Language of music really is universal, study finds (fwd link)

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Language of music really is universal, study finds

Native African people who have never even listened to the radio before can
nonetheless pick up on happy, sad, and fearful emotions in Western music,
according to a new report published online on March 19th in Current Biology, a
Cell Press publication. The result shows that the expression of those three
basic emotions in music can be universally recognized, the researchers said.

"These findings could explain why Western music has been so successful in global
music distribution, even in music cultures that do not as strongly emphasize the
role of emotional expression in their music," said Thomas Fritz of the
Max-Planck-Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences.

The expression of emotions is a basic feature of Western music, and the capacity
of music to convey emotional expressions is often regarded as a prerequisite to
its appreciation in Western cultures, the researchers explained. In other
musical traditions, however, music is often appreciated for other qualities,
such as group coordination in rituals.

Access full article below:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-03/cp-lom031209.php