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.