MUSIC OP PRIMITIVE PEOPLES — PASTOR. 699 



magic is i-elatetl to the natural magic of primitive times just as in 

 Egyptian art the strongly stylistic form of the new empire is to the 

 realistic natural form of the older. If we compare with the crudely 

 simple rhythm of an incessantly beaten fetish drum, the dramatically 

 presented complexity of a swiftly moving animal pantomime, the 

 later state of musical development displayed in the drumming 

 appears as an almost incomprehensible impoverishment. But there 

 also Egypt is to be remembered. The rigid style of the new empire 

 only appears cruder when we separate the worlds from their environ- 

 ment. In the cultural entity it is shown that what is historically 

 later is also higher as regards development. The richest animal 

 pantomimes themselves in all their complexity do not go beyond the 

 imitation of noises, but the rudest fetish drumming itself offers, 

 instead of noise, tone. Here music first takes its beginning as art. 

 In the monotony of a tone-art realized by the shaman the hearing 

 found its first methodical schooling, and so here also the later is 

 the higher from an evolutionary standpoint in spite of all apparent 

 degeneration. 



In the magical and mystical fetish drumming we observe for the 

 first time how that element comes forth more strongly which in the 

 following epoch dominates the whole mvisical development — namely, 

 rhythm. The next problem as regards culture history would be then 

 to determine how from this rhytlim, which is stranger to us, could 

 spring the one we know. 



I believe here a significant I'emark of Livingstone's which is found 

 in the books is of great importance. Livingstone said that in his 

 caravan he had been able easily to pick out the former slaves from 

 all the rest. The sound of the drums and of the kudu horns appeared 

 to call up a kind of ''esprit de corps" in all those who were once 

 slaves. It is not a very pleasing idea to think of a music which 

 passes threateningly over the heads of the natives like a whip. But 

 the tone-art has also gone through this metamor])hosis. 



To repeat, there are two kinds of rhythm for us to recognize; the 

 free and refreshing rhythm of a later time and the doleful, disquieting 

 rhythm of an earlier day. In the doleful rhythm of the sacred per- 

 cussion instruments, like the drums, there was given to the shaman 

 a power from the influence of which only those with the strongest 

 wills could remain sheltered. Bi'icher is opposed to the suj^position 

 that such a will can be practiced as a power only by a ruling cast, 

 by a stronger stock, which dominates over the weaker and presses 

 them into its service. It may be that more extensive data must be 

 collected as a foundation for this assertion. The probabilities even 

 to-day, however, point toward the truth of tlu^ two-class theory, as 

 applying to the distant antiquity of the Old Stone Age. This is cer- 

 tainl}' true, that the development of the tonal-art, as long as music 



