"Michael Spitzer has pulled off the impossible: a Guns, Germs and Steel for music." —Daniel Levitin
A colossal history spanning cultures, time, and space to explore the vibrant relationship between music and the human species.

165 million years ago saw the birth of rhythm.
66 million years ago was the first melody.
40 thousand years ago Homo sapiens created the first musical instrument.

Today music fills our lives. How we have created, performed and listened to this music throughout history has defined what our species is and how we understand who we are. Yet music is an overlooked part of our origin story. The Musical Human takes us on an exhilarating journey across the ages – from Bach to BTS and back – to explore the vibrant relationship between music and the human species. With insights from a wealth of disciplines, world-leading musicologist...