ABSTRACT
Man created music. The means of making it were readily available — the voice, materials for making instruments — but it was human ingenuity that generated ways of making different sounds and organising and combining them into coherent, meaningful wholes. While we do not know at what exact point in our history this process began, there is evidence of the use of instruments as far back as 3000 bc. Pictures in bas-relief at Susa, the capital of Sumeria, dating from 2600 bc show musicians at the temple gate playing flute, oboe, horn and bow-string instruments. Evidence of use of these relatively advanced instruments suggests a lengthy period of previous development. Music has been an important part of human existence for a very long time. Why? This question has provoked considerable intellectual debate. On the face of it, music serves no obvious purpose which is perhaps why its place in the compulsory school curriculum is constantly questioned. Although evolutionary theory is now delving into cultural issues, to date, no clear evolutionary or survival purpose has been identified. Nevertheless, it must satisfy some very important human needs. If it doesn't, why are there so many radio stations devoted to playing music 24 hours a day? Why is there such a huge market for recorded music? So, what might these human needs be? For the individual, music can be an outlet for emotional expression, can influence moods and arousal levels and be therapeutic. It can entertain and inspire. For those who become actively involved in its performance, publicly or privately, it can provide intellectual stimulation, the challenge of mastery, and emotional fulfilment. Within society, it provides a means of communicating which goes beyond words and provides us with shared, unspoken understandings. It enables particular groups to reinforce their identity whether they be football supporters, members of political parties or members of particular ethnic or cultural groups. No major state occasion is without music. Finally, it provides opportunities for numerous shared social activities, formal and informal. Looked at in this way, a society without music is unthinkable.
