When you purchase through affiliate links on MusicTech.com, you may contribute to our site through commissions. Learn more.
Get MusicTech breaking news as it happens by following us on Telegram: https://t.me/MusicTechOfficial
AVA London Conference: Brian Eno has suggested that discovering why humans like music is as “profound” and “huge” a question as discovering how the universe started.
The statement was made during the opening keynote of AVA London Conference in the British Library in London last Thursday, in which the ambient pioneer aimed to answer the question “Does music help?” alongside former Prince guitarist Donna Grantis.
This keynote initially saw Eno and Grantis attempt to decipher whether music could be a positive force in the fight against climate change, but soon veered into an eye-opening discussion about the psychology behind how artists make music, and why humans like it.
“I think this question of why do we like music is a really profound question. It’s as interesting and as deep as ‘How did the universe start?’ It’s a huge question,” he said.
Brian Eno also talked about the unique relationship humans have with music, contrasting it with the responses of other animals to sound. He noted, “We can look at other animals and see what they do in response to sound.
So some birds know how to keep a beat. Cockatoos are quite good at it. They’ll dance.” However, Eno highlighted a limitation in their musical understanding, stating, “Other creatures can learn melodies, like some of the higher primates can learn melodies. But if you transpose them into a different key, they don’t see the relationship.”
