who asked the first question? - International Research Center For ...
who asked the first question? - International Research Center For ... who asked the first question? - International Research Center For ...
378• As human society becomes increasingly politicized, moral and religious normsplay an important part in musical life as well. Politicians discuss controlling musicaltastes of their citizens (e.g. Plato in Ancient Greece or communist ideologists in SovietUnion), they ban some types of music and try to fundamentally transform musical cultureof whole peoples (like in USSR), most religions control musical activity and ban earlier“barbaric” forms of music (like early Christianity), and some religions ban music almostcompletely as a sin (Islam). On the other hand, in some cases polyphonic singing maybecome a symbol of national identity and receive a strong political and social boost (likein Corsica, Bulgaria, Lithuania, or Georgia).To complete this historical reconstruction of the disappearance of the ancienttradition of polyphonic singing, I would suggest that different contemporary humanpopulations are in different stages of this process, mostly depending on the chronology ofthe origins of the articulated speech among their ancestors. Among East Asian, AustralianAboriginal and most of the Native American populations this process of losing thetradition of vocal polyphony is mostly completed, and there are no major traces of thetradition of vocal polyphony left (except still surviving tradition of group singing – socialpolyphony, mostly in antiphonal and responsorial forms). Among European, small part ofNative American and possibly Polynesian populations the process of disappearing ofpolyphonic traditions is going now. Sub-Saharan Africa seems to be the only regionwhere the process of the disappearance of vocal polyphony did not have a major impactso far (at least, actively).Conclusions: Any more queations?We reached the end of the part three, and this is the end of this book. Only thePostScript and Appendix are left. Postscript discusses the moral and ethical problemsconnected with the suggested model of the origins of human choral singing, intelligence,language and speech, and an appendix provides information about the special conferencesdedicated to traditional polyphony that has been held in different countries of the worldduring the last few decades.So here are the main conclusions:• The problem of the origins of choral polyphony is not a musicological problemonly. Origin of choral polyphony was an integral part of the evolutionary history ofhuman language, intelligence, and articulated speech, and should be only discussed inthis context.• Singing has long existed in animal kingdom, but group singing with a strictrhythmic organization seems to be characteristic of human singing only. The origins ofhuman polyphony were initially connected to the appearance of the metro-rhythmic unityamong the groups of hominids and it served the important role of the defense against the
379major African ground predators (and possibly the major factor for the confrontationalscavenging).• This rhythmical unity of the group and the feel of the united strength was amajor factor in hominid survival, allowing our ancestors to decrease the size of theirteeth, pushed them to increase the hominid group size, and lead to more complexinteractions between the group members and more demands on social intelligence.• Hypnotic influence of the precise and loud rhythm on human brain (still withus!) must be connected to the very long use of the primordial song-dance, consisting ofrhythmically precisely organized stomping and shouting/singing.• With the appearance of the mental ability to ask questions our ancestors“crossed the line” between the animal kingdom and humans. Human dialogical language,self-developing intelligence and mental cooperation were born. According to suggestedmodel, the ability to ask questions is the defining element of human cognition andlanguage. “Interrogo ergo Cogito” – “I ask questions, therefore I think”.• The ability to answer questions is evolutionarily much older than the ability toask questions. New research is needed to check whether apes are able to use their naturalcuriosity and ask questions. Apes are very good in understanding human questions andresponding to them, but so far no serious claim has been made on apes’ ability to askquestions.• According to our current knowledge, four groups of protolanguage users shouldbe divided into two very different groups: (1) those who cannot ask questions (apes andwolf children), and (2) those who can ask questions (children under two and pidginlanguage users). Asking questions seems to be a genetic ability, and early humaninteraction with parents and society is crucial for human babies to develop this geneticability.• The question (and accordingly, human intelligence) was born during the ancientpitch-based vocal communication, before the advance of articulated speech. Questionintonation is arguably the strongest linguistic universal among human languages and isthe oldest means to ask questions (both in phylogeny and ontogeny). Question-andanswersinging form is universal for human group (social) singing.• Different contemporary human groups communicate via pitch-only basedlanguage, but no human speech exists without pitch element (prosodic features). Pitchelement of tone languages, whistle and drum languages are the survivals of the archaicpitch-based system of referential communication.• Musical ear and good sense of rhythm was much more important for ourhominid and early human ancestors before the advance of articulated speech. After thelanguage became predominantly spoken, musical ear lost in survival value and was
- Page 327 and 328: 327development experts would unanim
- Page 329 and 330: 329years after 1996, if I see a new
- Page 331 and 332: 331• Why do we ask questions?This
- Page 333 and 334: 333With the emergence of the abilit
- Page 335 and 336: 335apes’ and humans’ mental abi
- Page 337 and 338: 337The fascinating fact about the T
- Page 339 and 340: 339curiosity cannot exist, although
- Page 341 and 342: 341• Question intonation is argua
- Page 343 and 344: 343A few cases of “wolf children
- Page 345 and 346: 345(2) Children under two and pidgi
- Page 347 and 348: 347Let’s Talk: Origin of SpeechTh
- Page 349 and 350: 349article concluded with the sugge
- Page 351 and 352: 351are disposed to accept such a vi
- Page 353 and 354: 353articulated speech among the anc
- Page 355 and 356: 355speech (possibly in conjunction
- Page 357 and 358: 357function, while in the sub-Sahar
- Page 359 and 360: 359acquired, it is one of the most
- Page 361 and 362: 361millennia. So the historical dyn
- Page 363 and 364: 363of stuttering was mostly margina
- Page 365 and 366: 365when I reminded her of our conve
- Page 367 and 368: 367• A comparison of the stutteri
- Page 369 and 370: 369predisposition towards stutterin
- Page 371 and 372: 371There are some well-researched p
- Page 373 and 374: 373Developmental dyslexiaStuttering
- Page 375 and 376: 375mastery or correct usage of soun
- Page 377: 377• As the process of the declin
- Page 381 and 382: 381PostScript:Moral and ethics issu
- Page 383 and 384: 383(Jordania, 1989:240), believing
- Page 385 and 386: 385without turning these difference
- Page 387 and 388: 387Central African Republic, Bangul
- Page 389 and 390: 389polyphon y.” 4. Nailia Almeeva
- Page 391 and 392: 391aural tradition: Results and the
- Page 393 and 394: 3931. Tamar Chkheidze. “Peculiari
- Page 395 and 396: 395Krimanchuli (Yodel) in West Geor
- Page 397 and 398: 397ReferencesABDUSHELISHVILI, MALKH
- Page 399 and 400: 399ASAFIEV, BORIS. 1971. Musical fo
- Page 401 and 402: 401BLACKING, JOHN. 1973. How musica
- Page 403 and 404: 403BUCHER, KARL. 1923 (1919). Arbei
- Page 405 and 406: 405COOKE, PETER. 1998. East Africa:
- Page 407 and 408: 407ELSCHEKOVA, ALICA. 1963. “Der
- Page 409 and 410: 409GANDOUR, JACK, SORANEE H. PETTY,
- Page 411 and 412: 411HALPERN, IDA. 1975. “Music of
- Page 413 and 414: 413JELINEK, JAN. 1978. Homo erectus
- Page 415 and 416: 415methodologies? Erich Stockmann z
- Page 417 and 418: 417---- 1975. Music of Ainu. In Pro
- Page 419 and 420: 419KUTER, LOIS. Brittany. In The Ga
- Page 421 and 422: 421MACCHIARELLA, IGNAZIO. 2005. The
- Page 423 and 424: 423Symposiu m on Traditional Polyph
- Page 425 and 426: 425PERETZ, ISABELLE. 2003. Brain sp
- Page 427 and 428: 427---- 2003. The geographical dist
378• As human society becomes increasingly politicized, moral and religious normsplay an important part in musical life as well. Politicians discuss controlling musicaltastes of <strong>the</strong>ir citizens (e.g. Plato in Ancient Greece or communist ideologists in SovietUnion), <strong>the</strong>y ban some types of music and try to fundamentally transform musical cultureof <strong>who</strong>le peoples (like in USSR), most religions control musical activity and ban earlier“barbaric” forms of music (like early Christianity), and some religions ban music almostcompletely as a sin (Islam). On <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r hand, in some cases polyphonic singing maybecome a symbol of national identity and receive a strong political and social boost (likein Corsica, Bulgaria, Lithuania, or Georgia).To complete this historical reconstruction of <strong>the</strong> disappearance of <strong>the</strong> ancienttradition of polyphonic singing, I would suggest that different contemporary humanpopulations are in different stages of this process, mostly depending on <strong>the</strong> chronology of<strong>the</strong> origins of <strong>the</strong> articulated speech among <strong>the</strong>ir ancestors. Among East Asian, AustralianAboriginal and most of <strong>the</strong> Native American populations this process of losing <strong>the</strong>tradition of vocal polyphony is mostly completed, and <strong>the</strong>re are no major traces of <strong>the</strong>tradition of vocal polyphony left (except still surviving tradition of group singing – socialpolyphony, mostly in antiphonal and responsorial forms). Among European, small part ofNative American and possibly Polynesian populations <strong>the</strong> process of disappearing ofpolyphonic traditions is going now. Sub-Saharan Africa seems to be <strong>the</strong> only regionwhere <strong>the</strong> process of <strong>the</strong> disappearance of vocal polyphony did not have a major impactso far (at least, actively).Conclusions: Any more queations?We reached <strong>the</strong> end of <strong>the</strong> part three, and this is <strong>the</strong> end of this book. Only <strong>the</strong>PostScript and Appendix are left. Postscript discusses <strong>the</strong> moral and ethical problemsconnected with <strong>the</strong> suggested model of <strong>the</strong> origins of human choral singing, intelligence,language and speech, and an appendix provides information about <strong>the</strong> special conferencesdedicated to traditional polyphony that has been held in different countries of <strong>the</strong> worldduring <strong>the</strong> last few decades.So here are <strong>the</strong> main conclusions:• The problem of <strong>the</strong> origins of choral polyphony is not a musicological problemonly. Origin of choral polyphony was an integral part of <strong>the</strong> evolutionary history ofhuman language, intelligence, and articulated speech, and should be only discussed inthis context.• Singing has long existed in animal kingdom, but group singing with a strictrhythmic organization seems to be characteristic of human singing only. The origins ofhuman polyphony were initially connected to <strong>the</strong> appearance of <strong>the</strong> metro-rhythmic unityamong <strong>the</strong> groups of hominids and it served <strong>the</strong> important role of <strong>the</strong> defense against <strong>the</strong>