Musical instruments of the ancient world. History of musical instruments
The Greek goddess of wisdom Athena invented the flute, the god Pan made the shepherd's pipe, and meanwhile the Indian god Narada invented and gave people a harp-shaped instrument - the veena. But these are just myths. Musical instruments were invented by people. This is not surprising, because man is the first musical instrument. And the sound he makes is his voice.
With his voice, primitive man conveyed information to his fellow tribesmen and reported his emotions: fear, joy, love. To make the “song” more interesting, he stomped his feet and clapped his hands, knocked stone on stone and hit the stretched mammoth skin. Thus, objects surrounding a person began to turn into musical instruments.
If you divide the instruments according to the method of extracting sound from them, you will get three groups– drums, winds and strings. So why did primitive man knock, what did he blow and what did he pull? We don't know what exactly the first musical instruments were, but we can guess.
The first percussion instruments were made from dried animal skins and all kinds of hollow objects: wooden blocks, shells of large fruits, and later clay pots. They hit them in different ways: with fingers, palms, sticks. Ancient drums and tambourines were used in ritual ceremonies and military operations. And African tribes even communicated with each other at a distance through combat.
Next group – winds. It is not known why the ancient man blew into a piece of bamboo, a reed reed, a horn or a hollow bone of an animal, but it became an instrument when special holes appeared. On the territory of modern Hungary and Moldova, pipes and tweeters are found that date back to the Upper Paleolithic era. And the most ancient instrument is considered to be a flute, found in southwest Germany. More precisely, these are the remains of an instrument resembling a flute made from swan bone, which is more than 35 thousand years old! In rock paintings you can also find images of the first wind instruments.
The first string instrument It is considered to be a hunting bow. While pulling the bowstring, the ancient hunter noticed that when he plucked it, the bowstring “singed.” And the stretched vein of the animal “sings” even better, and most importantly longer, if you rub it with the animal’s hair. This is how the bow appeared, a stick with a tuft of horsehair stretched over it, which was driven along a string made from twisted animal sinew, and later from silk threads. This divided string instruments into plucked and bowed instruments. Also, ancient people noticed that strings stretched over a hollow object resonated - they sounded louder and richer. The resonator can be a clay vessel, a dried pumpkin, but, of course, wood sounds best.
The most ancient stringed instruments are the lyre and the harp. Similar instruments are found among all ancient peoples. Ur harps are the oldest stringed instruments found by archaeologists. They are over 4500 years old!
The truth is that we cannot say exactly what the first musical instrument looked like, but it is certain that music, even in its primitive form, was part of the life of primitive man!
Many musical instruments of antiquity originate from neighboring cultures (the region of Asia Minor, the Middle East and the Mediterranean). In Greece, however, special instruments were developed, which as a result of development acquired a classical appearance and became the basis for the creation of new modern types of instruments.
When studying the musical instruments of Ancient Greece, they can be divided into three main categories: strings, winds and percussion.
Strings
- lyre guitar
- triangle-harp
- pandura - A small lute similar to a mandolin or guitar
All stringed instruments were plucked and were played by plucking the strings. Strings with a bow have not been found at all.
Lyre guitars were the most popular instruments along with others. Their origin goes back to Mesopotamia. The first evidence of the lyre is found in the palace of Pylos on Crete (1400 BC). Lyra was identified with Apollo. According to mythology, it was invented by Hermes. When Apollo discovered that Hermes had stolen the bulls from him, he began to pursue him. Hermes, running away from pursuit and trying to hide, accidentally stepped on a turtle shell. Noticing that the shell amplifies the sound, he made the first lyre and gave it to Apollo, thus moderating his anger.
The principle of the structure of the first lyre. Two thin slats (arms) were attached to a resonator made of tortoise shell or wood. There was a cross beam located vertically to the slats on the top. Strings of equal length were made from dried and twisted intestines, sinew or flax. They were fixed at the chord point on the resonator, passing through a small ridge; on the upper side they were twisted on a beam using a key (peg) system, which made them easier to tune. There were initially three strings, later they became four, five, seven, and during the period of “new music” their number reached twelve. The lyres were played with the right hand or with a plectrum made of horn, wood, bone or metal. The left hand helped by playing on individual strings, pressing them, reducing the pitch. The strings had specific names that matched the names of the notes.
There are many types of lyres with different names:
"formings" (ancient lyre)
“helis” (“helona” - turtle)
“varvitos” (with long slats).
These terms are often confused when used.
The triangle is a small knee harp with many strings. It has been found in the Middle East since the 3rd century. BC e. In Greece it is present in the Cycladic culture.
The "pandura", "panduris" or "three-string" with a long sleeve, a resonator and three strings in the form of a tambour was played with a plectrum. This instrument was rarely used in Greece and it has been known since ancient times that its origin is not Greek, but Assyrian.
Brass
Wind instruments are divided into two main categories:
Pipes (with tongue)
Pipes (without reed)
Less commonly used were other wind instruments such as trumpets, shells and "hydraulics".
Siringa (Flute)
Flutes (pipes) or pipes were the most popular instruments in ancient Greece. They appeared in the 3rd millennium BC. e. (Cycladic figurine). Their origin probably dates back to Asia Minor and they came to the territory of Greece through Thrace.
One legend says that the flute was invented by Athena, who, seeing her distorted reflection in the water while playing it, threw it far into Phrygia. There she was found by Marsyas, who became a very good performer, and subsequently invited Apollo to a competition. Apollo won and, as punishment, he hanged Marsyas and flayed him. (This legend can be interpreted as a struggle of national art against foreign penetration).
The widespread use of the flute began after the eighth century, when it gradually began to occupy an important place in Greek music and, in particular, in the cult of Dionysus. The flute is a pipe made of reed, wood, bone or metal with holes that are opened and closed with the help of fingers, and a mouthpiece with a reed reed - single or double (like a modern zurna). The flutist almost always played two flutes at the same time and tied them to his face with a leather strap for convenience, the so-called halter.
Pipe
The ancient Greeks used this term to describe the multi-leaf pipe or pipe of Pan. This is an object of 13-18 doors, closed on one side and connected with wax and linen with vertical supports. We played on it by blowing through each door at an angle. It was an instrument of shepherds and was therefore associated with the name of the god Pan. In his book The Republic, Plato urged citizens to play only lyres, guitars and shepherd's pipes, rejecting "polyphonic" flutes and multi-stringed instruments, considering them vulgar.
Hydraulics
These are the first keyboard instruments in the world and the “progenitors” of the church organ. They were created in the 3rd century. BC e. Greek inventor Ktisivius in Alexandria. These are one or more pipes with or without reeds, on which the performer, using a valve mechanism, could, using plectrums, supply air selectively to each flute. The source of constant air pressure was a hydraulic system.
Pipe
The copper pipe was known in Mesopotamia and among the Etruscans. Trumpets were used to announce war and were used during chariot races and public gatherings. This is an instrument from late antiquity. In addition to copper pipes, shells with a small hole in the base and horns were also used.
It is believed that music appeared when the first people appeared. Its oral form, that is, song, was present in the life of our ancient ancestors. Modern scientists suggest that music has been around for about 50,000 years. Now, firmly rooted in human hearts, it has become an integral part of our lives.
The oldest copy of a musical instrument was found during excavations in Germany. It lay next to sculptures that date back to 35,000-40,000 BC. It was a flute. Its thickness does not exceed 8 mm, and its length is 21.8 cm. There are 5 holes punched in the case, which were closed with the fingers when playing.
Archaeologists were lucky enough to find another remains of ancient musical instruments - tweeters and flutes dating back to the Paleolithic era - on the territory of modern Moldova and Hungary.
Music was an integral part of the life of the ancient Greeks. Even its name itself comes from the Greek language. Popular musical instruments here were:
- aulos - a wind instrument consisting of two conical or cylindrical pipes;
- lyre and cithara - plucked string instruments made in the form of a curved frame and strings (the cithara had more strings than the lyre);
- Syringa is a variation of the multi-barrel flute, a wind instrument consisting of a series of connected tubes.
The oldest Chinese instruments are the guqin and the bamboo flute. Traditionally, tools in China are classified according to the material from which they are made. Stone, wooden, leather, silk, bamboo, pumpkin and clay musical instruments still exist there.
In India, music is inextricably linked with dance. This country is the birthplace of musical theater. The oldest musical instrument found in India is the basalt lithophone, which is 3,000 years old.
Ancient civilizations such as Egypt, Greece, Mesopotamia, India and China made enormous contributions to the development of music and musical instruments. Evidence of the presence of music in Ancient Egypt is the lyrics written in hieroglyphs on papyrus and tomb walls. Popular subjects for them were hymns to the gods and women's songs of lament over the dead. The music was mainly of a religious nature. In Babylon, temple music performed by priests and secular music performed by slave musicians also developed at an intensive pace.
After thousands of years, music is still one of the most popular and beloved arts. It is difficult to meet a person who does not love music - there is a style and instrument for everyone.
If you want not just to listen to music, but also to create it, understand it, learn to express yourself through music - come to Jam`s cool music school. Vocals, guitar, piano, drums, wind instruments, musical literacy, playing in an ensemble, sound engineering - this is just a small part of what you can learn from us. And to learn more about us and personally communicate with teachers, come to a free introductory lesson.
Did you know that several years ago archaeologists discovered the oldest musical instrument? Do you think this is some kind of fossilized primitive proto-drum or prehistoric double bass from a mammoth skull? No matter how it is! Hurry up - under the cut!
It turns out that the most ancient musical instrument is
it's a flute!
In 2009, in one of the caves in southwestern Germany, archaeologists found the remains of an instrument reminiscent of the familiar flute:
Its age is more than 35 thousand years. This flute is 21.8 cm long and only 8 mm thick. Five round holes were punched in the body, which were closed with fingers, and at the ends there were two deep V-shaped cuts.
This flute, as you probably already guessed, is made not of wood, but of bone - here the opinions of scientists differ: some say that it is a bone from a swan's wing, others - a griffon vulture. This is the oldest, although not the first discovery of such a tool. Researchers believe that southwest Germany is the site of one of the first settlements of our European ancestors who came from Africa. Now they make assumptions that our prehistoric ancestors had a well-developed musical culture. ()
In general, flutes are not the only thing that archaeologists find. Among the ancient musical instruments at different times they found: bone pipes and flutes, animal horns, trumpets made of shells, drums made of animal skins, rattles made of stone and wood, musical [hunting] bows. The oldest musical instruments (flutes and tweeters) were found on the territory of modern Hungary and Moldova, and date back to the Paleolithic era - approximately 2522 thousand years BC, and the oldest musical notation - the 18th century BC, was found during excavations Sumerian city of Nippur (territory of modern Iraq).
During excavations at the site of primitive hunters in Ukraine, interesting discoveries were made. At the site of the plague they found a whole “orchestra”; there were so many ancient musical instruments there. Pipes and whistles were made from bone tubes. Rattles and rattles were carved from mammoth bones. Dry leather covered the tambourines, which hummed when struck by a mallet.
Obviously, the melodies performed on such musical instruments were very simple, rhythmic and loud. In one of the caves in Italy, scientists found footprints on fossilized clay. The tracks were strange: people either walked on their heels or jumped on tiptoes on both legs at once. This is easy to explain: a hunting dance was performed there. The hunters danced to menacing and exciting music, imitating the movements of powerful, dexterous and cunning animals. They chose words to the music and in songs they talked about themselves, about their ancestors, about what they saw around them.
Gradually more advanced musical instruments appeared. It turned out that if you stretch the skin over a hollow wooden or clay object, the sound will become louder and stronger. This is how the ancestors of drums and timpani were born. (
What does the term music mean? Music is acoustic vibrations perceived by the hearing organs. Studies have shown that such low-frequency vibrations have a stimulating effect on the hidden forces of the human (and not only) body, healing it.
Scientists suggest that humans appeared about 160 thousand years ago on the African continent. After ethnographic and archaeological research, experts received strong evidence of the existence of musical experiences among primitive people, the beginning of which they attributed to the Paleolithic era; it was during this period that the first musical instruments were made from the simplest materials: stone, bones, wood. And a modern musical instrument store can show the entire history of music.
With their help, our ancestors achieved different sounds. Later, music began to be extracted from a faceted rib specially made from bone (its sound was more like gnashing of teeth). It turns out that even in those days babies had rattles, but they were made from skulls and filled with seeds or dried berries. Such rattles made a peculiar crackling and enticing sound. Such noisy sounds very often accompanied funeral ceremonies. This is how music began to manifest itself.
The inhabitants of Ancient Greece had a special relationship with music; they sacredly considered more than one theatrical performance to be a gift from the gods; the reading of poetry was not complete without accompaniment; scientists of that time declared the relationship between music and mathematical quantities; this includes the theory of the famous Greek Pythagoras about the proportion of sounds, where it acts as a physical quantity . Music was present in everything - women lulled children to sleep - quietly singing, shepherds gathered the scattered herd with sounds from horns, warlike chants terrified the enemy.
What was the first professional human musical instrument in history? Scientists have established that the first instrument of our ancestors was drums; with their help, workers set the rhythm of movements in their work. People used natural materials to create their instruments that produced sounds - flat stones, wood, shells.
The idiophone - the first percussion instrument - arose in the process of the formation of speech among primitive people. The sound produced by the idiophone evoked associations with the rhythm of a beating heart. In general, for primitive people the value of music lay in rhythm, which had a very strong emotional impact on them. The second invention was wind instruments, the most famous being the aerophone. Scientists were amazed by this first prototype of a flute (20 thousand years BC), which had knocked out side holes, the sound of which is in no way compromised by modern analogues.
Stringed instruments are also an invention of our ancient ancestors. Scientists have identified some rock carvings of the first string players; they can be seen on bas-reliefs, as well as in numerous caves in the Pyrenees.
What did the first strings look like?
Fixed threads inserted into wooden holes, through which the musician must pass his hand, specially twisting it, the sound emitted at the same time resembled a hum, these instruments became the prototype of the guitar and other stringed instruments.
A little later, during the Mesolithic era, it was modernized, carved vertical holes were added to the instrument. This allowed sometimes two or even three sounds to sound simultaneously. This method was primitive, but was preserved for a long time in Africa and Europe, as well as on some islands of Oceania.
