Music as Intangible Cultural Heritage

Our first contact with music is almost certainly in our childhood when our parents sing lullabies to us at bedtime. In a community where music is important, these songs are likely to be successfully transmitted from one generation to the next. This is similar to the concept of intangible cultural heritage and how it is transmitted. Intangible cultural heritage, according to the UNESCO's 2003 Convention (2018a), refers to "the oral traditions and expressions, performing arts, social practices, rituals and festive events" that are transmitted from generation to generation. The UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage has been extended with new inscriptions since 2008. The terms music and song are present in 304 of the 584 elements on the list (52%), referring to music alone or combined with other dimensions such as dance and poetry. Table