The Origins of Music: Preface - Preface

Biomusicology were to deal with the origins (phylogeny) of music,with

its ontogeny,and with the interaction of biology and culture in music,

respectively.The planning of the first of these,on “The Origins of Music,”

on which the present volume is based,was undertaken by us in collabo-

ration with François-Bernard Mâche of the Ecole des hautes études in

Paris.It was carried through with support of the European Community

(EC),the Swedish Institute,the Swedish National Concert Institute,and

the Regione Toscana.

We have the pleasure of thanking all contributors,including those who

were not with us in person in Florence,for their great interest in and

commitment to the topics and issues of the workshop,questions that for

the greater part of this century have been discussed only rarely,and

never before in a framework of joint discussions among representatives

of most of the disciplines that reasonably can be expected to have some-

thing to contribute to the elucidation of the evolutionary history and

biological roots of music.

The editors’ introduction documents the Institute’s current perspec-

tive on systematic and methodological questions connected with the

origins of music,and how this perspective has developed since Biomusi-

cologywas published.This introductory chapter is in some ways a latter-

day sequel to one part of the systematic and historically important survey

of the whole field of musicology (Musikwissenschaft) presented by

Guido Adler in 1885,the part,namely,which he called Musikforschung

(“music research”).

We thank Judy Olsson,of the Institute staff,for technical assistance.

Our warm thanks,finally,to the MIT Press and to Amy Brand and

Katherine A.Almeida of its editorial staff for their interest and efforts

in making these studies available to an international audience.

Nils L.Wallin

Björn Merker

Steven Brown

x Preface

MUSPR 9/14/99 11:55 AM Page x