When and where was music invented?

Question

I was wondering if prehistoric man discovered he could sing or had simple musical instruments. Or was it much later?

Thanks for all these great answers! I'll leave the question open for you cutebrightman as don't want to stop the flow. I think you've already scooped Yahoo Answer of the Year!

Answer 1

Good question. We can (and many extremely smart old people already have) discuss, guess, and speculate the exact or approximate moment at which music was discovered or invented. But, the only precise way to know for sure is by examining ancient artifacts that were left behind...namely, musical instruments and to a more reliable degree, written music.

Every ancient ethnic background had/has some sort of "music" (the study of which is known as ethnomusicology). [A side note: you'd be surprised at how much they all sound alike (i.e., ancient Asian "music" sounds a lot like ancient Hebrew, etc.). This is mainly because they all (oddly enough) are pentatonic (using only the first 5 notes of what we modern people have come to call the major scale).]

But anyway, it was the classical (or Western European) composers who figured out the most reliable and enduring written method of recording music. This is why we study them, and not ancient African, Asian, etc... musical methods. And, I use the word "classical" loosely, as I'm not only refering to composers as late as Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, etc., but also (and in this case, more importantly) to a much earlier time....

The earliest reliable evidence of "music" is ancient Greece and Rome. We know this from written accounts and some hymns and ancient songs that were left behind and recovered. There are about forty complete pieces or fragments of Greek and Roman music that have been recovered, ranging over about 7 centuries. Music occupied an important place in Roman military life, theater, religion, and ritual.

Although, there is somewhat of a gap here in music history, this will eventually carry us to the medieval period of music (400-1450). During this period, musical entities we take for granted in the modern world were all invented/discovered (i.e., the arrangement of keys on a keyboard, chords, scales, time and key signatures, etc.)--some of which would not be perfected and/or in common use until the Renaissance (1450-1600) and Baroque (1600-1750) periods of music. [Another side note: if you're listening to or looking for some classical music, you're not going to find anything prior to early baroque or late renaissance, mostly because it's too hard for anyone to listen to or appreciate and is hardly ever performed.]

Of course, you could present the argument that prehistoric man invented/discovered music. But, you couldn't prove it. And even if there is any merit to the "musical prehistoric man" argument, his "musical" experience would be so primative that it couldn't be recorded (written) and thus, is not acknowledged. Also, that would introduce an additional argument, "what is music" or "what do you call music to begin with". And music AS WE KNOW IT (i.e., Mozart, John Coltrane, The Rolling Stones, Van Halen, Prince, The White Stripes, etc.) began in ancient Greece and Rome. That's what the records show.

For some fun (but heavy) reading you can grab Grout and Palisca's Book, A History of Western Music, which is used in Music History classes in major schools of music in the country.

This was fun. Thanks for asking such a thoughtful question.



That ends my answer to your question. But since it came to mind, here's some more pointless random information on music history:

[Another side note about the musical achievements of the Renaissance: There is a certain short period of time in which almost every musical advancement or discovery was made by an Italian. Ever notice how most of the instructions in written music are in Italian (i.e, forte, pianissimo, crescendo, diminuendo, coda, etc.) sometimes regardless of the composer's heritage? Or how names of certain instruments are Italian (i.e., piano, cello, viola)? That's why. The Italians almost have a monopoly on certain early musical advancements.

But, it's funny. What the Italians may have started, the Germans explored even further. The German/Austrian tradition in music is undeniable. Ever notice how ALMOST every classical composer you hear of or admire is German/Austrian? Of course there are tons of exceptions, but take your pick; Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Bruckner, Mahler, Wagner, Strauss...were all German/Austrian. Which is a point that Hitler never failed to mention when preaching his sick twisted belief in the superiority of the Germans/Austrians to the rest of the world.]

I didn't know when I'd get another venue to drop some random music history knowledge, so I just mentioned it here on the tailend of my answer...as if it weren't already long enough. Thanks for reading.

Answer 2

When Was Music Invented

Answer 3

Written Music or rythmic sounds?
Mating calls of primative man?
Stretching skins over tree bark?
Cuting holes in reeds and playing flutes to sooth the sheep or other creatures?

OR!!!!
The more sophisticated advancements of the...
Middle Ages
The earliest piece of music that was ever written down and that has not been lost was discovered on a tablet written in Hurrian, a language spoken in and around northern Mesopotamia, from about 1500 BC. Much later, another early piece of written music that has survived was a round called Sumer is icumen in. It was written down by a monk around the year 1250. Music in the Middle Ages (roughly 450-1480) was mostly folk music. When people played instruments, they were usually playing for dancers. However, most of the music that was written down was for the Catholic church. This music is called Chant.

Answer 4

In theory, music-making may have begun as early as the Oldowan era of the Paleolithic: which would be around 2.6 millions years ago.

Why then? Well, that's when stone tools began to be used, and the sounds of regular hammering or grinding might lead to deliberate music making.
However: some things as basic as breathing or walking have their own rhythm.

The problem is that 2.6 million years ago we're talking about earlier forms than homo sapiens. And lots of apes enjoy rhythmically tapping. Then there's birdsong.
So it's hard to disentangle human music from the rest.

My guess is, it started with the first heartbeat.

Lots more information at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prehistoric_music
and loads of results if you google for "the origin of music" - including some weighty textbooks at Amazon.

Thanks for an interesting question.
Hope that helps.

I'm just off to yodel and swing through the trees.

Answer 5

Hello,

Use of the human voice for singing goes back so far its completely or almost completely impossible to say when or where. But way way back in our genetic past, possibly to cromanion peoples just after the ice age. Several thousand years, we're talking roughly 6,000 years approx.

Use of stones, bones and drums made from animal skins are also impossible to date again go back thousands of years.

Voice and music making has been part of human rituals for as long as humans have exsisted.

**I dont believe music was invented, it was only rediscovered by humans and became part of human culture. Music is essential for humans, for there happiness and well being.

IR

Answer 6

Music has been around since people had voices and could get a rhythm out of things. Drums are probably the oldest actual instrument, but Music itself is as old as humans.

Answer 7

RE:
When and where was music invented?
I was wondering if prehistoric man discovered he could sing or had simple musical instruments. Or was it much later?

Answer 8

Music was first started when the first noise was made. Any noise could be considered music, so it really depends on what type you are looking at. Music in general though has been evolving since the beginning of mankind.

Answer 9

Prehistoric humans discovered music by hitting objects with either sticks or bones and made music and later on started humming and realized they could hum while hitting objects to make music. Then they started producing sounds out of their mouth too while drumming.

Answer 10

Yes, it was during pre-historical times. Instruments were made of bones.However, until about 1600, instrumental music was usually not heard alone (unless for dancing). The signing was an important part, in many cases the only part.