We are a music-making species —
always have been, always will be —
and music’s capacity to explore, express and address
what it is to be human remains one of our greatest communal gifts…
We evolved by coming together around the fire every night,
singing songs and telling stories —
invariably, telling stories through singing songs.
That’s what our ancestors did;
that’s how they made sense of the world and each other;
that’s how they learned how to be.
It is an impulse that is still fundamental to who we are.
Clemency Burton-Hill
Year of Wonder: Classical Music to Enjoy Day by Day
