What is music? - Charles Taylor's 1989 Christmas Lectures 1/5

In his first lecture, Charles Taylor explains why some sounds are musical and others are just noise. This was recorded on 1 Dec 1989. Music is one of the most familiar features of everyday life and in all cultures people have always danced and sung in rituals, in celebrations, and as an expression of joy. Whenever the pressure of the air is changed rapidly, our ear-brain system detects the pressure changes as sound.

Courtesy of The Royal Institution on YouTube. Watch on YouTube ↗

More Science & Tech Documentaries

Richard Dawkins: The Greatest Show on Earth2010•1h 1m•HD•★8.8The Strange World of Nanoscience2012•17m•HD•★8.7Through the Wormhole2012•45m•HD•★8.6Rule from the Shadows: The Psychology of Power2014•37m•HD•★8.5Can you really reach anyone in 6 steps?2025•33m•4K•★7.7This is the natural disaster to worry about2025•41m•4K•★7.7Interview: Fossil Hunting, Sinkholes, and Paleobotany with Kirk Johnson | Particles of Thought2025•1h 37m•HD•★7.7No man is an island – David Pye’s 1985 Christmas Lectures 1/62025•57m•HD•★7.7Prehistoric Life: Epic Dinosaur Battles2024•3m•4K•★7.6Einstein vs Bohr: The Quantum Debate2023•59m•HD•★8.1When the Earth Fights Back: The Destructive Power of Plate Tectonics2025•51m•HD•★8.0Human X: The Discovery That Could Rewrite Our Story2026•2h 6m•HD•★7.8