“Musical instruments may have been used in recreation or for religious ritual, experts say…”
from the BBC Science-environment
“And some researchers have argued that music may have been one of a suite of behaviours displayed by our species which helped give them an edge over the Neanderthals – who went extinct in most parts of Europe 30,000 years ago.
Music could have played a role in the maintenance of larger social networks, which may have helped our species expand their territory at the expense of the more conservative Neanderthals.”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18196349
A link to the source for this article with a silly song played on a replica of this flute.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8117915.stm