Artigo Revisado por pares

Bravo Emma! Music in the life and work of Charles Darwin

2009; Elsevier BV; Volume: 33; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.endeavour.2009.01.005

ISSN

1873-1929

Autores

J.F. Derry,

Tópico(s)

Evolution and Science Education

Resumo

The long-term marital dance of Emma and Charles Darwin was set to the routine beat of an almost daily piano recital. Emma was a proficient pianist, and so a quality instrument was a welcome and appropriate house-warming present for their first marital home in London. That same piano accompanied the Darwins on their move to Downe before being upgraded for a newer model, which is still there, whilst another, cheaper piano may have played in Charles Darwin's work, particularly on earthworms. Whilst he lamented his own lack of musicality, Darwin revelled in his wife's prowess, a capacity that he recognised could be inherited, not least through observation of his own children. The evolution of musicality, he reasoned, was rooted in sexual attraction as a form of communication that preceded language.

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