Prehistoric music (previously called primitive music) is a term in the
history of music for all
music produced in
preliterate cultures (
prehistory
Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The us ...
), beginning somewhere in very late
geological history. Prehistoric music is followed by
ancient music
Ancient music refers to the musical cultures and practices that developed in the literate civilizations of the ancient world. Succeeding the music of prehistoric societies and lasting until the Post-classical era, major centers of Ancient mus ...
in different parts of the world, but still exists in isolated areas. However, it is more common to refer to the "prehistoric" music which still survives as
folk, indigenous or traditional music. Prehistoric music is studied alongside other periods within
music archaeology
Music archaeology is an interdisciplinary field of study that combines musicology and archaeology. As it includes the study of music from various cultures, it is often considered to be a subfield of ethnomusicology.
Definitions
According to mu ...
.
Findings from
Paleolithic archaeology sites suggest that prehistoric people used
carving and piercing tools to create instruments. Archeologists have found
Paleolithic flutes
During regular archaeological excavations, several flutes that date to the European Upper Paleolithic were discovered in caves in the Swabian Alb region of Germany. Dated and tested independently by two laboratories, in England and Germany, the ...
carved from bones in which lateral holes have been pierced. The disputed
Divje Babe flute, carved from a
cave bear
The cave bear (''Ursus spelaeus'') is a prehistoric species of bear that lived in Europe and Asia during the Pleistocene and became extinct about 24,000 years ago during the Last Glacial Maximum.
Both the word "cave" and the scientific name ...
femur
The femur (; ), or thigh bone, is the proximal bone of the hindlimb in tetrapod vertebrates. The head of the femur articulates with the acetabulum in the pelvic bone forming the hip joint, while the distal part of the femur articulates ...
, is thought to be at least 40,000 years old. Instruments such as the seven-holed flute and various types of
stringed instruments, such as the
Ravanahatha, have been recovered from the
Indus Valley civilization archaeological sites. India has one of the oldest musical traditions in the world—references to
Indian classical music (''marga'') are found in the
Vedas
upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''.
The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute th ...
, ancient
Hindu scriptures.
Origins of prehistoric instruments
Many languages traditionally have terms for music that include dance, religion, or cult. The context in which prehistoric music took place has also become a subject of study and debate, as the sound made by music in prehistory would have been somewhat different depending on the acoustics present. Some cultures include
sound mimesis within their music; Often, this feature is related to
shamanistic beliefs or practice.
It may also serve entertainment
or practical functions, for example in hunting scenarios.
It is likely that the first
musical instrument was the
human voice itself, which can make a vast array of sounds, from
singing
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music ( arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or ...
,
humming and
whistling through to
clicking,
coughing and
yawning. The oldest known
Neanderthal hyoid bone with the modern human form has been dated to be 60,000 years old, predating the oldest known
Paleolithic bone flute by some 20,000 years, but the true chronology may date back much further.
Theoretically, music may have existed prior to the
Paleolithic era.
Anthropological
Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of be ...
and
archaeological research suggest that music first arose when stone tools first began to be used by
hominins. The
noises produced by work, such as pounding seed and roots into a meal, are a likely source of rhythm created by early humans. The first rhythm instruments or
percussion instruments most likely involved the
clapping of hands, stones hit together, or other things that are useful to create
rhythm
Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular re ...
. There are
bone flutes
During regular archaeological excavations, several flutes that date to the European Upper Paleolithic were discovered in caves in the Swabian Alb region of Germany. Dated and tested independently by two laboratories, in England and Germany, the ...
and pipes which are unambiguously paleolithic. Additionally, pierced
phalanges (usually interpreted as "phalangeal
whistles"),
bullroarers, and
rasps have also been discovered. The latter musical finds date back as far as the
Paleolithic era, although there is some ambiguity over archaeological finds which can be variously interpreted as either musical or non-musical instruments/tools.
Another possible origin of music is
motherese, the vocal-gestural communication between mothers and infants. This form of communication involves melodic, rhythmic and movement patterns as well as the communication of intention and meaning, and in this sense is similar to music.
Geoffrey Miller suggests musical displays play a role in "demonstrating fitness to mate." Based on the ideas of
honest signal and the
handicap principle, Miller suggested that music and dancing, as energetically costly activities, demonstrated the physical and psychological prowess of the
singing
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music ( arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or ...
and
dancing individual. Similarly, communal singing occurs among both sexes in
cooperatively breeding songbirds of
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
and
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
, such as
magpies and
white-browed sparrow-weavers.
Archaeoacoustic methodology
The field of
archaeoacoustics
Archaeoacoustics is a sub-field of archaeology and acoustics which studies the relationship between people and sound throughout history. It is an interdisciplinary field with methodological contributions from acoustics, archaeology, and computer ...
uses acoustic techniques to explore prehistoric sounds, soundscapes, and instruments; it has included the study of ringing rocks and
lithophone
A lithophone is a musical instrument consisting of a rock or pieces of rock which are struck to produce musical notes. Notes may be sounded in combination (producing harmony) or in succession (melody). It is an idiophone comparable to instrumen ...
s, of the acoustics of ritual sites such as chamber tombs and stone circles, and the exploration of prehistoric instruments using acoustic testing. Such work has included acoustic field tests to capture and analyze the impulse response of archaeological sites; acoustic tests of lithophones or 'rock gongs'; and reconstructions of soundscapes as experimental archaeology.
Africa
Egypt
In
prehistoric Egypt, music and chanting were commonly used in magic and rituals. The ancient
Egyptians credited the goddess
Bat with the invention of
music. The cult of Bat was eventually syncretised into that of
Hathor because both were depicted as cows. Hathor's music was believed to have been used by
Osiris as part of his effort to civilise the world. The lion-goddess
Bastet was also considered a goddess of music. Rhythms during this time were unvaried and music served to create rhythm. Small shells were used as whistles.
During the predynastic period of Egyptian history, funerary chants continued to play an important role in Egyptian religion and were accompanied by
clappers or a
flute. Despite the lack of physical evidence in some cases, Egyptologists theorise that the development of certain instruments known of the Old Kingdom period, such as the end-blown flute, took place during this time.
Asia
China
In 1986, several
gudi (lit. "bone flutes") were found in
Jiahu in
Henan Province,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
. They date to about 7000 BCE. They have between six and nine holes each and were made from the hollow bones of the
red-crowned crane. At the time of discovery, one was found to be still playable. This playable bone flute is capable of using both the five- or seven-note
Xia Zhi scale and the six-note
Qing Shang
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speaki ...
scale of the ancient
Chinese musical system.
India
India has the oldest musical traditions in the world. References to
Indian classical music (''marga'') are found in the
Vedas
upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''.
The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute th ...
, ancient scriptures of the
Hindu tradition.
Instruments such as the seven-holed flute and various types of
stringed instruments have been recovered from the
Indus Valley civilization archaeological sites.
Australia
Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music includes the music of
Aboriginal Australians and
Torres Strait Islanders. Music has formed an integral part of the
social,
cultural and ceremonial observances of these people, down through the millennia of their individual and collective histories to the present day, and has existed for 40,000 years.
The traditional forms include many aspects of performance and
musical instrumentation which are unique to particular regions or
Indigenous Australian groups; there are equally elements of musical tradition which are common or widespread through much of the
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
n continent, and even beyond. The culture of the Torres Strait Islanders is related to that of adjacent parts of
New Guinea and so their music is also related. Music is a vital part of Indigenous Australians' cultural maintenance.
Traditional instruments
Didgeridoo
A
didgeridoo is a type of
musical instrument that, according to western musicological classification, falls into the category of
aerophone. It is one of the oldest instruments to date. It consists of a long tube, without finger holes, through which the player blows. It is sometimes fitted with a mouthpiece of beeswax. Didgeridoos are traditionally made of
eucalyptus, but contemporary materials such as PVC piping are used. In traditional situations it is played only by men, usually as an accompaniment to ceremonial or recreational singing, or, much more rarely, as a solo instrument. Skilled players use the technique of circular breathing to achieve a continuous sound, and also employ techniques for inducing multiple harmonic resonances. Traditionally the instrument was not widespread around the country, but was only used by Aboriginal groups in the most northerly areas.
Clapsticks
A
clapstick is a type of
musical instrument that, according to western musicological classification, falls into the category of percussion. Unlike
drumsticks, which are generally used to strike a drum, clapsticks are intended for striking one stick on another, and people as well. They are of oval shape with paintings of snakes, lizards, birds and more.
Gum leaf
Used as a hand-held free reed instrument.
Bullroarer
A bullroarer consists of a weighted
airfoil (a rectangular thin slat of
wood about (6 in) to (24 in) long and about (0.5 in) to (2 in) wide) attached to a long
cord. Typically, the wood slat is trimmed down to a sharp edge around the edges, and serrations along the length of the wooden slat may or may not be used, depending on the cultural traditions of the region in question.
The cord is given a slight initial twist, and the roarer is then swung in a large circle in a horizontal plane, or in a smaller circle in a vertical plane. The
aerodynamics of the roarer will keep it spinning about its axis even after the initial twist has unwound. The cord winds fully first in one direction and then the other, alternating.
It makes a characteristic roaring
vibrato sound
In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid.
In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by ...
with notable sound modulations occurring from the rotation of the roarer along its longitudinal axis, and the choice of whether a shorter or longer length of cord is used to spin the bullroarer. By modifying the expansiveness of its circuit and the speed given it, and by changing the plane in which the bullroarer is whirled from horizontal to vertical or vice versa, the modulation of the sound produced can be controlled, making the coding of information possible.
* Audio/visua
demonstration
* Sound modulation b
changing orbital plane
The low-frequency component of the sound travels extremely long distances, clearly audible over many miles on a quiet night.
Various cultures have used bullroarers as musical, ritual, and religious instruments and long-range communication devices for at least 19,000 years.
Bullroarers have been used in
initiation ceremonies and in
burials to ward off evil spirits, bad tidings, and especially women and children.
Bullroarers are considered secret men's business by all or almost all Aboriginal tribal groups, and hence forbidden for women, children, non-initiated men, or outsiders to even hear. Fison and Howitt documented this in "Kamilaroi and Kurnai" (page 198). Anyone caught breaching the imposed secrecy was to be punished by death.
They are used in men's initiation ceremonies, and the sound they produce is considered in some indigenous cultures to represent the sound of the
Rainbow Serpent. In the cultures of southeastern Australia, the sound of the bullroarer is the voice of
Daramulan, and a successful bullroarer can be made only if it has been cut from a tree containing his spirit.
The use of bullroarers has also been documented in ancient Greece, Britain, Ireland, Scandinavia, Mali, New Zealand, and the Americas (''see
Bullroarer)''. Banks Island Eskimos were still using bullroarers circa 1963 (59-year-old "Susie" being documented scaring off four polar bears armed with only three seal hooks and vocals. Aleut, Eskimo and Inuit used bullroarers occasionally as a children's toy or musical instruments, but preferred drums and rattles.
Europe
Germany
In 2008, archaeologists discovered a bone flute in the
Hohle Fels cave near
Ulm,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
. The five-holed flute has a V-shaped mouthpiece and is made from a vulture wing bone. The researchers involved in the discovery officially published their findings in the journal ''
Nature'' in June 2009. It is one of several similar instruments found in the area, which date to around 42,000 years ago, making this the oldest confirmed finds of any musical instruments in history.
The Hohle Fels flute was found next to the
Venus of Hohle Fels and a short distance from the oldest known
human carving. On announcing the discovery, scientists suggested that the "finds demonstrate the presence of a well-established musical tradition at the time when modern humans colonized Europe". Scientists have also suggested that the discovery of the flute may help to explain why early humans survived, while
Neanderthals became extinct.
Greece
On the island of
Keros
Keros ( el, Κέρος; anciently, Keria or Kereia ( grc, Κέρεια) is an uninhabited and unpopulated Greek island in the Cyclades about southeast of Naxos. Administratively it is part of the community of Koufonisia. It has an area of an ...
(Κέρος), two marble statues from the late
Neolithic
The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several pa ...
culture called
Early Cycladic culture (2900–2000 BCE) were discovered together in a single grave in the 19th century. They depict a standing
double flute player and a sitting musician playing a triangular-shaped
lyre or
harp. The harpist is approximately high and dates to around 2700–2500 BCE. He expresses concentration and intense feelings and tilts his head up to the light. The meaning of these and many other figures is not known; perhaps they were used to ward off evil spirits, had religious significance, served as toys, or depicted figures from
mythology
Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narra ...
.
Ireland
The oldest known wooden pipes were discovered in
Wicklow,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...
, in the winter of 2003, carbon-dated at around 2167±30 BCE. A wood-lined pit contained a group of six flutes made from yew wood, between long, tapered at one end, but without any finger holes. They may once have been strapped together.
Slovenia
The oldest
flute ever discovered may be the so-called Divje Babe flute, found in the Cerkno Hills,
Slovenia in 1995, though this is disputed.
The item in question is a fragment of the
femur
The femur (; ), or thigh bone, is the proximal bone of the hindlimb in tetrapod vertebrates. The head of the femur articulates with the acetabulum in the pelvic bone forming the hip joint, while the distal part of the femur articulates ...
of a juvenile
cave bear
The cave bear (''Ursus spelaeus'') is a prehistoric species of bear that lived in Europe and Asia during the Pleistocene and became extinct about 24,000 years ago during the Last Glacial Maximum.
Both the word "cave" and the scientific name ...
, and has been dated to about 43,000 years ago. However, whether it is truly a musical instrument or simply a carnivore-chewed bone is a matter of ongoing debate.
In 2012, some flutes that were discovered years earlier in the
Geißenklösterle cave received a new high-resolution carbon-dating examination yielding an age of 42,000 to 43,000 years.
The Americas
Canada
For thousands of years, Canada has been inhabited by Indigenous Peoples from a variety of
different cultures and of
several major linguistic groupings. Each of the Indigenous communities had (and have) their own unique musical traditions.
Chanting – singing is widely popular, with many of its performers also using a variety of musical instruments.
They used the materials at hand to make their instruments for thousands of years before Europeans immigrated to the
new world.
They made
gourds and animal
horns into
rattles which were elaborately carved and beautifully painted.
In woodland areas, they made horns of
birchbark along with
drumsticks of carved
antlers and wood.
Drums were generally made of carved wood and
animal hides
A hide or skin is an animal skin treated for human use.
The word "hide" is related to the German word "Haut" which means skin. The industry defines hides as "skins" of large animals ''e.g''. cow, buffalo; while skins refer to "skins" of smaller an ...
.
These musical instruments provide the background for songs and dances.
See also
*
Ancient music
Ancient music refers to the musical cultures and practices that developed in the literate civilizations of the ancient world. Succeeding the music of prehistoric societies and lasting until the Post-classical era, major centers of Ancient mus ...
*
Behavioral modernity
*
Cognitive neuroscience of music
*
Evolutionary musicology
*
International Study Group on Music Archaeology
*
Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia is the process of creating a word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound that it describes. Such a word itself is also called an onomatopoeia. Common onomatopoeias include animal noises such as ''oink'', ''m ...
*
Origin of language
*
Origins of religion
*
Prehistoric art
In the history of art, prehistoric art is all art produced in preliterate, prehistorical cultures beginning somewhere in very late geological history, and generally continuing until that culture either develops writing or other methods of re ...
*
Sound symbolism
Notes
References
*
*
**This book has been translated to English:
*
*
**These songs ar
available onlinefrom the
ethnopoetics website curated by
Jerome Rothenberg.
*
*
*
*
Further reading
* Ellen Hickmann, Anne D. Kilmer and Ricardo Eichmann, (ed.) ''Studies in Music Archaeology III'', 2001, VML Verlag Marie Leidorf GmbH., Germany
* Engel, Carl, ''The Music of the Most Ancient Nations'', Wm. Reeves, 1929.
*
Haik Vantoura, Suzanne (1976). ''The Music of the Bible Revealed''
*
*
* Sachs, Curt, ''The Rise of Music in the Ancient World, East and West'', W.W. Norton, 1943.
* Sachs, Curt, ''The Wellsprings of Music, McGraw-Hill'', 1965.
* Smith, Hermann, ''The World's Earliest Music'', Wm. Reeves, 1904.
*
External links
Ensemble Musica Romana: Music from Antiquity, Prehistoric musicPrehistoric Music IrelandSound sample and playing instructions for reconstructed bone flutes.Dr.Ann Buckely PublicationsInformation about a supposed Neanderthal flute found in Slovenia– the article written by Dr. Ivan Turk who discovered it.
The Carnyx, an ancient and magnificent war/ceremonial Horn
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prehistoric Music
Ancient music
Ethnomusicology
Music
Cognitive musicology