I have been reading a lot of blogs since A-to-Z challenge wrapped up, and I have found a lot of “blog-spiration.” So as a consequence, I have a back-log of “ideas” for posts inspired by other posts, and I am seriously behind. So yes, maybe I could post a lot here in the next few days (I hope.)
I have been quite inspired by Arlee Bird at “Tossing it Out”, who has been doing some very interesting research on preferences. Â Recently he asked about “What makes the Ultimate Melody?” along with a slew of other questions which you’ll want to go check out at his blog. And definitely read all the comments. It’ll take you a little while, but it’s no problem. I’ll wait. I’ll just play a song to amuse myself while you go.
So in the comments I mentioned that I like folk melodies because there are so many millions of ways different people use them and change them, and yet they can be rather simple. (If you have 10 min or so, click on the above link to a set of English Folk Tunes set for wind band by Ralph Vaughn Williams in 1923, and arranged for orchestra in 1924.) So Arlee responded with this question:
Forty — Now you’ve made me wonder “What was the first melody?” A bird song? A cascade of tones inspired by natural sounds or the sound of work?
I would have just responded to his response, but it got rather long, so here we are.  I decided to look to see what was the first reference in the Bible to music, and it’s in Gen 4:21. It turns out that Cain’s great-great-great-great grandson, Jubal, was “the father of all those who play the harp and flute.”  But in the absence of any other information, I think it sounds like there were at least people in those days who sought to imitate something by creating things like harps and flutes. With those two instruments mentioned, I’d say that a bird song was a likely subject for the first melody. And if that were true, maybe the first melody occurred in the Garden of Eden. It made me wonder if Adam heard this melody and sang it to his children and grandchildren, etc, and if, through Jubal, it could have been preserved, and if so, did this melody survive the Great Flood, and if it did, are we still hearing echoes of it today??? How awesome would that be?
Just some questions I came up with to answer your question, professor Arlee !  Thanks so much for A to Z and for all the great blog-spiration that you Toss Out 🙂
And now, chers lecteurs, go forth and be blog-spired!
Forty, c'est Fantastique ! 
I enjoy the music of Ralph Vaughn Williams. He wrote one of favorite symphonies–#7 Sinfonia Antartica.
Interesting that you took the first melody back to the Garden of Eden. I would tend to agree with what you say. Another theory on this was one I heard presented by the Creation scientist Carl Baugh. He points to Job 38:7 where it talks about the morning stars singing. Dr. Baugh discusses how astronomers have detected tones emitted from distant stars and galaxies. He theorizes that the canopy that surrounded the Earth in the upper atmosphere and held waters back prior to antediluvian times might have served as a sort of resonator and amplification system to allow the songs of the morning stars to be heard by the earliest inhabitants of Earth. Each morning the Earth would be serenaded by celestial or heavenly music.
I think Baugh’s theory is interesting to contemplate. He has a fascinating video series called “Creation in Symphony” that can be seen on YouTube. It’s long, but very interesting. I have the video set and have watched it several times.
Here’s the link to the video series–they’re cut up in nice little segments:
https://www.youtube.com/user/CreationMuseumTexas
Thanks for bringing the discussion to your site. Love it when a discussion starts spanning the blogs.
Lee
Tossing It Out
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Thanks for the reply…How could I forget about the “Music of the Spheres?” Thanks for the link to the videos, I am very much looking forward to watching them. One thing I am sure of about music, and that is that God created it and loves it, because the Bible is full of references to it, particularly as praise to God. The Psalms are the largest book of the Bible, after all!
Vaughn Williams is definitely one of my favorites among my sub-group of favorite British composers. I played the piece in the video above in High School, and could not get enough of it! For wind band, you just can’t beat Gustav Holst’s two Suites, either. Vaughn Williams’ symphonies are beautiful too, and he wrote a lot of wonderful vocal pieces as well. You can see why I loved your BOTB about the Borodin melody…I’m a “Classical” music nerd 🙂
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Great post!! I get “lost” in my A to Z notes in two full notebooks and never get around to writing the posts those thoughts inspire. But I have great conversations with myself while I’m biking and golfing and musing on my deck watching the evening sky!
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Hey Sammy! Congrats on being “featured” A to Z blogger! I smiled a lot when I saw you in the spotlight this morning 🙂 Yep, I have tons of notes and “beaucoup de pensĂ©es!” from A to Z!! And I thank you again for the Zentangle links, I’m really enjoying this “tangling” thing!
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Thank you! It was nice to be included on the A to Z site. I just finished some tangles and am posting them now (flaws and all)
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Cool!
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