DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.42067#0382
342
Literature, music, and dance
systems we find that all intervals may be interpreted as subdivisions
of the octave. To the untrained ear the octave appears very com-
monly as a single tone; in other words, no distinction is made
between a tone and its octave. To a lesser extent this is true of
the fifth and even of the fourth. The majority of intervals that
have been found must be considered as subdivisions of the octave.
However, the subdivision does not always proceed according to
harmonic principles as in our music, but by equidistant tones. The
development of harmony in modern music has had the effect that
we have lost all feeling for equidistance in a harmonic series and
that the recent music in which non-harmonic equidistant tones are
applied require a difficult break with the pattern of musical form to
which we are accustomed. After a long struggle, we have reached a
compromise between the two systems, the harmonic and the equi-
distant, by dividing the octave into twelve equal parts which give
a fairly close agreement to the natural harmonic intervals, although
the differences are audible to a trained ear. The Javanese divide
the octave into seven equidistant steps, the Siamese into five, sys-
tems that are in fundamental conflict with those of our music. In
short, a great variety of scales exist and serve as foundation for
the musical systems of different people. All seem to have in
common as foundation the octave.
I will not enter into this intricate subject any further, because a
safe method has not yet been found that would enable us to tell
definitely what people want to sing among whom there is no theory
of music, as it exists among ourselves or the civilized people of
Asia, and who have no exactly constructed instruments.
Among musical instruments one type is of universal distribution:
the percussion instruments, or perhaps better instruments for pro-
ducing noises that carry the rhythm of the song. In the simplest
cases these are sticks with which boards or other resounding objects
are struck. But besides these we find everywhere the use of some
kind of a drum: wooden, hollow boxes, hollow cylinders or hoops
covered with a drum head of skin. Rattles, and locally other
Literature, music, and dance
systems we find that all intervals may be interpreted as subdivisions
of the octave. To the untrained ear the octave appears very com-
monly as a single tone; in other words, no distinction is made
between a tone and its octave. To a lesser extent this is true of
the fifth and even of the fourth. The majority of intervals that
have been found must be considered as subdivisions of the octave.
However, the subdivision does not always proceed according to
harmonic principles as in our music, but by equidistant tones. The
development of harmony in modern music has had the effect that
we have lost all feeling for equidistance in a harmonic series and
that the recent music in which non-harmonic equidistant tones are
applied require a difficult break with the pattern of musical form to
which we are accustomed. After a long struggle, we have reached a
compromise between the two systems, the harmonic and the equi-
distant, by dividing the octave into twelve equal parts which give
a fairly close agreement to the natural harmonic intervals, although
the differences are audible to a trained ear. The Javanese divide
the octave into seven equidistant steps, the Siamese into five, sys-
tems that are in fundamental conflict with those of our music. In
short, a great variety of scales exist and serve as foundation for
the musical systems of different people. All seem to have in
common as foundation the octave.
I will not enter into this intricate subject any further, because a
safe method has not yet been found that would enable us to tell
definitely what people want to sing among whom there is no theory
of music, as it exists among ourselves or the civilized people of
Asia, and who have no exactly constructed instruments.
Among musical instruments one type is of universal distribution:
the percussion instruments, or perhaps better instruments for pro-
ducing noises that carry the rhythm of the song. In the simplest
cases these are sticks with which boards or other resounding objects
are struck. But besides these we find everywhere the use of some
kind of a drum: wooden, hollow boxes, hollow cylinders or hoops
covered with a drum head of skin. Rattles, and locally other