cadences of oratory are derived from previously developed musical
powers. (39. See the very interesting discussion on the Origin and
Function of Music, by Mr. Herbert Spencer, in his collected Essays,
1858, p. 359. Mr. Spencer comes to an exactly opposite conclusion to
that at which I have arrived. He concludes, as did Diderot formerly,
that the cadences used in emotional speech afford the foundation from
which music has been developed; whilst I conclude that musical notes
and rhythm were first acquired by the male or female progenitors of
mankind for the sake of charming the opposite sex. Thus musical tones
became firmly associated with some of the strongest passions an animal
is capable of feeling, and are consequently used instinctively, or
through association when strong emotions are expressed in speech. Mr.
Spencer does not offer any satisfactory explanation, nor can I, why
high or deep notes should be expressive, both with man and the lower
animals, of certain emotions. Mr. Spencer gives also an interesting
discussion on the relations between poetry, recitative and song.) We
can thus understand how it is that music, dancing, song, and poetry are
such very ancient arts. We may go even further than this, and, as
remarked in a former chapter, believe that musical sounds afforded one
of the bases for the development of language. (40. I find in Lord
Monboddo s Origin of Language, vol. i. 1774, p. 469, that Dr.
Blacklock likewise thought that the first language among men was
music, and that before our ideas were expressed by articulate sounds,
they were communicated by tones varied according to different degrees
of gravity and acuteness. )
As the males of several quadrumanous animals have their vocal organs
much more developed than in the females, and as a gibbon, one of the
anthropomorphous apes, pours forth a whole octave of musical notes and
may be said to sing, it appears probable that the progenitors of man,
either the males or females or both sexes, before acquiring the power
of expressing their mutual love in articulate language, endeavoured to
charm each other with musical notes and rhythm. So little is known
about the use of the voice by the Quadrumana during the season of love,
that we have no means of judging whether the habit of singing was first
acquired by our male or female ancestors. Women are generally thought
to possess sweeter voices than men, and as far as this serves as any
guide, we may infer that they first acquired musical powers in order to
attract the other sex. (41. See an interesting discussion on this
subject by Haeckel, Generelle Morphologie, B. ii. 1866, s. 246.) But
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