DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.42067#0381
Literature, music, and dance
341
singers are raised to a higher pitch. It is, therefore, difficult if not
impossible to say what the singers intend to sing. The musical
interval may be compared with the melody of language. Most
languages do not use pitch in such a way that it is an important,
significant part of articulation. The use of pitch in language is
more widely distributed than is generally known. It is not by any
means the exclusive feature of Chinese, but it occurs in Africa as
well as in America, not to speak of its familiar use in the Scandi-
navian languages and in ancient Greek. Theoretically it is con-
ceivable that early human speech might have used fixed intervals
and musical phrasing of vowels and voiced consonants just as well
as different timber of vowels (that is our a, e, i, o, u, and other
vowel values), to express different ideas, but it cannot be proved
that such was done. It is much more likely, according to available
linguistic evidence that musical tone in language is a secondary
development due to the disappearance of formative elements. We
must also consider that in languages with tone, glides are of great
importance and that these are not typical parts of the melodic
sequence, although they occur as endings of phrases. Furthermore
the intervals of speech are not fixed and vary considerably according
to the position of the word in the phrase. It does not seem likely,
therefore, that the melody can be derived directly from speech, as
Herbert Spencer tried to do. I rather adhere to the opinion of
Stumpf who demands a different origin for the fixed interval. The
sustained cry is much more likely to use fixed intervals and stable tones.
Whatever their origin may have been, we must recognize the
existence of fixed intervals and their transponability as the fundamental
requirements of all music. It is true that in some languages the value
of the fixed interval is keenly felt. This is demonstrated by the
so-called drum language of West Africa in which the speech melody
and rhythm is repeated on drums of definite tones and where these
tone sequences are understood.
Further investigation of primitive music requires a study of the
intervals themselves. Notwithstanding the great differences of
341
singers are raised to a higher pitch. It is, therefore, difficult if not
impossible to say what the singers intend to sing. The musical
interval may be compared with the melody of language. Most
languages do not use pitch in such a way that it is an important,
significant part of articulation. The use of pitch in language is
more widely distributed than is generally known. It is not by any
means the exclusive feature of Chinese, but it occurs in Africa as
well as in America, not to speak of its familiar use in the Scandi-
navian languages and in ancient Greek. Theoretically it is con-
ceivable that early human speech might have used fixed intervals
and musical phrasing of vowels and voiced consonants just as well
as different timber of vowels (that is our a, e, i, o, u, and other
vowel values), to express different ideas, but it cannot be proved
that such was done. It is much more likely, according to available
linguistic evidence that musical tone in language is a secondary
development due to the disappearance of formative elements. We
must also consider that in languages with tone, glides are of great
importance and that these are not typical parts of the melodic
sequence, although they occur as endings of phrases. Furthermore
the intervals of speech are not fixed and vary considerably according
to the position of the word in the phrase. It does not seem likely,
therefore, that the melody can be derived directly from speech, as
Herbert Spencer tried to do. I rather adhere to the opinion of
Stumpf who demands a different origin for the fixed interval. The
sustained cry is much more likely to use fixed intervals and stable tones.
Whatever their origin may have been, we must recognize the
existence of fixed intervals and their transponability as the fundamental
requirements of all music. It is true that in some languages the value
of the fixed interval is keenly felt. This is demonstrated by the
so-called drum language of West Africa in which the speech melody
and rhythm is repeated on drums of definite tones and where these
tone sequences are understood.
Further investigation of primitive music requires a study of the
intervals themselves. Notwithstanding the great differences of