Music - fighting pandemics since 700 BC

The Guardian has an encouraging article about how music helped the humanity during the times of pandemics. When plague struck Sparta in the 7th century BC, city leaders petitioned the poet Thaletus to sing hymns. In summer of 1576, when plague of Saint Charles devastated much of the Italian north, thousands of Milanese men, women and children opened their windows and sang. Now, people in Italy, Spain, Canada and the wider world have used music to bring their communities together on a truly impressive scale. Dr. Chris Macklin, a former professor of musicology at Mercer University, explained to the G that “music was not a luxury in times of epidemic uncertainty – it was a necessity”.