What Is Music For?

Why do we have music? Why do we love music, and have such a deep, human need for it? It is just vibrating air, yet it is at the heart of so many of our rituals; weddings, funerals, parties and all kinds of gatherings. Fleur Bouwer is both a musician and a cognitive neuroscientist, and in this fascinating book, she analyses everything that is remarkable about music – the way people can create it instinctively, know that some chords express certain emotions, and respond to it at a fundamental level. Humanity agrees that music makes all our lives better, but how? What is music for?