40,000 years of music explained in 8 minutes | Michael Spitzer

The history of music from bone flutes to Beyoncé. Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► Up Next ► The science of music: why your brain gets hooked on hit songs The evolution of music over millennia is tied to human civilization. For example, hunter-gatherers, who were very mobile, had to have small, light instruments to carry with them. Once we settled into bigger cities, larger instruments could be built. Today, music is as accessible as running water. But if you were born in Beethoven’s time, you would be lucky to hear two symphonies in your lifetime. Read the video transcript ► ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Michael Spitzer: Michael Spitzer is the author of The Musical Human and professor of music at the University of Liverpool, where he leads the department’s work on classical music. A music theorist and musicologist, he is an authority on Beethoven, with interests in aesthetics and critical theory, cognitive metaphor, and music and affect. He organized the International Conferences on Music and Emotion and the International Conference on Analyzing Popular Music and currently chairs the editorial board of Music Analysis Journal. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Read more of our stories on the science and history of music: Why do old people hate new music? ► Why does music numb physical pain? Scientists uncover clues. ► Why Arthur Schopenhauer thought music was the greatest of all art forms ► ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Big Think | Smarter Faster™ ► Big Think The leading source of expert-driven, educational content. With thousands of videos, featuring experts ranging from Bill Clinton to Bill Nye, Big Think helps you get smarter, faster by exploring the big ideas and core skills that define knowledge in the 21st century. ► Big Think Make your business smarter, faster: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Want more Big Think? ► Daily editorial features: ► Get the best of Big Think right to your inbox: ► Facebook: ► Instagram: ► Twitter: