Catoctin clarion., 1921-06-09
INDIANS IN PERU
knew OF JAZZ
Prehistoric instruments Indicate
That They Must Have
Started Early.
KNEW NOTHING OF STRINGS
Instruments Of Percussion and Wind
Instruments Composed Their
Ochestras-eelis Were Of Copper
With Pebble clappers.

ochestras-selIs Were Of Copper
With Pebble clappers.
New YOrk-That the Indians Of pre-
historic Peru knew the art--Or should
we say science ?-of Jazz" is apparent
from the decorations, representing
orcheStras and dancers, found Oh
the ancient pottery and metal objects
of the region. Further evidence is
furnished by accounts Of early
writer's, and. most convincing, by
numbers Of the musical instruments
themselves which have been recov-
cred from graves and ruins by
archeologists. These Instruments ia-
clude drums. bells. cymbals, rattles.
an unmlstakable ancestor Of the oboe.
If the activities Of al energetic Indian
orchestra, equipped with some Or all
Of these instruments did not produce
something akin to present-day jazz.
the writer is guilty of an error In
Judgment.
Undoubtedly, early man sang and
danced before he produced instru-
mental music. As the most Import
ant element Of the song and dance
is rhythm, and as in singing and
dancing q desire for some sound 10
clearly indicate the rhythm seems to
he universal, primitive vOcalists and
terpischoreaEs everywhere have found
assistance In the swapping OF fingers.
clapping Of hands, beating of hips
and stamping OF feet Then. probably.
the drum was devised-the first
musical instrument. The allied instru-
ments Of percussion, as cymbals.
rattles and bells soon followed.
Wind instruments.
Later came the wind Instruments.
of pipes and horns. And finally. the
more complex stringed instrument
Was developed. The greatest single
step forward in the history OF ill.,
Sirumental music was the mechanical
production of musical scale. This
came with the pipes. LII Peru. evil
dence Is found OF the first two types
instruments OF percussion and wind
iiStrumentS-but so far nothing has
been found to indicate that the pre-
historic Indians Uf the region knew
how TO make music from the vibra
tiuns of strings.
In the American Museum of Nat
ura History in New York City there
Is - large collection Of prehistoric
musical instruments Of Peru. They
have been carefully studied by
Charles W. Mead Assistant Curator
VI the Department Of AnthrOpology.
whose findings have been published
in short paper. According TO Mead,
Av drums have been found in ancient
Peruvian graves. This may be for
the reason, he believes, either that
the drums Of the time, being made of
perishable material have all disinte-
grated, Or that because of some su-
perstitiOn il was not customary to
bury drums with the dead. Drums.
however, were pictured by the native
artists Of the time and described by
early writer's, the evidence showing
lA0l liCy "CIC iuCutiSui LII hllu win
the drums used to-day in several parts
Of Peru. They were made Of skin
stretched over hoop Of wood or over
one end Of short section of II tree
trunk followed out to q thin cylinder.
Small drums seem to have been the
rule. The drum heads were usually
made Of the skins of deer and other
animals common to the country.
Copper Bell.
The bells Of the Peruvian Jazz"
orchestra were of copper. with peb-
bles for clappers. There were rat
ties. made Of small shells, nuts, seeds,
&C., which were worn attached to the
wrists, ankles and other parts of the
body In dancing. GOurds filled with
pebbles were used as hand-rattles
Shells were struck together like GYM
balls. The Museum collection also
contains three small bronze discs.
slightly cOncavo-convex, with per-
fOrated projections by which they
were evidently suspended. When
struck with any hard substance they
Sa'c WI iCiudi haDiy Sicut duO
resonant sound.
Whereas among US the fad Of the
day is the ukelele, the Peruvians Of
THE GOOD OLD DAYS" delighted
in performing on the huayra pphura.
or pipes. The pipes were open and
closed, and made of bone or cane,
and. in one known instance of stone.
Flutes OF cane, or bone and OF
gourd were also popular. They were
carved In variety of fantastic
shapes. A number of the bone flutes
which have been found have stop
holes Oh the usder side apparently
meant to be closed by the thumb.
They are very primitive instruments.
not producing a true or complete
scale. That the Peruvians were able
to realize their shortcomings to at
least some extent appears in the fact
that In some Instruments attempts to
correct the scale have been made; the
vents have been plugged with bits
Of gourd and substituted by other
holes. Moreover, 1t is 10 be re-
nIembered that the age and conditi0n
Of the Instruments, especially thoee
Of cane. have doubtless'y Affected ~
tone qualities.