The Story of Music Is the Story of Humans

How did music begin? Did our early ancestors first start by beating things together to create rhythm, or use their voices to sing? What types of instruments did they use? These are some of the questions explored in a recent Hypothesis and Theory article published inFrontiers in Sociology. The answers reveal that the story of music is, in many ways, the story of humans.

[2] So, what is music? This is difficult to answer, as everyone has their own idea. “Sound that conveys emotion,” is what Jeremy Montagu, of the University of Oxford and author of the article,describes as his. A mother humming1hum哼（歌曲）。or crooning2croon低聲哼著安慰（小兒等）。to calm her baby would probably count as music, using this definition, and this simple music probably predated3predate早于……，先于……建成（或形成、發(fā)生等）。speech.

[3] But where do we draw the line between music and speech? You might think that rhythm, pattern and controlling pitch4controlling pitch控制音高。are important in music,but these things can also apply when someone recites a sonnet or speaks with heightened emotion. Montagu concludes that “each of us in our own way can say ‘Yes, this is music’, and ‘No,that is speech’.”

音樂是怎樣起源的？人類遠(yuǎn)祖最初是敲擊各種物件去制造節(jié)奏，還是展現(xiàn)歌喉，從而創(chuàng)造了音樂？他們使用的是何種樂器？這是最近發(fā)表在《社會(huì)學(xué)前沿》雜志上的“假說與理論”一文所探討的部分問題。答案表明，音樂的歷史在很多方面就是人類的歷史。

[2]那么，音樂是什么呢？這個(gè)問題實(shí)難回答，原因是大家見仁見智。“音樂是表達(dá)情感的聲音。”這是“假說與理論”一文作者、牛津大學(xué)的杰里米·蒙塔古給出的答案。根據(jù)這一定義，母親哄寶寶時(shí)的低聲哼唱也該算作音樂，這種簡單的音樂很可能先于言語出現(xiàn)。

[3]但音樂和言語之間的界線在哪里呢？也許你會(huì)認(rèn)為，在音樂中，節(jié)奏、音型和音高控制是重要的，但朗誦十四行詩或者情緒激昂地講話時(shí)，這些要素也同樣適用。蒙塔古總結(jié)道：“我們每個(gè)人都可以自己的方式說‘是，這是音樂’或者‘不，那是言語’。”

[4] So, when did our ancestors begin making music? If we take singing,then controlling pitch is important.Scientists have studied the fossilized skulls5skull頭蓋骨。and jaws of early apes, to see if they were able to vocalize6vocalize發(fā)聲。and control pitch. About a million years ago, the common ancestor of Neanderthals7尼安德特人，一種在大約12萬到3萬年前居住在歐洲及西亞的古人類，屬于晚期智人的一種。尼安德特人頭骨化石最初在1829年發(fā)現(xiàn)于比利時(shí)，但是直到1856年在德國的尼安德特山谷中的一個(gè)山洞發(fā)現(xiàn)了頭蓋骨和其他骨骼，并被命名為尼安德特人（Homo neanderthalensis）后才廣為人知。and modern humans had the vocal anatomy8anatomy（動(dòng)植物的）結(jié)構(gòu)。to “sing” like us, but it’s impossible to know if they did.

[5] Another important component of music is rhythm. Our early ancestors may have created rhythmic music by clapping their hands. This may be linked to the earliest musical instruments,when somebody realized that smacking9smack打。stones or sticks together doesn’t hurt your hands as much. Many of these instruments are likely to have been made from soft materials like wood or reeds,and so haven’t survived. What have sur-vived are bone pipes. Some of the earliest ever found are made from swan and vulture10wing bones and are between 39,000 and 43,000 years old. Other ancient instruments have been found in surprising places. For example, there is evidence that people struck stalactites11stalactite鐘乳石。or “rock gongs12gong鑼。” in caves dating from 12,000 years ago, with the caves themselves acting as resonators13resonator共鳴器。for the sound.

[6] So, we know that music is old,and may have been with us from when humans first evolved. But why did it arise and why has it persisted? There are many possible functions for music.One is dancing. It is unknown if the first dancers created a musical accompaniment, or if music led to people moving rhythmically. Another obvious reason for music is entertainment, which can be personal or communal14com-munal公有的。. Music can also be used for communication, often over large distances, using instruments such as drums or horns. Yet another reason for music is ritual, and virtually every religion uses music.

[4]那么，我們的老祖先是什么時(shí)候開始制作音樂的呢？如果我們視歌唱為音樂，控制音高就成了關(guān)鍵要素。科學(xué)家們研究了早期類人猿的頭蓋骨和下頜化石，旨在確認(rèn)它們是否能發(fā)聲和控制音高。大約100萬年前，尼安德特人和現(xiàn)代人的共同祖先就已經(jīng)有了聲帶，可以像我們一樣“歌唱”，只是我們無從知道他們是不是真的歌唱過。

[5]節(jié)奏是音樂另一個(gè)重要的構(gòu)成要素。我們遠(yuǎn)古的祖先可能通過拍手創(chuàng)造出了富有節(jié)奏的音樂。后來有人發(fā)現(xiàn)，互擊石頭或棍棒會(huì)產(chǎn)生同樣的效果而手不會(huì)拍疼，最古老的樂器或許由此誕生。很多這樣的樂器可能由木頭或蘆葦之類的軟質(zhì)材料做成，也因此沒能留存下來。留存下來的是骨管樂器，目前發(fā)現(xiàn)的最早的骨管距今39000年至43000年，由天鵝或者禿鷹的翅骨制成。在一些意想不到的地方發(fā)現(xiàn)了其他的古老樂器，比如有證據(jù)表明，人類在12000年前就在洞穴里留下了敲擊鐘乳石或者“石鑼”的痕跡，而洞穴本身起到了共鳴器的作用。

[7] However,the major reason that music arose and persists may be that it brings people together. “Music leads to bonding, such as bonding between mother and child or bonding between groups,”explains Montagu. “Music keeps workers happy when doing repetitive and otherwise boring work, and helps everyone to move together, increasing the force of their work. Dancing or singing together before a hunt or warfare binds participants into a cohesive group.” He concludes: “It has even been suggested that music, in causing such bonding,created not only the family but society itself, bringing individuals together who might otherwise have led solitary lives.” ■

[6]至此，我們了解到音樂是古老的，它可能從人類進(jìn)化之初就一直陪伴著我們。但音樂為何出現(xiàn)并且存續(xù)至今？音樂可能有很多功用。其一是伴舞。不知道是最初的舞者創(chuàng)造了音樂，還是音樂引導(dǎo)人們按節(jié)拍舞動(dòng)。另一個(gè)顯而易見的原因是娛樂，不管是個(gè)人娛樂還是集體娛樂。音樂還能用于通訊，往往使用諸如鼓或號(hào)角之類的樂器遠(yuǎn)距離通訊。音樂出現(xiàn)的另一個(gè)原因是滿足儀式之需，幾乎每種宗教都使用音樂。

[7]可是，音樂出現(xiàn)并存續(xù)至今的最主要原因則在于它能夠把人們聚集到一起。

10 vulture禿鷹。“音樂具有聯(lián)絡(luò)感情的作用，比如使母子或族群之間建立親密關(guān)系。”蒙塔古解釋道，“音樂能夠讓那些從事重復(fù)單調(diào)勞動(dòng)的人們感到愉悅，有助于協(xié)同作業(yè)并增強(qiáng)干勁兒。在狩獵或戰(zhàn)爭之前載歌載舞，能夠增強(qiáng)大家的凝聚力。”他最后說：“人們甚至認(rèn)為音樂的聯(lián)結(jié)作用不僅創(chuàng)造了家庭還創(chuàng)造了社會(huì)本身，它把可能孤獨(dú)過活的個(gè)體聚集到了一起。” □