BBC World service this week featured a programme about drums quoting a Paul Barnes saying that the earliest evidence for human music making goes back 30-35 thousand years ago and consists of a series of lithophones - stones in the form of stalacities that would resonate at different frequencies when struck.
Also that some studies imply that the areas of greatest decoration in prehistoric caves coincide with where the acoustics are best. As far as I can trace from Google, Paul Barnes is a musician and pianist specialising in the performance of ancient music. Music has considerable importance for creating collective feeling, trust, and intuitive cooperation. All of great economic significance in a pre-capitalist society. It seems likely to me that singing, dancing and other simple musical instruments, were important for many thousands of years before this. Does anyone know of an earlier date for confirmed evidence? Chris Burford London
