Language
English
Publication Date
6-1-2025
Journal
American Journal of Primatology
DOI
10.1002/ajp.70048
PMID
40434096
Abstract
The evolution of human musicality has attracted immense and intense cross-disciplinary research attention. However, despite widespread interest, there has been surprisingly little explicit focus on the conserved roots and evolutionary precursors of musicality in our closest relatives, chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and bonobos (P. paniscus). We here aim to evaluate the extant literature on chimpanzees and bonobos in behavioral contexts relevant to evolutionary theories of musicality, especially simultaneous production of acoustics signals by multiple individuals ("collective acoustics"). We illustrate the importance of this literature by evaluating and comparing a pair of recent, influential, and competing theories on the evolution of human musicality (music for social bonding and music for credible signaling) in light of the reviewed empirical evidence. We conclude by highlighting core remaining questions for future empirical studies on great ape collective acoustics that may have a critical influence on our understanding of the evolution of human musicality.
Keywords
Animals, Music, Humans, Biological Evolution, Pan troglodytes, Acoustics, Pan paniscus, Social Behavior, Vocalization, Animal
Published Open-Access
yes
Recommended Citation
Brooks, James; Clay, Zanna; Dufour, Valérie; et al., "Collective Acoustics in Pan: Conserved Roots in the Evolution of Human Musicality" (2025). Faculty, Staff and Students Publications. 8356.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/baylor_docs/8356