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Why Music is Universal
According to recent findings, there may be a scientific basis to the reason Western music has been so readily distributed around the globe. We discuss the study, which demonstrates a universal recognition of music that expresses the emotions of happiness, sadness and fear. Also: musician and poet Lee Ranaldo, co-founder of Sonic Youth, joins us live to discuss his new collaborations with the Bang on a Can All-Stars.
Worldwide Music, Worldwide Emotions
Native African people who have never even listened to the radio before can nonetheless pick up on happy, sad, and scared emotions in Western music, according to a new report published in the journal Current Biology. Dr. Thomas Fritz of the Max-Planck Institute tells us about visiting an isolated village in Cameroon in which he played samples of rock, jazz and classical music for a local tribe – and why this study "provides the first solid evidence for a universal human ability to distinguish basic emotions in music."
Article about the study on ScienceNews.org
Soundcheck Blog: John Schaefer on the Universality of Music
Study: Universal Recognition of Three Basic Emotions in Music
The Global Sounds of Africa
Western music has demonstrated its global reach in countless ways, and in recent years this has been particularly pronounced in the sounds of Africa. Groups like Amadou & Mariam, from Mali, and Buraka Som Sistema, from Angola, blend electro-pop and urban dance forms. Music journalist Will Hermes joins us to explain.
Lee Ranaldo
Musician and poet Lee Ranaldo made his name as a guitarist in the groundbreaking rock band Sonic Youth. He joins us to talk about his new work with a very different groundbreaking band, the Bang on a Can All-Stars.
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