Prof. Trehub points out that how a song is sung can dramatically influence what it sounds like. I have heard a lot of mothers singing lullabies around the world, and let me assure you, you wouldn't want to learn about pitch levels by the way a mother sings to her child. Perhaps the most contentious issue is what the new findings say about the relationship of atonal to tonal music. Schoenberg contended that when people became familiar with it, his atonal music would eventually become as popular as tonal music. The Canadians say their findings does not mean one musical form is biologically better than another.
Consonance does start out with some distinct advantages.
However, that is just what people who like atonal music do, she added.