Global musical diversity is largely independent of linguistic and genetic histories.

TitleGlobal musical diversity is largely independent of linguistic and genetic histories.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2024
AuthorsPassmore S, Wood ALC, Barbieri C, Shilton D, Daikoku H, Atkinson QD, Savage PE
JournalNat Commun
Volume15
Issue1
Pagination3964
Date Published2024 May 10
ISSN2041-1723
KeywordsAfrica South of the Sahara, Asia, Southeastern, Cultural Diversity, Genetic Variation, Humans, Language, Linguistics, Music
Abstract

Music is a universal yet diverse cultural trait transmitted between generations. The extent to which global musical diversity traces cultural and demographic history, however, is unresolved. Using a global musical dataset of 5242 songs from 719 societies, we identify five axes of musical diversity and show that music contains geographical and historical structures analogous to linguistic and genetic diversity. After creating a matched dataset of musical, genetic, and linguistic data spanning 121 societies containing 981 songs, 1296 individual genetic profiles, and 121 languages, we show that global musical similarities are only weakly and inconsistently related to linguistic or genetic histories, with some regional exceptions such as within Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Our results suggest that global musical traditions are largely distinct from some non-musical aspects of human history.

DOI10.1038/s41467-024-48113-7
Alternate JournalNat Commun
PubMed ID38729968
PubMed Central IDPMC11087526
Grant List19KK0064 / / MEXT | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) /
19KK0064 / / MEXT | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) /
19KK0064 / / MEXT | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) /