The Acoustic Rhythm of Everyday Life

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In pre-Industrial societies, music ordered the day, providing a continuous conditioning of the environment. Like animals in the wild, individuals working would sing either individually or in groups. Often particularly talented singers would be appointed to carry the tune. The rhythmic structure of the song marked the cyclical time of the day and provided the sensation of time passing. The songs would comment on the work process, everyday life, or religious themes, thereby establishing a shared bond between co-workers even in the most difficult of situations. Songs sung together at the workplace, at home, and in worship established solid bonds in communities by providing shared experiences and marking the memory of other shared experiences. Music was the stuff history itself was made of.

If everyday life was structured by an acoustic rhythm, the repetition of the songs was a constant producer of difference. Each time the song was song, it was adapted to the circumstances of the moment. Until the Industrial Revolution, all sounds were unique. Whether they were produced for music, as by-products of human actions, or natural in origin, sounds could not be replicated.

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