and pitch stability change as people move from instrumental music to singing to speech, finding commonalities across cultures.