Think you know everything there is to know about music? Prepare to be blown away as we take a look at some of the most interesting, unbelievable facts about musicians and the music industry.
1. Two flutes found in a cave in Germany are made of bird bone and mammoth ivory. These instruments are dated to what is considered the prehistoric period of music, or the time before music was notated. Due to the lack of notation, it’s difficult to know what music was like in the prehistoric era, but one can safely assume it was used in similar ways to today: for recreation and religious rituals.
2.The Seikilos Epitaph is the oldest musical composition in the world.
Dating back to the 1st century AD, it was on a column marking a grave in Turkey. The epitaph includes both a musical score and a short set of lyrics. The lyrics read, “While you live, shine. Have no grief at all. Life exists for only a short while. And time demands his due.”
3. The world’s largest performing rock band included 953 musicians.
The Beijing Contemporary Music Academy achieved this record on June 16, 2016. They performed in the city of Tianjin, China. The band included 349 singers, 154 guitarists, and 151 drummers. 100 bassists also took part in the performance, along with 100 keyboard players, and 98 players of wind instruments.
4.Japan’s Folk Music and Dance Association assembled the world’s largest shamisen ensemble.
The shamisen is a traditional Japanese musical instrument that looks like a violin. The 1,911 participants all used the Tsugaru Shamisen in their performance. It took place in Tokyo, Japan, on October 23, 2016, and lasted 6 minutes and 5 seconds.
5. Simon Desorgher assembled the most number of chimes as a single musical instrument.
Also known as tubular bells, Simon Desorgher’s instrument included 120 aluminum tubes. The tubes have various lengths tuned to musical scales. The longest tube measures 4,877 mm long, while the shortest is 473 mm long.
6. The most number of people to play a single piano at the same time is 23 people.
You’d think only two people at most could play a piano. The students of Isidor Bajic Music School debunked that theory. Included in the group were members of OPENS 2019 – European Youth Capital Novi Sad. They performed in Novi Sad, Serbia, on September 20, 2019. The composition they played was Zora (Dawn), which was specially composed for the event. The composer was an alumnus of Music School Isidor Bajic, Ivan Markovic
Weird Music History
Bagpipes may have arrived in Britain with the Romans.
A popular stereotype of Scotsmen is their fondness for the
bagpipes. It’s also believed that bagpipes came from
Scotland. But while bagpipes are popular in Scotland, they
may not be native to Scotland at all. Archaeological evidence
suggests the Hittites played the bagpipe as early as 1000 BC.
Greek writers describe instruments that resemble bagpipes.
Roman writers also suggest that Emperor Nero may have played the bagpipe. If so, then it is possible that bagpipes came to Britain with the Romans.
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