Chapter IV: Part I: Preliminaries

CHAPTER

I. PRIMITIVE MUSIC 1

Music in nature--Theories of the origin of music--Intervals
and scales; contrast--The aborigines of Carribea,
Polynesia, Samoa, Africa--The rhythmic element: music and
the dance; instruments of percussion--Harmonic traces--Wind
instruments and their scales; the xylophone--Instruments
of semi-civilized peoples--The North American
Indian--Influence of modern culture on savage music.

II. EXOTIC MUSIC 42

Significance of exotic music--Classification; Aztecs and
Peruvians--The Orient: China and Hindustan, the
Mohammedans--Exotic instruments--Music as religious rite;
music and dancing--Music and customs; Orient and Occident.

III. THE MOST ANCIENT CIVILIZED NATIONS 64

Conjecture and authority--The Assyrians and Babylonians;
instruments; scales--The Hebrews--The Egyptians;
social aspects; Plato’s testimony; instruments--Egyptian
influence on Greek culture and its musical significance.

IV. THE MUSIC OF THE ANCIENT GREEKS 88

Significance of Greek music--Greek conception of music;
mythical records--Music in social life; folk-song; general
characteristics of Greek music--Systems and
scales--Pythagoras’ theories; later theorists: Aristoxenus
to Ptolemy--Periods of Greek composition; the _nomoi_;
lyricism; choral dancing and choral lyricism; the
drama--Greek instruments; notation.