The most ancient musical instrument. What was the first musical instrument? The role of prehistoric music

Introduction

Mumzyka (Greek mphuykYu, adjective from Greek mpeub - muzza) is art, the means of embodying artistic images for which are sound and silence, organized in a special way in time.

Music is one of the spiritual needs of man. We don't even suspect how deeply it has seeped into our lives. Our mood, depth of emotions and even health are subject to it.

I cannot ignore the mysterious death of the Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. To this day, Mozart's death is the subject of controversy, and it is still believed that he died of an incurable fever. But there is a legend that Wolfgang died from his requiem. Allegedly, he wrote it, realizing that he was writing it for himself.

Music also stimulates our memory. It often happens that after listening to a certain song or music, we remember something very important to us, be it a memory from childhood or simply emotions that we have not experienced for a long time.

Each person, in fact, knows how to create a melody. Be it playing the piano, flute, guitar or even just whistling. All films, concerts, and theater scenes contain some melodic sounds. Why is this being done? And then, so that we can better understand exactly what emotions the main character of the work experiences.

In almost all times and among all peoples of the world, music has been used as the main “means of healing” for various somatic diseases and mental conditions. Primitive people believed that sound magically unites the forces of heaven and earth, thereby returning the lost soul back to the body, achieving harmony.

The question arises: what is the history of the musical instruments that gave us this great art, and specifically Russian folk ones?

Goal: Determine the role of music and musical instruments in Rus'.

1. Consider the history of the origin of the first musical instrument.

2. Consider the history of ancient Russian instruments.

3. Let's consider the principle of manufacturing some ancient Russian musical instruments.

4. Folk traditions and the role of musical instruments in them.

Main part

First musical instrument

In fact, this is a very controversial issue. Of course, if you think logically, the first melodic sounds were made by man himself, or rather by living organisms, the same birds. After rummaging through the World Wide Web, I realized that I would not find a clear answer to this question; all the articles talk about mythical creatures and gods. And yet, I think that even ancient man came up with the idea of ​​extracting sounds from improvised objects. Most likely, it was intended for communication and transmitting a signal to each other, that is, this instrument was supposed to transmit an alarm sign and some kind of gathering for a collective hunt or war. The simplest musical invention that came to my mind is a percussion instrument. Of course, it doesn't produce pleasant notes, but it creates rhythm. So I will stick to this point of view.

Idnophone is the name of the first in the class of percussion instruments (Figure No. 1). It began its existence during the period of development of the speech of primitive man. They were given signals for community gatherings, they accompanied religious rituals with drum rhythms, and they raised the alarm for soldiers. Various ritual dances were performed to the accompaniment of drums. Clear rhythms synchronize consciousness, create a certain general mood and even put you into a trance.

The first drums were a hollow tree trunk of a certain size with an animal skin stretched over it. The drum was treated with blessings. For touching him without permission, a person could be killed. In Africa, there is still a ritual - in the event of the death of a drummer, his drum is also buried, only in a drum cemetery. The percussion group of instruments is the very first in appearance and the very first in the number of instruments in the group. These are timpani, xylophones, vibraphones, metallophones, various cymbals, percussin and drums themselves of various sizes.

The fiery rhythms that the most ancient musical instrument adds to music awaken the dormant energy inside a person, causing it to surge, vibrate and respond to the eternal rhythms of life.

In Rus', all drums without exception were called tambourines, and playing the drums was called “rattling” or “impact.”

The first convincing evidence of musical experiments dates back to the Paleolithic era, when man learned to make instruments from stone, bone and wood in order to produce various sounds. Later, sounds were extracted using a faceted rib from bone, and the sound produced resembled the gnashing of teeth. Rattles were also made from skulls, which were filled with seeds or dried berries. This sound often accompanied the funeral procession.

The most ancient musical instruments were drums. The idnophone, an ancient percussion instrument, arose during the period of speech formation in ancient man. The duration of the sound and its repeated repetition were associated with the rhythm of the heartbeat. In general, for ancient people, music was primarily rhythm.

Following the drums, wind instruments were invented. The ancient prototype of the flute discovered in Asturis (20,000 BC) is striking in its perfection. The side holes were knocked out in it, and the principle of sound production was the same as that of modern flutes.

Stringed instruments were also invented in ancient times. Images of ancient strings are preserved in numerous rock paintings, most of which are located in the Pyrenees. Thus, in the Cogul cave nearby there are “dancing” figures “carrying bows”. The “lyre player” struck the strings with the edge of bone or wood, producing sound. It is curious that in the chronology of development the invention of string instruments and dance occupy the same time space.
At this time, an aerophone appears - an instrument made of bone or stone, the appearance of which resembles a diamond or the tip of a spear.

Threads were threaded and secured through holes in the wood, after which the musician ran his hand along these threads, twisting them. The result was a sound resembling a hum. Most often they played the aerophone in the evenings. The sound emanating from this instrument was reminiscent of the voice of spirits. This instrument was improved during the Mesolithic era (3000 BC). It became possible to play two or three sounds simultaneously. This was achieved by cutting vertical holes. Despite the primitiveness of the method of making such instruments, this technique was preserved for a long time in some parts of Oceania, Africa and Europe.

Among the musical instruments used by ancient civilizations we find wind instruments: flutes (tigtigi) and oboe (abub). We know that the Mesopotamian population, like the Egyptians, had a high technique for making wind instruments from reeds. They modified tools throughout the existence of their civilization. Soon, along with the flute, the pishik was invented, which contributed to the appearance of the oboe. In this instrument, sound was produced by rapid vibration of air in the pike, and not by blowing air streams on the mouthpiece, as happens in flutes. Of the strings, lyres (algar) and harps (zagsal), which were still very small in size, were widely used

Often the body of a musical instrument was painted. We see confirmation of this in exhibits found in the tombs of the state of Ur (2500 BC). One of them is in the British Museum. A variety of percussion instruments are also striking. This is often evidenced by iconography, bas-reliefs, dishes, vases, and steles. As a rule, the painting on them indicates the use of large drums and small timpani, as well as castanets and sistrums. Later exhibits also feature cymbals and bells.

The instruments and repertoire were handed down to subsequent generations living in Mesopotamia. By 2000 B.C. The Assyrians improved the harp and created the prototype of the first lute (pantur).

Life is short, art is eternal.

The first convincing evidence of musical instruments dates back to the Paleolithic era, when man learned to make instruments from stone, bone and wood in order to produce various sounds. Later, sounds were extracted using a faceted rib from bone (the sound produced was reminiscent of gnashing teeth). Rattles were also made from skulls, which were filled with seeds or dried berries. This sound often accompanied the funeral procession. The most ancient instruments were percussion. The idiophone is an ancient percussion instrument. The duration of the sound and its repeated repetition were associated with the rhythm of the heartbeat. In general, for ancient people, music was primarily rhythm. Following the drums, wind instruments were invented. The ancient prototype of the flute discovered in Asturis (37,000 years old) is striking in its perfection. The side holes were knocked out in it, and the principle of sound production is the same as that of modern flutes!!!

Stringed instruments were also invented in ancient times. Images of ancient strings are preserved in numerous rock paintings, most of which are located in the Pyrenees. Thus, in the Gogul cave nearby there are “dancing” figures “carrying bows”. The “lyre player” struck the strings with the edge of a bone or wood, producing sound. In the chronology of development, the invention of string instruments and dance occupy the same time space.

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.

At this time, an aerophone appears - an instrument made of bone or stone, the appearance of which resembles a diamond or the tip of a spear.

Threads were made and secured into holes in the wood, after which the musician ran his hand along these threads, twisting them. As a result, a sound resembling a hum appeared (this hum resembled the voice of spirits). This instrument was improved during the Mesolithic era (20th century BC). It became possible to play two or three sounds simultaneously. This was achieved by cutting vertical holes. Despite the primitiveness of the method of making such instruments, this technique was preserved for a long time in some parts of Oceania, Africa and Europe!!!

A fully preserved 37,000-year-old flute made from the bone of a bird of prey was discovered in a cave in the Swabian Albs in southwestern Germany.

The completely preserved flute with five finger holes and a V-shaped “mouthpiece” was made from the radius of a predatory subspecies of griffin (presumably a griffon vulture – author). Also, along with it, archaeologists found pieces of several more flutes, but made from mammoth bones.

The bird bone musical instrument was found in a region where similar instruments had previously been found, says study leader Nicholas Conard of the University of Tübingen, but the flute is "the best preserved one ever found in a cave." Until now, such ancient artifacts have been found extremely rarely, and most importantly, they have not made it possible to establish the date of the appearance of music as a cultural phenomenon in everyday life of mankind.

To establish the most accurate dating of the discovered tools, independent laboratory analyzes were carried out in Germany and the UK. And in both cases, the same date appeared - 37 thousand years ago, which was in the Upper Paleolithic era. The oldest flute gives archaeologists reason to assume that the local population had its own culture and traditions. The earliest flutes provide clear evidence of a musical tradition that helped people interact and strengthen social cohesion.

Nicholas Conard, together with a team of archaeologists from the University of Tübingen, discovered a mammoth tusk flute in the Geisenklosterle cave near Blaubeuren. This is one of the three oldest wind instruments in the world found by archaeologists. All three were found in the Geisenklosterle cave, but the latest find is very different from the previous two. This is not just a musical instrument, but also, undoubtedly, a luxury item.

Using radiocarbon dating, the researchers dated the age of the sediment layer in which the flute fragments were located from 30 to 36 thousand years. This means that the mammoth ivory flute is a thousand years younger than the bone flute found at the same site in 1995. The second study helped to finally determine the age of the musical instrument - about 37 thousand years.

The value of the mammoth tusk flute lies not in its record age, but in its significance for the debate about the origins of culture.

We can now say that the history of music began about 37 thousand years ago,” Conard emphasizes.

At that time, the last Neanderthals were still living in Europe, who coexisted with the first modern humans. Thanks to this flute, we know that the inhabitants of what is now Europe during the Ice Age were culturally no less capable than modern people!!!

According to Conard, a single musical instrument from the Ice Age could have been an accident, but after the third discovery it must be recognized that there can be no talk of an accident. Music was an important part of the life of ancient people. This is evidenced by the fact that three flutes were found in one cave. Archaeological finds from the Ice Age are disproportionately tiny “samples” from the entire complex of material culture. Friedrich Seeberger, an expert in archaeological music, reconstructed Ice Age flutes. It turned out that they can play a variety of pleasant melodies. The instrument made from a huge mammoth tusk differs sharply from its counterparts made from bird bones. It was extremely difficult to make, since the tusk is very hard and curved. The master split the tusk longitudinally, carefully hollowed out halves 19 centimeters long and connected them again. The sound of such a flute was deeper and louder than that of bird bone flutes.

If a person put so much effort into making a flute, it means that he attached great importance to the sounds of music. Perhaps his fellow tribesmen sang and danced to the tunes of the flute, and talked with the spirits of their ancestors.

The so-called Swabian Venus was also discovered next to the flutes:

During excavations of the site of primitive hunters in Mezina in 1908, interesting discoveries were made, including a figurine similar to the Swabian Venus and an entire orchestra of musical instruments.

I already wrote about one of the finds - https://cont.ws/@divo2006/439081 - A calendar from 20,000 years ago was found on the territory of the Russian Empire, which unites and explains many calendar systems later spread throughout the entire Earth!!!

At the site of the dwelling in Mezin, an entire “orchestra” was found, consisting of bone tubes from which pipes and whistles were made. Rattles and rattles were carved from mammoth bones. Dry leather covered the tambourines, which hummed when struck by a mallet. These were the primitive musical instruments. The melodies played on them were very simple, rhythmic and loud.

About 30 years ago, a reconstruction of the sound of these instruments was carried out, and today you have a unique chance to hear the music that our ancestors played 20,000 years ago.

Concert on the most ancient musical instruments, 20,000 years old. (reconstruction).

I would also like to draw your attention to the fact that approximately 19,000 years have passed between the finds in Europe and in Mezina, they are separated by thousands of kilometers, and people are interested in music, make religious objects identical to each other, and carefully monitor the movement of visible celestial bodies, and record their observations, in the form of ornaments, on products made from mammoth bones. At the same time, the methods of processing bones are not clear, and are beyond our control today.

Modern science assures us that the people of the past were extremely primitive and differed little from monkeys. But how then can we explain the jewelry in the Denisovo cave of Altai, 50,000 years old, the musical instruments presented in this article, the runic writing on Venus from the Voronezh site, the most complex astronomical observations and calculations from Mezin, 20,000 years old, and the Achinsk rod, 18,000 years old, and much more.

The history of musical instruments. Video lesson.

When did musical instruments originate? You can get very different answers to this question (from 100 years to tens of thousands). In reality, no one can answer this question, since it is unknown. But it is known that one of the most ancient instruments found during archaeological excavations is more 40 thousand years(it was a flute made from an animal bone, the femur of a cave bear). But wind instruments were not the first to appear, which means that musical instruments arose even earlier.

What instrument appeared first?

The first prototype of a musical instrument was human hands. At first, people sang, clapping their hands, which were, as it were, his musical instrument. Then people began to pick up two sticks, two stones, two shells, and instead of clapping their hands, they hit each other with these objects, producing different sounds. The tools people used largely depended on the area where they lived. If they lived in a forest area, they took 2 sticks; if they lived by the sea, they took 2 shells, etc.

Thus, instruments appear on which the sound is produced by striking, which is why such instruments are called drums .

The most common percussion instrument is, of course, drum . But the invention of the drum dates back to a much later time. We cannot say now how this happened. We can only guess something. For example, one day, having hit a hollow tree in order to drive bees away from it and take honey from them, a man listened to the unusually booming sound that comes from hitting a hollow tree, and the idea came to him to use this in his orchestra. Then people realized that it was not necessary to look for a hollow tree, but that they could take some kind of stump and hollow out the middle of it. Well, if you cover it on one side with the skin of a killed animal, you will get an instrument very similar to drum. Many nations have instruments of similar design. The only difference is that they are made from different materials and slightly different in shape.

In the music of different nations, percussion instruments play different roles. They played a particularly important role in the music of African peoples. There were various drums, from small ones to huge drums, reaching 3 meters. The sound of these huge drums could be heard several kilometers away.

There was a very sad period in history associated with the slave trade. Europeans or Americans sailed to the African continent to capture and then sell its inhabitants. Sometimes when they arrived in a village, they found no one there; the residents managed to leave there. This happened because the sounds of the drum, which came from the neighboring village, warned them about this, i.e. people understood the “language” of drums.

Thus, the group was the first to arise percussion instruments .

What group of instruments appeared after the drums? These were wind instruments, which are called so because their sound is produced by blowing air. We also don’t know what prompted man to invent these tools, but we can only assume something. For example, one day, while hunting, a man came to the shore of a lake. A strong wind was blowing and suddenly the man heard a sound. At first he was wary, but after listening he realized that it was the sound of broken reeds. Then the man thought: “What if I break the reed myself, and blow air into it, try to make it sound?” Having successfully done this, people learned to produce sounds by blowing air. Then the man realized that short reeds made higher sounds, and long ones made lower sounds. People began to tie reeds of different lengths and, thanks to this, produce sounds of different pitches. This instrument is often called the Pan flute.

This is due to the legend that a long time ago in Ancient Greece there lived a goat-footed god named Pan. One day he was walking through the forest and suddenly saw a beautiful nymph named Syrinx. Pan to her... And the beautiful nymph disliked Pan and began to run away from him. She runs and runs, and Pan is already catching up with her. Syrinx prayed to her father, the river god, to save her. Her father turned her into a reed. Pan cut that reed and made himself a pipe out of it. And let's play on it. No one knows that it is not the flute who sings, but the sweet-voiced nymph Syrinx.

Since then, it has become a tradition that multi-barreled flutes, similar to a fence of shortened reed pipes, are called Pan flutes - on behalf of the ancient Greek god of fields, forests and grasses. And in Greece itself it is still often called syrinx. Many nations have such instruments, but they are called differently. The Russians have kugikly, kuvikly or kuvichki, the Georgians have larchemi (soinari), in Lithuania - skuduchai, in Moldova and Romania - nai or muskal, among the Latin American Indians - samponyo. Some call the Pan flute a pipe.

Even later, people realized that it was not necessary to take several tubes, but that they could make several holes in one tube, and by pressing them in a certain way, they could produce different sounds.

When our distant ancestors made some inanimate object sound, it seemed to them a real miracle: before their eyes, dead objects came to life and found a voice. There are many legends and songs about the singing reed. One of them tells how a reed grew on the grave of a murdered girl, when it was cut and made into a pipe, she sang and spoke in a human voice about the death of the girl, and named the name of the killer. This fairy tale was translated into poetry by the great Russian poet M.Yu. Lermontov.

The fisherman sat cheerfully

On the river bank,

And in front of him in the wind

The reeds swayed.

He cut dry reeds

And drilled the wells

He pinched one end

It blew at the other end.

And as if animated, the reed began to speak -

Thus arose the second group of musical instruments, which are called brass

Well, the third group of musical instruments, as you probably already guessed, is string instrument group . And the very first stringed instrument was a simple one Hunter bow. Many times before a hunt, a person checks whether the tension is good bow string. And then one day, having listened to this melodious sound of a bowstring, a man decided to use it in his orchestra. He realized that a short string produces higher sounds, and a longer string produces lower sounds. But playing on several bows is inconvenient and the man pulled not one string on the bow, but several. If you imagine this instrument, you can find in it similarities with harp .

Thus, three groups of musical instruments arise: drums, winds and strings.

Ancient musical instruments are sometimes valued more than modern ones. The reason is that such tools are of high quality. The first musical instruments are considered to be winds, pipes and tweeters of various types. Naturally, you can only admire such exhibits in a museum. But there are a number of tools that can be purchased at auctions.

An ancient musical instrument is a broad concept. It is understood as products that produce sounds and were made back in the days of Ancient Greece and Egypt, as well as less “old” objects that are capable of producing musical sounds and have a resistor. It is noteworthy that percussion instruments that produce musical sounds do not have a resistor.

1) The ancestor of stringed instruments is the hunting bow, which was used by our ancestors. Since the string produced a methodical sound when pulled, it was subsequently decided to string several strings of different thicknesses and lengths, resulting in sounds of different ranges.

Replacing the enclosure with a full box resulted in sounds that were beautiful and melodic. The first string instruments include:

1. Gusli.
2. Guitar.
3. Theorbu.
4. Mandolin.
5. Harp.

It is worth paying attention to violins, which are in particular demand. The most popular violin maker is Antonio Stradivari. Experts agree that Antonio made the best violins in 1715; the quality of these instruments is simply amazing. A distinctive feature of the master’s work is the desire to improve the shape of the instruments, changing them to a more curved one. Antonio strived for perfect sound and melodiousness. He decorated the body of the violins with precious stones.

In addition to violins, the master made harps, cellos, guitars and violas.

2) A wind musical instrument can be made of wood, metal or other material. Essentially, it is a tube of various diameters and lengths that produces sound due to air vibrations.

The larger the volume of a wind instrument, the lower the sound it produces. There are wooden and copper instruments. The principle of operation of the former is simple - it is necessary to open and close holes that are located at different distances from each other. As a result of such actions, air masses vibrate and music is created.

Ancient wooden instruments include:

• flute;
• bassoon;
• clarinet;
• oboe.

The instruments got their name due to the material from which they were made in those days, but modern technologies do not stand still, so the material was replaced partially or completely. Therefore, today these instruments look different and are made from different materials.

Sound is produced from brass instruments by changing the position of the lips and by the force of the air being blown in and out. Later, in 1830, a mechanism with valves was invented.

Brass instruments include:

1. Trombone.
2. Pipe.
3. Tubu et al.

In most cases, these instruments are made of metal, and not only copper, brass and even silver are used. But the works of medieval masters were made of wood partially or completely.

Perhaps the most ancient wind instrument is the horn, which was used for various purposes.

Bayans and accordions

Bayans, accordions and all types of accordions are classified as reed musical instruments.

Traditions allow us to call only those instruments that have a keyboard on the right side an accordion. But in the USA, the concept of “accordion” also includes other types of hand accordions. At the same time, varieties of accordions may have their own names.

Around the end of the 19th century, accordions were made in Klingenthal; German accordions are still in demand among Russian musicians.

There are also hydroid models that can be classified as artifacts; most of these models are no longer in use, but require attention due to their rarity and uniqueness.

Shrammel's button accordion is an instrument that has a unique structure. On the right side there is a push-button keyboard. This type of accordion is used in Viennese chamber music.

Trikitix accordion - on the left side there is a 12-button bass, on the right side there is a keyboard.

The chromatic accordion from Britain, despite the fact that the instrument is made in Germany, is considered the favorite instrument of musicians from Scotland.

The old "Schwitzerörgeli" accordion has similarities with the Belgian bass system, and the accordion is also called an organ from Scotland.

It is also worth paying attention to one copy from the USSR - this is the “Baby” accordion, which has a unique design. The peculiarity of this instrument is that the accordion is smaller in size. It was used to educate children, but not only. Due to its compactness, the instrument has some structural features:

• the first row is the bass and the second row is the chords;
• major and minor missing;
• one button performs the role of two.

You can buy such an accordion today inexpensively compared to models from Germany intended for training. Despite the fact that the accordion has various reviews and there is criticism of the instrument, it is considered ideal for teaching children.

A bit of nationality

There are not so few folk instruments; each nation has its own. The Slavs were distinguished by the quantity and quality of models. Some of the first instruments of the Slavs are:

1. Balalaika.
2. Accordion.
3. Tambourine.
4. Dudka.

1) The balalaika, along with the accordion, is considered a symbol of Russia and is perceived as the most widespread instrument. Historians do not answer when exactly the balalaika appeared; the approximate date is considered to be the 17th century. The balalaika consists of a triangular body and three strings, the vibration of which leads to the appearance of music.

The balalaika acquired its modern appearance in 1833, thanks to the musician Vasily Andreev, who began improving the balalaika.

2) The button accordion is a type of hand accordion that was designed by a Bavarian master. A similar type of accordion was discovered in Russia in 1892. In 1907, a master from St. Petersburg, Pyotr Egorovich Sterligov, made an instrument for harmonica player Yakov Fedorovich Orlansky-Titarenky. The work took the master about two years. And the instrument received its name in honor of the singer and storyteller named Bayan.

3) The tambourine is an instrument of indefinite pitch that has its own variations in different cultures. It is a circle covered with leather on both sides; metal bells or rings were also attached to the tambourine. Tambourines had different sizes and were often used for shamanic rituals.

But there is also an orchestral tambourine - the most common instrument today. A plastic tambourine is a round wooden hoop covered with leather or other membrane.

4) The pipe is a type of folk wind instrument that was common in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. The pipe is a small tube with holes.

Keyboard instruments

One of the most famous instruments that has survived to this day is the organ. Its original design had its own peculiarities: the organ keys were so large that you had to press them with your fists. The sound of the organ invariably accompanied church services. This instrument dates back to the Middle Ages.

The clavichord is very similar to the piano, but its sound was quiet, so there was no point in playing the clavichord in front of a large number of people. The clavichord was used for evenings and playing music at home. The instrument had keys that were pressed with your fingers. Bach had a clavichord, he played musical works on it.

The clavichord was replaced by the piano in 1703. The inventor of this instrument was a master from Spain, Bartolomeo Cristofori, who made instruments for the Medici family. He called his invention “an instrument that plays quietly and loudly.” The principle of operation of the piano was as follows: the keys had to be struck with a hammer, and there was also a mechanism for returning the hammer to its place.

The hammer struck a key, the key struck a string and caused it to vibrate, causing a sound; there were no pedals or dampers. Later, the piano was modified: a device was made that helped the hammer lower halfway. The modernization has significantly improved the sound quality and facilitated the process of playing music.

There are quite a lot of ancient instruments; this concept includes models of Slavic culture, accordions made in the USSR and violins from the time of Antonio Stradivari. It is difficult to find such an exhibit in private collections; for the most part, you can admire rare instruments in various museums. But some models are successfully sold at auctions, asking buyers to pay a not too high price for the instruments. Unless, of course, we are talking about specimens that fall under the concept of “antiques”.