The Lost Scales of Ancient Civilisations
Even before language came into existence, music has been a source of self-expression since time immemorial. Its sanctity was so sacred that it was used in rituals and important social occasions. Since literature and architecture can survive the test of time due to their physical state, music, however, was more oral in those times, and even though there were musical systems in place, they have been unfortunately lost.
When civilisations vanish, it takes away their essence, and when it comes to music and melody, which require context, notation, instruments, and performance, they can get lost, too. However, through research, some of its fragments have been discovered, and on its basis, a semblance of the music scales is found. With the aid of research and technological advancement, scientists have been able to find some aspects of the scales used in ancient times and here are some examples of them.
Mesopotamia
Often believed to be the birthplace of music theory. Researchers found a 3,400-year-old clay tablet in the city of Ugarit, located in Syria, which was inscribed with cuneiform musical notation. It is now known as the Hurrian Hymn No. 6, whose scale is believed to be heptatonic, which means it had seven notes per octave, which is very similar to the Western scales. Ancient Mesopotamians used advanced musical instruments like the samic lyre and harp, which used natural harmonic ratios. Of course, the songs, rhythm, and exact sound produced by the instrument remain unknown, and they would have had a lasting presence in the courts and hearts of the empire.
Greece
Greeks were at the forefront of one of the most advanced civilisations, and science, literature, mathematics, and philosophy were held in high regard. So, when it comes to musical scales, they were quite ahead of their time. Pythagoras discovered the Pythagoras theorem and explored musical intervals using ratios, defining perfect fourths, fifths, and octaves. Greek musicians also used the modes system: Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian and Mixolydian. They believed music had a sway on human emotions, which now has become a universal truth. Even their musical instruments were very singular, and even with modern-day technology, they are hard to replicate. They even had a proper notation system with separate symbols for denoting pitch and rhythms.
Egypt
Music was supreme in ancient Egypt, embedded in royal processions from temple rituals and feasts to funerals. Their wall paintings and hieroglyphics show many musical instruments, such as flutes, lutes, lyres, sistrums, and harps, played in harmony together in the form of an orchestra. While they had mathematical systems and pictographic language, their music system is not present in the annals of history. While musicologists are certain they had scales like pentatonic( five-note) or heptatonic, their music remains a mystery.
India
India is known for its oral traditions, including many languages, cultures, and customs. Even music has been passed orally for thousands of years. In 1500 BCE, with the composition of the Sama Veda, a handwritten collection of hymns was sung, and it had a melodic framework that became the basis of the early ragas. Music operated on systems of 22 shrutis where microtones divide the octave more intricately than the 12 semitones of modern Western music. The music was played according to the mood, ritual, and season, and since music was passed down through generations, ancient music scales have been well preserved in the country.
China
The Chinese music system is also one of the oldest, and its premises are the fascination with the cosmos. The lü̈ system, which was a method of pitch generation, was done through bamboo pipes and used mathematical ratios with utmost precision. Music was in alignment with seasons, nature and the five elements theory. They employed pentatonic scales( five notes), still heavily used in Chinese music. They even experimented with heptatonic and non-equidistant scales. Instruments like guqin, sheng, and bianzhong( bronze chimes) have been discovered in tombs, but their optimal playing style is still not well-known.
The Score
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