Antecedents of Contemporary Uses for Music in Healthcare Contexts: The 1890s to the 1940s

Abstract

The use of music as an agent of health promotion or healing is not a new phenomenon, however examination of the uses and ubiquity of music in healing practices prior to the contemporary profession "music therapy" have only more recently received consideration from historical and anthropological perspectives (Gouk, 2000; Horden, 20001). Given that one of the goals of this book has been to offer a contemporary snapshot of the ways music is actioned as healthful in contexts where people are receiving medical treatment or care, reference to past uses of music to attain healthcare goals can provide a backdrop to current practices. This chapter provides a brief review and discussion of some of the literature about music in health care published prior to the establishment of music therapy as an allied health discipline in the United Kingdom and the United States of America around the middle of the twentieth century. This brief survey reveals some of the negative reactions to proposed uses of music in hospital settings. It also indicates aspects of the contested nature of the term "music therapy" when it first appeared as a descriptor for practice.