How do we know what music sounded like in ancient cultures?
In: Culture
We don’t really as accurate musical notation was not developed until around the the late middle ages and renaissance in Europe. Fun fact: The Catholic Church developed the basic idea of staves, notes, and other basic music notation found in modern music notation. It all stemmed from them wanting to standardize the chants of the Church. Instruments were not originally allowed, and to this day we call voice-only music a capella (in the manner of the church.)
I found a video on YouTube a while back purporting to have the oldest known melody at 1400 b.c. Music has come a long way!
Not exactly ancient music, but there are some songs from early America/England and other places that were passed on through ceramics. Musicians were able to scratch sounds into ceramic pots and other wares similarly to how records were/are made!
Music theory and history are some of my favorite subjects!
Music has evolved much like language over the years. Just like we have Shakespearean English and barely recognizable old English of Beowulf; written music has certain periods and things that make them distinct but similar. Just like a linguist can read a long dead language a musicologist maybe able to read a notated melody. Unfortunately, a lot of older styles of music notation are vague and/or improvisational and not as specific as it’s metaphorical counterpart. So we have educated guesses as to what ancient music sounds like, but we don’t really know. Some of the vagueness can be taken away by what the instrument sounds like. As another commented, the structure and composition of an instrument often informs use and function.
**ELI5:**
We often know what their musical instruments sounded like.
Ancient peoples sometimes left clues about how their instruments were made. Then, a smart man can make a copy of the instrument – and play it! Sometimes, musical instruments are buried with people, and we can make a copy. Sometimes, an old type of instrument is still in use today. Drums are very old, and very common – you know what a drum sounds like. Flutes are very common, too. If you know the size, shape and makeup of an instrument, a craftsman can probably make a decent copy. Making old style musical instruments is a hobby for some people, and a job for others.
What I do not know is what *tunes* were played – another poster may have the answer to that question.
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