History of music... summary

Music exists since prehistoric times, probably before the time of its first marks; sounds were then generated by clapping, impact between stones or wooden pieces and chants. Every civilization, sooner or later, has developed its own musical system by creating or adapting it to its culture and tastes.

Some legends praise the virtues of the music whether evil or beneficial. The first musicians were the gods: Athena invented the double flute, she has finally thrown it on the ground because she thought to be disfigured in playing the instrument, Marcyas picked it up and challenged Apollo who played the lyre created by Hermes. Apollo played sounds very melodious with the power to relax the gods of Mount Olympus. Pan created an instrument from a reed whose sound resembled the sweet song of the nightingale. The Muses, the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, did not play any instrument but had unprecedented voices.

It is in China that we found the first traces of musical theory dating from about ten centuries before Christ, for some wise men it expressed the balance between heaven and earth. A range of five notes in succession of fifth to fifth was invented, starting with "Fa". Each note symbolized a prince, minister, etc. Much later, appeared another seven-note scale similar to the one used today. It should be noted that these two scales are both still used in China. According to the legend, 2500 years before our era, the Emperor Hoang-Ti commissioned a music teacher to bring him the secret of birdsong of a remote area where they whistled like nowhere else. The master returned months later with twelve flutes corresponding to the twelve notes of the chromatic scale. In China, at that time, there were already many musical instruments as Chinese bells, drums, mouth organs, flute, zither or a primitive lute constructed from a long and narrow piece of wood where strings were stretched. All the music accompanied ceremonies and cults dedicated primarily to the forces of nature and then Buddha and Confucius.

to be continued