Biomusicology is the study of music from a biological point of view. The term was coined by Wallin (1991). Music is an aspect of the behaviour of the human and possibly other species. As humans are living organisms, the scientific study of music is therefore part of biology, thus the "bio" in "biomusicology". Music is a form of art and entertainment or other human activity that involves organized and audible sounds and silence. ... Biology (from Greek βίος λόγος, see below) is the branch of science dealing with the study of living organisms. ...

Biomusicologists are expected to have completed formal studies in both biology or other experimental sciences and musicology including music theory. The three main branches of biomusicology are evolutionary musicology, neuromusicology, and comparative musicology. Evolutionary musicology studies the "origins of music, the question of animal song, selection pressures underlying music evolution," and "music evolution & human evolution." Neuromusicology studies the "brain areas involved in music processing, neural and cognitive processes of musical processing," and "ontogeny of musical capacity and musical skill." Comparative musicology studies the "functions and uses of music, advantages and costs of music making," and "universal features of musical systems and musical behavior." (Brown, Merker, Wallin 2000, p.5f1.1) Music theory is a field of study that investigates the nature or mechanics of music. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with The Origins of Music. ...

Applied biomusicology "attempts to provide biological insight into such things as the therapeutic uses of music in medical and psychological treatment; widespread use of music in the audiovisual media such as film and television; the ubiquitous presence of music in public places and its role in influencing mass behavior; and the potential use of music to function as a general enhancer of learning." (ibid, p.6)

Zoomusicology, as opposed to anthropomusicology, is most often biomusicological, and biomusicology is often zoomusicological. Zoomusicology is a field of musicology and zoology or more specifically, zoosemiotics. ...

Biomusicology is also the title of the first track on Ted Leo's 2001 album The Tyranny of Distance. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists is a punk-influenced indie rock band, with roots in traditional rock, formed while Leo was living in Washington, D.C., but now with members based around the northeast of the United States. ... The Tyranny of Distance is an album released in 2001 by Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. ...

See also

• Cultural evolution
• Prehistoric music
• Origin of scales

Cultural evolution is the structural change of a society and its values over time. ... In the history of music, prehistoric music (previously called primitive music) is all music produced in preliterate cultures (prehistory), beginning somewhere in very late geological history. ... Trio theory is a theory of the origin and nature of music. ...

External Links

• The 7-Note Solution

Source

• Wallin, Merker, and Brown, eds. (2000). "An Introduction to Evolutionary Musicology", The Origins of Music. ISBN 0-262-23206-5.