New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-02-21
THE FIRST MUSIC.
PROFESSOR WILSON'S INVESTIGATIONS
AT THE SMITHSONIAN.
DEVELOPMENT OF MELODY FROM RUDE eA'"'i
CRIES AND FROM PURELY RHYTHMicAL'
INSTRUMENTS.

Washington Feb. 10 (SpeciaD.-Professor lholnas
WILSON, the curator of the Department Oh Ire,"'
+oric Antbropology of the Smithsonian insutuuo'
has in course of preparation paper on 'he o.le."
NJ music and its relation to the arts or prehsuoi0
zines. His study is based upon knowledge op-
tanned from prehistoric instruments or music !" '
various museums OF the world, a large hu"oe' "
which in the Smithsonian Institution nave no"
heen classified and arranged. PROFESSOR NHSo"
states that prehistoric man was not the ruue ie'-
law that students OF early anhropology would nave
rs believe While arguments as to the cui'Natio"
in certain directions Of the prehistoric man are
pr.ori yet the designs and ornaments WhlCh H' io'
left on articles Of bone. stone and other m''ei'9
give lie the knowledge that he was a sculptor III
small way yet of rare ability In showing both the
fora and the animal life of the period of his eN-
istence The fashion. too. Of these instruments 'he
ingenuity in conception and deicacy IN cons" "'-
ton indicate that he was not without the 'nNe"-
tive faculty and skill TO execute his Ideas aier E
were conceived The facts which Professor VII
son deduces IN regard TO the music and musical IN
struments of the prehistoric peoples are the result
OF the most careful study of the instruments them-
eeves and such literature as may be available
The writers on music say that the introduction OF
the element of time or rhythm Is as Ola a. HuS'o
itself but this Professor Wilson says Is merely d
conjecture From his present knowledge or these
esrIv instruments he is able 10 go further the
drum and rattle Of the savage give forth nnt one
tone and their music consists In strokes or shakes,
thus marifesting rhythm, and that only Inc
earliest prehistoric whistle In the possession OF the
Smithsonian gave but single note. Dut those OIL
later periods had two. and some as many as hNe
notes although the officers at the Smithsonian ca"
hardly make melody from them. Drums and rat
Ties might have mad different pitches and given diff
ferent notes but there is nothing 10 show that they
were Intentionally So 1t is believed that II pltch'
IN the sense OF melody, was considered, il Is eNl-
dence OF a higher grade OF culture among these
drumbeaters than that with which they nave peeh
credited In the music of the savage tribes OF to-day
a fev sounds are used differing in pitch. hut there
Is not sufficient reason TO believe that these sounds
correspond as regards their gradations with any
regular musical system
THE FIRST HUMAN CRIES.
To get traces of systems one must resort TO ma
tions more civilized. In the case OF some ancient
nations treatises on music are found, IN whch 'he
relations of the sounds and the modes of using
them are described with some minuteness. A re-
sumo of these theories is substantially as follows;
THAT &c the first noise or sound made by the voice or
man Is the cry as it Is to-day with the human IN
FAINT and without meaning beyond possibly the
effort to attract attention. AS the human cry gre"
n changed TO represent passion, and, finally. ny
"onomatopes" Il became articulate, and so grew
into language About this time came modulations
Of the voice: and Diderot says the fundamental
principle of music is that 1t Is the cry OF an amman
representing passion. Professor Wilson says that
some animals. especially birds. have the power or
music without that of language but 1t is believed TO
express the same sentiments of passion as does
music when expressed by man in his language
Music he says does not belong exclusively to man.
and It is certain that it exists among animals mae
pendent of articulate language
The lark the blackbird and the thrush all have
their songs which. repeated again and again, are
recognizable: while the canary. the mocking-Dird
and the catbrd sing not only their natural songs
h,i. no
to execute new airs entirely Darwin reports that
he heard a baboon which modulated It's voice 10
the extent Of an octave. According to another
writer. Savage, the black chmpanZees rendezvous In
troops In certain places in the heart of Africa. and
give concerts by striking wood of various kinds
trees standing. logs lying. branches spreading
with rods or poles, keeping time and forming sort
OF harmony out of the different tones emitted. II
this be true. says Professor Wilson these would
seem TO be musicians in the lowest scale. and this TO
have been the most primitive musical instrument
II the cry was the origin Of vocal music. so the
noises Of nature are 10 be considered the origin of
musical instruments.
IT was reserved for the white race TO create the
true art of music ii Is heard by modern ears, but
the different nations composing This race seem to
have varied much in their notions as to the solu-
ton of the problem. The Egyptians had music
which must have had considerable extent and
variety They had an octave. which was subdivided
INTO n number OF different parts. The music of
the Chaldeans Babylonans and PhOenicians may
be assumed 10 have been similar to that OF the
Egyptians. Assyrian bass-reliefs on monuments
dating from 1000 years b. c. represent musical in
gtruments which may possibly have been many
centuries older than the monuments on which they
were represented. Much importance was attached
by the Hebrews 10 their music. but nothlns could
be learned by Professor Wilson as to its tonality
The music Of the Arabs had extraordinary COM
plcations. They had the fifth and the octave. as
hut he mi nee
here for their octave divided into sixteen parts
In Sans ,rit literature the Professor found traces
OF a distinct musical system in India. some 5000
years old, which is still cultivated there
THE PERsIANs AND MODERN MUSIC.
The Persians. so far as the early history OF ma
lions can be made out, seem TO have been the
orginators OF modern music. The Aryans OF Per
STA like those of India. had great liking for
minute intervals of sound for they divided the
octave into twenty-four parts. which would be
equivalent 10 what would be called now quarter
tones each interval being half semitone. Early
Greek music is onyS9ped IN nG Ca eSrT T9
fessor Wilson in what is known OF me poet-nu-
scan 0ympHs who lived Ss years Sef0PS ne
whose genius as philosopher enabled him not only
music but to establish for the art a definite ana
scientific basis. ineligible and available Tor all
time Professor Wilson believes him 10 have been
the founder Of theoretical music; for he 1t was who
first traced out the laws which govern the relations
music within the domain Of natural philosophy.
The way in which Pythagoras effected this was by
means of stretching the string on the Tyre lie had
acuteness enough TO perceive the fundamental fact
that the length OF the string might be made 10 sup
nly an exact definition OF the pitch OF the note II
eounded Hence he was enabled to attach 10 each
sound a certain numerical value. establish positive
and definite relations between the notes and con-
meet for the first time music and mathemat tics.
Out of his Investigations. as is known the diaonic
scale grew into being. Two hundred and nifty
wears after Pyihagoras. Euclid 800 years y. C.,
described Pythagorass formula and made basis
Tor ,he Greek melodies of 1900 years ago.
The oldest OF the prehistoric musical instruments
which have been found consist of whistles made Of
stone and bone ana horns of great size and elab-
crate design found in Scandinavia. The whistle
IS attributed to palaeolithic times. But the most
elaborate as well the most beautiful OF all the
Instruments belonging 10 prehistoric times were the
bronze and gold trumpets OF Scandinavia. They
are not like the whistles Insignificant toys. They