The Role of Mothers in the Origins of Music

codes that babies and mothers understand. It also contains cross-cultural similarities with regard to the physical gestures and movements it incorporates - an important consideration when examining the origin of music. 'The sonic-gestural vocabulary conveys to both mother and infant information about the present physical and emotional condition of each, along with the current nature of interaction between them,' states Parncutt. 'Here, emotions such as surprise and disappointment are learned for the first time in a social and musical context. It is about survival in that it motivates the mother to care for the infant and gives her information about the infant's needs.' For example, mothers can understand when their babies are tired or hungry. Motherese also helps infants to acquire language. C Parncutt explains that a fetus begins hearing nearly four months before birth, as it regularly hears its mother's voice, heartbeat, and digestive sounds - all of which provide information about its mother's emotional state. After birth, the baby recognises these sound patterns and its mother's correlating mood. Gary McPherson, head of the University of Melbourne's School of Music, reiterates the importance of this prenatal…