How did music begin? Did our early ancestors first start by beating things together to create rhythm, or use their voices to sing? What types of instruments did they use? These are some of the questions explored in a recent Hypothesis and Theory article published inFrontiers in Sociology. The answers reveal that the story of music is, in many ways, the story of humans.

[2] So, what is music? This is difficult to answer, as everyone has their own idea. “Sound that conveys emotion,” is what Jeremy Montagu, of the University of Oxford and author of the article,describes as his. A mother humming1hum哼（歌曲）。or crooning2croon低声哼着安慰（小儿等）。to calm her baby would probably count as music, using this definition, and this simple music probably predated3predate早于……，先于……建成（或形成、发生等）。speech.

[3] But where do we draw the line between music and speech? You might think that rhythm, pattern and controlling pitch4controlling pitch控制音高。are important in music,but these things can also apply when someone recites a sonnet or speaks with heightened emotion. Montagu concludes that “each of us in our own way can say ‘Yes, this is music’, and ‘No,that is speech’.”

音乐是怎样起源的？人类远祖最初是敲击各种物件去制造节奏，还是展现歌喉，从而创造了音乐？他们使用的是何种乐器？这是最近发表在《社会学前沿》杂志上的“假说与理论”一文所探讨的部分问题。答案表明，音乐的历史在很多方面就是人类的历史。

[2]那么，音乐是什么呢？这个问题实难回答，原因是大家见仁见智。“音乐是表达情感的声音。”这是“假说与理论”一文作者、牛津大学的杰里米·蒙塔古给出的答案。根据这一定义，母亲哄宝宝时的低声哼唱也该算作音乐，这种简单的音乐很可能先于言语出现。

[3]但音乐和言语之间的界线在哪里呢？也许你会认为，在音乐中，节奏、音型和音高控制是重要的，但朗诵十四行诗或者情绪激昂地讲话时，这些要素也同样适用。蒙塔古总结道：“我们每个人都可以自己的方式说‘是，这是音乐’或者‘不，那是言语’。”

[4] So, when did our ancestors begin making music? If we take singing,then controlling pitch is important.Scientists have studied the fossilized skulls5skull头盖骨。and jaws of early apes, to see if they were able to vocalize6vocalize发声。and control pitch. About a million years ago, the common ancestor of Neanderthals7尼安德特人，一种在大约12万到3万年前居住在欧洲及西亚的古人类，属于晚期智人的一种。尼安德特人头骨化石最初在1829年发现于比利时，但是直到1856年在德国的尼安德特山谷中的一个山洞发现了头盖骨和其他骨骼，并被命名为尼安德特人（Homo neanderthalensis）后才广为人知。and modern humans had the vocal anatomy8anatomy（动植物的）结构。to “sing” like us, but it’s impossible to know if they did.

[5] Another important component of music is rhythm. Our early ancestors may have created rhythmic music by clapping their hands. This may be linked to the earliest musical instruments,when somebody realized that smacking9smack打。stones or sticks together doesn’t hurt your hands as much. Many of these instruments are likely to have been made from soft materials like wood or reeds,and so haven’t survived. What have sur-vived are bone pipes. Some of the earliest ever found are made from swan and vulture10wing bones and are between 39,000 and 43,000 years old. Other ancient instruments have been found in surprising places. For example, there is evidence that people struck stalactites11stalactite钟乳石。or “rock gongs12gong锣。” in caves dating from 12,000 years ago, with the caves themselves acting as resonators13resonator共鸣器。for the sound.

[6] So, we know that music is old,and may have been with us from when humans first evolved. But why did it arise and why has it persisted? There are many possible functions for music.One is dancing. It is unknown if the first dancers created a musical accompaniment, or if music led to people moving rhythmically. Another obvious reason for music is entertainment, which can be personal or communal14com-munal公有的。. Music can also be used for communication, often over large distances, using instruments such as drums or horns. Yet another reason for music is ritual, and virtually every religion uses music.

[4]那么，我们的老祖先是什么时候开始制作音乐的呢？如果我们视歌唱为音乐，控制音高就成了关键要素。科学家们研究了早期类人猿的头盖骨和下颌化石，旨在确认它们是否能发声和控制音高。大约100万年前，尼安德特人和现代人的共同祖先就已经有了声带，可以像我们一样“歌唱”，只是我们无从知道他们是不是真的歌唱过。

[5]节奏是音乐另一个重要的构成要素。我们远古的祖先可能通过拍手创造出了富有节奏的音乐。后来有人发现，互击石头或棍棒会产生同样的效果而手不会拍疼，最古老的乐器或许由此诞生。很多这样的乐器可能由木头或芦苇之类的软质材料做成，也因此没能留存下来。留存下来的是骨管乐器，目前发现的最早的骨管距今39000年至43000年，由天鹅或者秃鹰的翅骨制成。在一些意想不到的地方发现了其他的古老乐器，比如有证据表明，人类在12000年前就在洞穴里留下了敲击钟乳石或者“石锣”的痕迹，而洞穴本身起到了共鸣器的作用。

[7] However,the major reason that music arose and persists may be that it brings people together. “Music leads to bonding, such as bonding between mother and child or bonding between groups,”explains Montagu. “Music keeps workers happy when doing repetitive and otherwise boring work, and helps everyone to move together, increasing the force of their work. Dancing or singing together before a hunt or warfare binds participants into a cohesive group.” He concludes: “It has even been suggested that music, in causing such bonding,created not only the family but society itself, bringing individuals together who might otherwise have led solitary lives.” ■

[6]至此，我们了解到音乐是古老的，它可能从人类进化之初就一直陪伴着我们。但音乐为何出现并且存续至今？音乐可能有很多功用。其一是伴舞。不知道是最初的舞者创造了音乐，还是音乐引导人们按节拍舞动。另一个显而易见的原因是娱乐，不管是个人娱乐还是集体娱乐。音乐还能用于通讯，往往使用诸如鼓或号角之类的乐器远距离通讯。音乐出现的另一个原因是满足仪式之需，几乎每种宗教都使用音乐。

[7]可是，音乐出现并存续至今的最主要原因则在于它能够把人们聚集到一起。

10 vulture秃鹰。“音乐具有联络感情的作用，比如使母子或族群之间建立亲密关系。”蒙塔古解释道，“音乐能够让那些从事重复单调劳动的人们感到愉悦，有助于协同作业并增强干劲儿。在狩猎或战争之前载歌载舞，能够增强大家的凝聚力。”他最后说：“人们甚至认为音乐的联结作用不仅创造了家庭还创造了社会本身，它把可能孤独过活的个体聚集到了一起。” □