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•★8.8
The Strange World of Nanoscience2012•17m•HD•★8.7
Through the Wormhole2012•45m•HD•★8.6
Rule from the Shadows: The Psychology of Power2014•37m•HD•★8.5
The Universe is Stranger Than We Could’ve Imagined, with Mordecai-Mark Mac Low2026•1h 0m•HD•★7.7
Earth in 1000 Years: A Melted Mess | HD2024•46m•4K•★7.7
Quantum Reality: Space, Time, and Entanglement | World Science Festival2018•1h 33m•HD•★7.7
This Particle Solved Everything. We Just Found Out It Isn't Real2026•20m•HD•★7.7
MBARI's Spectacular Deep-Sea Sightings from 2025 in Stunning 4K2025•4m•4K•★8.4
Extreme Temperature Science With Richard Hammond2020•58m•HD•★8.0
Discovering Dinosaurs in Frozen Antarctica2024•50m•4K•★8
A is for atoms - Frank Close 1993 Christmas Lectures 1/52025•58m•HD•★7.8