Word of the Chair - June 2024
A couple of weeks ago, together with two colleagues, I acted as jury for a BASIS public speaking competition. There were four very engaged and brave public speakers. One of the speeches focused on the limits of language as a way of expression. There are so many human emotions that need to be expressed where words fall short. Humans have been struggling with these limitations for eons. One explanation for the emergence of music thousands of years ago is the idea of offering us alternative ways of expression.
Recently new research came out that pointed to an evolutionary explanation for the appearance of music. Charles Darwin and his idea of the survival of the fittest found it hard to see evolutionary benefit in music.* Being able to make music was no obvious evolutionary asset; why did it emerge? A big data study, with a focus on acoustic characteristics of a very large number of songs in many different cultures around the world revealed the universality of music. Its use is diverse but clearly linked to communication, with a higher pitch and lower tempo than the spoken word. Apart from communication, music is important for bonding with children, in courtship and group cohesion but also to trigger passions in rivalry and war.
In the past few weeks, we have witnessed a lot of demonstrations on campus in which in particular chants featured, as well as in some cases the beating of drums. They showcased a means of communication and group cohesion but were also perceived by many as threatening. In past periods of social unrest, protest songs were prevalent and we cannot think about the 1960s for instance without acknowledging the importance of the protest songs of Bob Dylan. His ‘Blowin in the Wind’ and ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’ are still very much part of American culture repertoire today. One of the most notable and notorious American groups named themselves after one of Dylan’s songs: The Weathermen – ‘You don’t need the weathermen to know which way the wind blows’ from Subterranean Homesick Blues.
It strikes me that today the protests are not -or perhaps not yet- accompanied by similar notable protest songs.** One part of the repertoire of action, and potentially a powerful one, appears to be unused.
On the verge of the summer break I would like to highlight the positive effects of song and music and their contributions to contemporary culture. Moreover, the summer break also offers us the opportunity to further indulge in the enjoyment of music, either in the park or on a sunny beach to relax and wind down. Whatever your inclination, I wish you a restive break and look forward to welcome you back on campus refreshed and recharged in September.
* Carl Zimmer, ‘Why do People Make Music?’, New York Times, 15 May 2024: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/15/science/universal-music-evolution.html
See also: Kerry Candaele, ‘The Sixties and Protest Music’, The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History: https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/essays/sixties-and-protest-music
** Contenders could possibly be: Muse – Will of the People or IDLES - Grounds?
Academy of Creative and Performing Arts (ACPA)
Did you know that Leiden University also offers education in the arts for Leiden University students? Get to know ACPA, Leiden's Academy of Creative and Performing Arts! It offers electives, minors, programmes for students with talent for music and arts (Practicum Musicae and Practicum Artium) and honours courses? Find out more on their website.