Origin and history of music Why was music born?

Music is commonplace in modern society. Music is heard everywhere, but humans are the only creatures that consciously play music. So why did humans develop music? And why did music develop and permeate into human society? Not many people know that. It may not be certain, but it is an article about its origin.

origin

There are various theories about the origin of music. It’s still a theory, not a definite matter.

Origin of language

The theory is that the accent and intonation of the spoken language was inflected according to the emotions, and the song was born.

Courtship origin

It is the theory that there are songs and dances that appeal to the opposite sex to human beings, which have evolved into folk music and folk songs.

Emotional origin

The theory is that the voice when human emotions rose became a song.

Labor origin

Humans have been farming and hunting in groups for a long time. The theory is that the shouts that were born in the process of collaboration at that time became music.

Signal origin

It is said that voices and musical instruments were used to signal distant people during hunting and warfare.

The oldest musical instrument in the world

Today, the oldest certified instrument is a whistle made from 40,000-year-old vulture bones and mammoth tusks found in a German cave. It is also known as the “Homo sapiens flute”, but since the flute cannot be blown and there is no sheet music, it is a mystery what kind of music you enjoyed. The current situation is that musical instruments existed in Germany at least 40,000 years ago.

When did music come from?

Homo sapiens, the only modern human being, appeared in Africa 200,000 to 300,000 years ago, according to the “out of Africa” theory of natural anthropology. If we can trace the ancestors of humankind, everyone in the world will eventually reach Africans. It is possible that humanity first played music in Africa, about 200,000 to 300,000 years ago.

Ancient music

In the days of ancient civilization, there was already what seemed to be music.

Mesopotamia

From the ruins of the civilization of Mesopotamia, which is one of the oldest cultures in the world, reliefs carving the figures of people playing harps, lyres, flutes, drums, etc. have been discovered. I don’t know what kind of song I was playing because there is no score left at that time.

Egypt

In Egyptian civilization, music has been played actively during ceremonies and festivals since about 3000 BC. Musical instruments such as harp, lyre, vertical flute, and clarinet have been found in the remains of the Pyramid, and many mural paintings show how the musical instruments are played. In addition, what seems to be a musical score with hieroglyphs is also left.

Greece

In Greece, which is said to be the birthplace of Western civilization, music seems to have flourished since around 1000 BC. In education, music was the main focus along with philosophy, literature, and physical education. In addition, theoretical research on music was carried out, and the types of scales and rhythms were arranged.

Medieval music

The period of about 1000 years from the 5th century to the middle of the 15th century was the time when Christianity was most enthusiastically worshiped and music developed around the Christian church. When people gathered in church and prayed to God, they began to sing praises for God based on old songs of faith and songs sung in Judaism.

Baroque music

From the 17th century to the middle of the 18th century, when Vivaldi Bach Handel and others were active, instrumental music developed and voice music came out. Music that can be organized in large quantities has been released, and operas, ensemble songs, etc. have appeared. The word “baroque” originally meant “badly shaped pearls,” which later classical people referred to as the art of those days.

Classical music

From the 18th century to the 19th century, it became music that was enjoyed at courts and other places, mainly in Vienna. The period when string quartets and concertos were born is called the classical school. Classic means old books, especially Greek and Roman literary arts.

Contemporary music

Atonal music and twelve-tone music have been produced that do not have adjustments such as major and minor. In search of newer music, electronic music and music-concrète have emerged.