Environment Matters
Sound as has been established has never been two-dimensional, the propagation of a sound occurs in all directions and is affected therefore by other physical bodies that are encountered. These interactions of sound waves in an environment can conceptually be referred to as acoustics, how a sound wave is manipulated by its environment.
The intention of an environment has been critical over the course of human history and has informed tonality and rhythm of communication. Taking music out of the equation; the communication of instilling fear into a predator might be achieved by making something sound tonally lower, or by making it sound like there are more than a single thing that is present. If the tool you had was your voice, then lowering your tone to a point where the cave you were nearby amplified your voice with a resonant frequency, a multiplication and coupling of soundwaves to increase their effect might be the difference between being safe and being dead.
Over the centuries, humans have evolved their understanding of these factors and been able to apply very complex analysis and simulation to define exactly how a space can perform to ensure that the spaces primary purpose can be achieved. This practice is acoustical design and has meant that humans have become very effective at translating their message within a particular venue.
It has also meant that those venues have taken to influence the sonic characteristics used, low drones and slow chants fill a cavernous space with enveloping sound that might elicit a human interpretation of vastness, omnipresence and comfort. Early cathedrals and other religious venues would often follow this model, from a musical perspective this can be seen in sacred music versus secular music in the pre-renaissance era of composition. These Medieval compositions would benefit from the long slow male tonalities that were often sung more quietly but would resonate within the spaces to emulate the vastness of the world around them. The primary message then provided would be of a higher tone.
As new, more secular spaces were built for humans to engage with each other these factors became more and more relevant to how a message would be impacted by the structure. Concert venues for classical music performance apply a very complicated and intricate set of factors, and as is often stated those classical composers would be commissioned to write music for a particular event and location.
What about parts of the world where those cathedrals and concert halls were not a primary factor in the development of musical styles? This is a critical factor, how is music evolved and defined by the environment; and one reason I find music to be such a fascinating study, and why immersive music should not therefore be constrained by technology.