The Origins of Musicology: The Ancient World and Antiquity

The initial grounds of knowledge about music appeared virtually at the same time as it emerged as an art, i.e. tens of thousands of years ago. The earliest testimonies to this could be found in the mythological perceptions of various peoples, which has been realized most perceptively and diversely in the Greek myths. The primal elements of music theory were generated in the ancient hearths of civilization. Some of the outlooks widespread in the ancient world appeared in the cultures of Egypt and Mesopotamia. The Ancient Jewish artistic practice has also created its impact on the musicians of antiquity. The peoples of India and China also forged their own paths. Ancient Greek, as well as Ancient Middle Eastern musical knowledge was characterized by a syncretic connection of musical perceptions combined with scientific and philosophical systems, in what connection the musical perceptions of the ancient civilizations were frequently endowed with a cosmological character. Since the music of the ancient peoples was predominantly monophonic and, consequently, presented a culture of a monodic type, the theory of music in its entirety turned out to be essentially a teaching about melody. Musical aesthetics absorbed into itself an extremely broad circle of questions concerning the examined period, whereas the ethos of ancient peoples by its practical sides was aimed at the goals of musical upbringing.