Biomusicology: An Overview

Biomusicology is a multi- and interdisciplinary field that examines music as a biological and biocultural phenomenon, integrating perspectives from evolutionary biology, neuroscience, psychology, anthropology, and musicology. This chapter provides a graduate-level overview of biomusicology with emphasis on its theoretical foundations, major branches, and methodological approaches. The chapter traces the historical emergence of biomusicology as a scientific discipline and outlines its principal subfields, including evolutionary musicology, neuromusicology, comparative and cross-cultural biomusicology, zoomusicology, and applied biomusicology. Core theoretical frameworks such as evolutionary adaptation and byproduct hypotheses, the musilanguage model, Tinbergen’s multi-level explanatory approach, vocal learning and rhythmic entrainment theories, and biocultural models of music are critically discussed. The chapter further highlights key contributors and landmark empirical findings that have shaped contemporary understanding of musicality as a componential and biologically grounded human capacity. Methodological strategies ranging from neuroimaging and comparative animal studies to large-scale cross-cultural analyses are reviewed. Current debates, conceptual limitations, and emerging directions in biomusicology are also examined. Overall, the chapter positions biomusicology as a robust integrative framework for understanding the origins, mechanisms, functions, and cultural expressions of music, with relevance for cognitive science, evolutionary studies, and applied research in health and education.