The common origin and gradual differentiation of Dancing, Poetry, and Musicis thus sufficiently manifest.
Besides being displayed in the separation of these arts from one anotherand from religion, growing heterogeneity is also displayed in the multiplieddifferentiations which each of them afterwards undergoes. Just referringto the numberless kinds of dancing that have, in course of time, come intouse, and to the progress of poetry, as seen in the development of the variousforms of metre, of rhyme, and of general organization, let us confine ourattention to music as a type of the group. As argued by Dr. Burney, and asimplied by the customs of extant savages, the first musical instruments werepercussive-sticks, calabashes, tom-toms -- and were used simply to mark thetime of the dance. So, too, the vocal music of various semi-civilized racesconsists of simple phrases endlessly reiterated. In this constant repetitionof the same sounds we see music in its most homogeneous form. The Egyptianshad a lyre with three strings. The early lyre of the Greeks had four, constitutingtheir tetrachord. In course of some centuries lyres of seven and eight stringscame to be employed. And, by the expiration of a thousand years, they hadadvanced to their "great system" of the double octave. Throughall which changes of course arose a greater heterogeneity of melody or ratherrecitative. Simultaneously came into use the different modes -- Dorian, Ionian,Phrygian, AEolian, and Lydian -- answering to our keys; and of these therewere ultimately fifteen. As yet, however, there was but little heterogeneityin the time of their music. Instruments being used merely to accompany thevoice, the vocal music being completely subordinated to words, -- the singerbeing also the poet, chanting his own compositions and making the lengthsof his notes agree with the feet of his verses -- there unavoidably arosea tiresome uniformity of measure which, as Dr. Burney says, "no resourcesof melody could disguise." Lacking the complex rhythm obtained by ourequal bars and unequal notes, the only rhythm was that produced by the quantityof the syllables, and was of necessity monotonous. And further, the chantthus resulting being like recitative, was much less differentiated from ordinaryspeech than is our modern song. Nevertheless, considering the extended rangeof notes in use, the variety of modes, the occasional variations of timeconsequent on changes of metre, and the multiplication of instruments, wesee that music had, towards the close of Greek civilization, attained toconsiderable heterogeneity: not indeed as compared with our music, but ascompared with that which preceded it. As yet, however, there existed nothingbut serial combinations of notes (for so we must call them since they werenot melodies in our sense): harmony was unknown. It was not until Christianchurch-music had reached some development, that music in parts was evolved;and then it came into existence through an unobtrusive differentiation. Thepractice which led to it was the employment of two choirs singing alternatelythe same air. Afterwards it became the habit (possibly first suggested bya mistake) for the second choir to commence before the first had ceased: thus producing a fugue. With the simple airs then in use, a partially harmoniousfugue might not improbably result; and a very partially harmonious fuguesatisfied the ears of that age, as we know from still preserved examples.
