I suspect that the pitch- and rhythm following-modules in the brain that allow the creation and appreciation of music co-evolved with the evolution of language. So music was vital in shaping humans. There are some books on the subject like "The Singing Neanderthals: The Origins of Music, Language, Mind and Body" by Steven Mithen. I have not had the time to read this book, though, so i'm not sure it is good. There is also neurobiological evidence that the music and language is processes in the same brain parts. But overall the research is inconclusive.