To the Editor:
Regarding “Exploring the Archaeology of Music” (Science Times, May 21st):
Nearly all of our achievements as a species depend on human cooperation. In our natural state, humans are medium-sized animals struggling to survive alone (without the aid of music). By working together, we create everything we have: houses, towns, cities, factories, and more.
Music is an essential element in that process. Most traditional music is highly functional: it is used in religious ceremonies, community events, family gatherings, dancing, courtship, work (to keep workers in harmony), and sometimes even plays a role in battle, as in the case of Scottish bagpipes.
Music is like an intangible thread that connects us all. Anything that fosters human cooperation offers a great survival advantage. It's no wonder that music, like language, is universal among us.
David Goldberg
new york
To the Editor:
I was interested to read about the latest research on music using big data, as described in your article. My late father, David Epstein, a conductor and music professor at MIT, did a lot of research on music performance, pointing out how and why music taps into fundamental human abilities across cultures.
His research focused on tempo/rhythm/pulse, and he discovered several fascinating features of tempo that intrigue scientists in many fields. One of his key findings (using a stopwatch, not big data) was that highly skilled musicians have a sense of rhythm so finely tuned that they can play at different tempos throughout a song, stretching out a phrase here, speeding up in another place, and landing in exactly the same place as if they had played at a straight (and boring) metronome tempo throughout the entire song. Audiences respond to the drama of that playful interpretation.
I don't think my father ever doubted that music speaks to the deepest desires of human beings, the desire to connect with each other's heartbeats in a language that goes beyond words.
Eve Epstein
Port Townsend, Washington
To the Editor:
Your article introduces new research that points to universal differences between spoken word and sung/instrumental music. With insightful and thorough research in ethnomusicology and new discoveries from comparative musicology and science, we may be on the brink of a golden age of musicology.
Over a century ago, my grandfather John Lomax began recording the songs of ordinary Americans, donating more than 10,000 recordings to the Library of Congress. His influential work documented and celebrated the unique music and identity of working-class America. His son, Alan Lomax, followed a similar path, but also looked around the world to explore patterns in global musical forms.
Music research points in many directions. What does music retain as it changes? Do factors like climate, lifestyle and diet affect musical styles? Do global warming, changes in migration patterns and availability of water and food affect music? We still don't know why music came about, but we've known for a long time that music has a direct connection to the human heart.
Anna Lomax Wood
new york
The author, an anthropologist and ethnomusicologist, is co-founder of the Cultural Equality Institute at Hunter College.
Will politicians accept the results?
To the Editor:
On the last day of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, a woman asked Benjamin Franklin, “Which do we choose? A republic or a monarchy?” He answered, “If we can keep a republic.” We're about to find out if we can keep a republic.
Former President Donald Trump is again preparing to reject the results of the next election if he loses, and thanks to him, distrust in free and fair elections is firmly ingrained in Republican culture.
Republican leaders have joined in, with a growing number of senators and representatives declaring they are not ready to accept the results of November's election. We may have entered an era when audits, recounts and courts can no longer resolve election challenges.
“Trump and his allies are not only attacking the fair administration of our elections, they are also attacking our judicial system and other democratic institutions. The former President has turned the party of Lincoln against democracy, the rule of law, and the institutions that hold us together and ensure order.
The question posed to Benjamin Franklin 237 years ago at the birth of our nation has prophetically appeared again.
David Pederson
Excelsior, Minnesota
To the Editor:
Several recent articles and op-eds have highlighted the refusal of former President Donald Trump and other Republican politicians to unequivocally accept the results of this year's election. I'm a Democrat and I think Trump was a terrible president, but I find these articles unfair.
No honest politician can blindly accept the results of future elections. What if there really was serious election fraud? I believe such fraud could occur again this year, but more likely from the Republican side. What if Democrats believe that Republican governors in battleground states have unfairly manipulated the results?
It is appropriate for politicians to say that they will accept the results of an election if it is fair. Of course, politicians who say this should then act in good faith in their judgment of whether the election was fair, and there is good reason to be concerned that Trump and other prominent Republican politicians may not act in good faith. But it is not reasonable to expect politicians to promise to unconditionally accept the results of future elections.
Jonathan R. Siegel
Chevy Chase, Maryland
The author is a professor of law at the George Washington University Law School.
Honoring the Dead
To the Editor:
“How Should We Honor Those Who Died in a Failed War?” by Phil Clay (Guest essay in Opinion magazine, May 26)
Clay's moving work focused on Iraq and Afghanistan and stirred my feelings that have always been close to the surface about Vietnam, the terrible war of my generation.
When I was a young man in the 1960s, the horror and moral bankruptcy of Vietnam, vividly portrayed daily on television and in the news, was compounded by my own fear of being drafted and becoming a part of the carnage. Thinking about the war, talking with friends and family, and reading about nonviolent social movements led me to become a conscientious objector.
I am continually amazed that humanity, with all its scientific and technological advances, has not yet figured out how to sublimate our aggressive and greedy impulses and deal with our fears and differences in more just, humane and respectful ways rather than killing each other.
Paul Goldberg
Arlington, Massachusetts
Fear of crime
To the Editor:
Regarding “Violent Crime Down, But Voters Remain Anxious” (news article, May 27):
Many crimes and intimidating acts go unreported, and even those that are reported often underestimate the number of people affected. Fear is exacerbated by brazen violence and disruptive acts in public places and the workplace.
Increased gun ownership and use of home security devices are better indicators. More importantly, the experiences of ordinary citizens over the past 5 to 10 years tell a true story. Public officials are losing voter trust by using questionable data to negate everyday experiences.
Edward Aberfoone
Sparkill, New York