Figure 1.--

The early history of music like dance is much more difficult to assess because it occurred before writing was invented. This was also the cse of art, however, art is tangiable and thus there was actual prehistoric art that has been found. It is not posible to find prehistoric music. Music historians can only speculate about the origins of music. The earliest musical instruments surely was the human voice. Sonds in nature or natural expressions of human emotions might have led early man to music. Animal noices, especiall bird songs may have inspired early man. Some anthropolgists suggest that the first rhythms may have come from tool use. Pounding grains or oher work with tools may have been persued with a rythmn. This may have inspired man to create rythms for pleasure. Anhropolgists generally agree that the first musical instruments were persussion instruments. Early man began making stone tools. This involved banging/pounding rock together. Jagged pieces could be used for cutting and craping. Both pounding and scraping created sound. Over time early man appears to have actuually created musical instruments. Another sound making device was he human hand--clapping. Woodn sticks were at hand and which could be hit together to make noise. Over time man must have discovered that hitting on a hollow log amplified sound an created resonance. It is likely that the first drum was a slit frum, a hollow timber. These very primitive implements along with the voice provided man a substantial repitore of sounds. Over time man took even greate steps, creting drums with animal skins. Perhaps while steaching askin the potential was discovered. Rattles were another step. Perhaps gords were used to store useful small stones, shells, oe seed and the nise making potential discoivered. While early music has disappeaed, archeologists have discovered early musical instruments. Some animal materials were useful, especially bird bones which were hollow. Other animal bone had to hollowed out. One of the earliest instruments that has been found is the bull-roare, a piece of bone twirled over head. Whistles were developed from bone and had practical uses as well as music. Stone tools are diffiult to date. Animal and plant materils are easier to date. Flutes made from mmoh bones have been dated to about 30,000 BC. The first string instrument was surely the lyremade of wood or horn. With the advent of ariculture we have the development of much more sophisticated societies and the appearance of more refined arts including music. Ancient Egypt had a rich musical tradition includung a wide range of musical instruments. The expanding industrial economy and rising income levels increasinly brought music instruction within the reach of an increasing number of families. Mothers in the late-19th Century and early-20th Century could be quite insistent, thinking it important to imbue their proginy with a little culture. In many cases boys objected strenuosly, but mothers had much more authority than is the case today. Thus if a cultured mother decided her son needed dancing or music lessons, it was off to clase he went.

Pre-History

The early history of music like dance is much more difficult to assess because it occurred before writing was invented. This was also the cse of art, however, art is tangiable and thus there was actual prehistoric art that has been found. It is not posible to find prehistoric music. Music historians can only speculate about the origins of music. The earliest musical instruments surely was the human voice. Sonds in nature or natural expressions of human emotions might have led early man to music. Animal noices, especiall bird songs may have inspired early man. Some anthropolgists suggest that the first rhythms may have come from tool use. Pounding grains or oher work with tools may have been persued with a rythmn. This may have inspired man to create rythms for pleasure. Anhropolgists generally agree that the first musical instruments were persussion instruments. Early man began making stone tools. This involved banging/pounding rock together. Jagged pieces could be used for cutting and craping. Both pounding and scraping created sound. Over time early man appears to have actuually created musical instruments. Another sound making device was he human hand--clapping. Woodn sticks were at hand and which could be hit together to make noise. Over time man must have discovered that hitting on a hollow log amplified sound an created resonance. It is likely that the first drum was a slit frum, a hollow timber. These very primitive implements along with the voice provided man a substantial repitore of sounds. Over time man took even greate steps, creting drums with animal skins. Perhaps while steaching a skin the potential was discovered. Rattles were another step. Perhaps gords were used to store useful small stones, shells, oe seed and the nise making potential discoivered. While early music has disappeaed, archeologists have discovered early musical instruments. Some animal materials were useful, especially bird bones which were hollow. Other animal bone had to hollowed out. One of the earliest instruments that has been found is the bull-roare, a piece of bone twirled over head. Whistles were developed from bone and had practical uses as well as music. Stone tools are diffic ult to date. Animal and plant materils are easier to date. Flutes made from animal bones have been dated to about 30,000 BC. The first string instrument was surely the lyremade of wood or horn.

Ancient Civilizations

With the advent of ariculture we have the development of much more sophisticated societies and the appearance of witing and more refined arts including music. We see musical instruments in the earliest civilization --Sumer in Mesopotania. some of these civiliztions like the Hittites left little or no pictorial evidence. Egypt was an exception. Ancient Egypt had a rich musical tradition includung a wide range of musical instruments. Studying anient music is very difficult. Archeologists can find instruments or representations of instuments in art and sculpture. And there are some rferences in available literary works. But because musical notation had not yet been invented, there is no way of knowing about actual musical compositiins and just what ancient people accomplished with their instruments. Music in the Roman Empire is particularly important as the Empire was the vessel in which Western Civilization and Christianity developed. The early Church, however rejected music, expet for the human voice. Instrumental music and dancing at the time was asoociated with immoral practices and thus rejected by the puritanical Church, rather like Islam today. The Chirch would, however, play a major role in the development of modern music. Weare sure about gender and age trends. Egyptian images show beautiful women playing instruments. The Biblical story of David describes boys learning musical instruments.

Medieval Era

The music of the medieval era is a vast and complex topic in that it encompases a period of avout a millenia from the fall of Rome (5th cetury AD) to the Renaisance (14th-14th centuries). This was a long period during which Europe underwent enormous change, espcialy during the late- or high-medieval era. There were two principal types of music during the medieval era, sacred (Church) and seciular music. Most of what we know about medieval music (especially) the Dark Ages is sacred music. Only the church had the institutional capability to create records of music and preserve it for future generations. Church music was dominanted by plainsong (chant) for most of the medieval era. Polyphony was invented (12th century), but did not immediately replace plainsong. An important part of church music was produced by choirs. The early church turned away from commounal singing and excluded women from singing in the church. Thus boys came to play an important role in sacred music. We have not yet created a page on early boy choirs, but we do have details about boy choirs in the high medieval era. Very little is known about secuilar music in the Dark Ages. After the fall of Rome the institutions which trainind singers and musciians disappeared. And what music continued was based on an oral tradition. It was not recorded on paper and virtually nothing has survived. This began to change by the middle period of the medievel era. Music and dance became an important part of courtly life and musical traditions began to develop as commerce and towns began to grow. Music was important during celebration and festivities. The nobility could aford minstrals and troubadors to entertain them when they wanted. The common people had far fewer opportunities. The trubador is perhaps the most important purveyor of secular music during the medieval era. By the late medieval era an increasingly sophisticated musical tradition began to grow, especially with the invention of polypony. And with the invention of notation there ws a a way of preserbing musical works, althogh the lack of an institutional base means that relatively little secular music has survived.

Modern Era

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Created: 6:41 AM 1/21/2016
Last updated: 12:20 PM 1/21/2016