AUTHOR=Chiu Remi 

TITLE=Functions of Music Making Under Lockdown: A Trans-Historical Perspective Across Two Pandemics

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.616499

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2020.616499

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=<p>This paper describes how music fulfills two of its broadly recognized functions—“mood regulation” and “social cohesion”—in times of pandemics and social isolation. Through a trans-historical comparison of the musical activities of the Milanese during an outbreak of plague in 1576 with the musical activities observed during the COVID lockdowns in 2020 (such as balcony-singing and playlist-making), this paper suggests a framework for understanding the role of music in the care of the biological body and the social body in times of medical disaster.</p>