Search results
Prehistoric times
tourisme-aveyron.com
- The origins of musical instruments date back to prehistoric times. Archaeological discoveries suggest that early humans used natural objects such as stones, bones, and shells to create sound. These primitive instruments were likely used in rituals and for communication.
musicobserver.com/the-history-of-musical-instruments-tracing-development-through-time/
People also ask
When was the first instrument considered a musical instrument?
When was music invented?
Where did musical instruments come from?
How did early humans make music?
May 24, 2019 · While it is not certain how or when the first musical instrument was invented, most historians point to early flutes made from animal bones that are at least 37,000 years old. The oldest known written song dates back 4,000 years and was written in ancient cuneiform.
- Piano
The Age of the Piano . From 1790 to the mid-1800s, piano...
- Review of The MI Guitar by Magic Instruments
Brian Fan, founder and CEO of San Francisco-based startup...
- Musical Instruments Printables
Musical Instruments Worksheet. Beverly Hernandez. Printable...
- History of Gamelan Indonesian Music and Dance
The Majapahit Empire (1293-1597) even had a government...
- French Horn
Making the transition from a method of communication to a...
- Biography of Musical Inventor Joseph H Dickinson
Joseph Hunter Dickinson contributed several improvements to...
- Great Summer Music Programs for High School Students
Jim.henderson/Wikimedia Commons. New York University’s...
- Nina Simone
What kept me sane was knowing that things would change, and...
- Piano
- Overview
- General characteristics
The principal types of musical instruments are percussion, stringed, keyboard, wind, and electronic.
How long have musical instruments existed?
Archaeology has revealed musical instruments such as pipes and whistles in the Paleolithic Period and clay drums and shell trumpets in the Neolithic Period. Ancient cultures of Mesopotamia, the Mediterranean, India, East Asia, and the Americas all possessed diverse and well-developed assortments of musical instruments, indicating that a long previous development must have existed.
musical instrument, any device for producing a musical sound. The principal types of such instruments, classified by the method of producing sound, are percussion, stringed, keyboard, wind, and electronic.
Musical instruments are almost universal components of human culture: archaeology has revealed pipes and whistles in the Paleolithic Period and clay drums and shell trumpets in the Neolithic Period. It has been firmly established that the ancient city cultures of Mesopotamia, the Mediterranean, India, East Asia, and the Americas all possessed diverse and well-developed assortments of musical instruments, indicating that a long previous development must have existed. As to the origin of musical instruments, however, there can be only conjecture. Some scholars have speculated that the first instruments were derived from such utilitarian objects as cooking pots (drums) and hunting bows (musical bows); others have argued that instruments of music might well have preceded pots and bows; while in the myths of cultures throughout the world the origin of music has frequently been attributed to the gods, especially in areas where music seems to have been regarded as an essential component of the ritual believed necessary for spiritual survival.
Whatever their origin, the further development of the enormously varied instruments of the world has been dependent on the interplay of four factors: available material, technological skills, mythic and symbolic preoccupations, and patterns of trade and migration. Thus, residents of Arctic regions use bone, skin, and stone to construct instruments; residents of the tropics have wood, bamboo, and reed available; while societies with access to metals and the requisite technology are able to utilize these malleable materials in a variety of ways. Myth and symbolism play an equally important role. Herding societies, for example, which may depend on a particular species of animal not only economically but also spiritually, often develop instruments that look or sound like the animal or prefer instruments made of bone and hide rather than stone and wood, even when all the materials are available. Finally, patterns of human trade and migration have for many centuries swept musicians and their instruments across seas and continents, resulting in constant flux, change, and cross-fertilization and adaptation.
Musical instruments have been used since earliest times for a variety of purposes, ranging from the entertainment of concert audiences to the accompaniment of dances, rituals, work, and medicine. The use of instruments for religious ceremonies has continued down to the present day, though at various times they have been suspect because of their secular associations. The many references to instruments in the Old Testament are evidence of the fact that they played an important part in Jewish worship until for doctrinal reasons they were excluded. It is also clear that the early Christians in the eastern Mediterranean used instruments in their services, since the practice was severely condemned by ecclesiastics, who insisted that the references to instruments in the Psalms were to be interpreted symbolically. Although instruments continue to be banned in Islamic mosques (but not in religious processions or Sufi ritual) and in the traditional Eastern Orthodox church, they play important roles in the ritual of most other societies. For example, Buddhist cultures are rich in instruments, particularly bells and drums (and in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, wind instruments as well).
Are you a student? Get Britannica Premium for only 24.95 - a 67% discount!
Learn More
Belief in the magical properties of instruments is found in many societies. The Jewish shofar (a ram’s horn), which is still blown on Rosh Hashana (New Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), must be heard by the congregation. The power of the shofar is illustrated by the story of Joshua at the siege of Jericho: when the priests blew their shofars seven times, the walls of the city fell flat. In India, according to legend, when the deity Krishna played the flute, the rivers stopped flowing and the birds came down to listen. The birds are said to have done the same in 14th-century Italy when the composer Francesco Landini played his organetto, or portative organ. In China, instruments were identified with the points of the compass, with the seasons, and with natural phenomena. The Melanesian bamboo flute was a charm for rebirth.
The exact date and specific origin of the first device considered a musical instrument, is widely disputed. The oldest object identified by scholars as a musical instrument, is a simple flute, dated back 50,000–60,000 years. Many scholars date early flutes to about 40,000 years ago.
Dec 21, 2023 · The earliest musical instruments were often derived from natural sources, such as rocks, bones, and hollow logs. These natural materials were transformed into basic percussion instruments, with their distinct tones and rhythms providing the foundation for early music-making.
The earliest objects whose designations as musical instruments are widely accepted are bone flutes from the Swabian Jura, Germany, namely from the Geissenklösterle, Hohle Fels and Vogelherd caves. [52]
4 days ago · The origins of musical instruments date back to prehistoric times. Archaeological discoveries suggest that early humans used natural objects such as stones, bones, and shells to create sound. These primitive instruments were likely used in rituals and for communication.
Jun 19, 2017 · This paper draws the ethnomusicological perspective on the entire development of music, instruments, and performance, from the times of H. neanderthalensis and H. sapiens into those of modern musical history, and it is written with the deliberate intention of informing readers who are without special education in music, and providing necessary ...