10 A2 the magic of music

CHAPTER 1 Why Music? WHAT IS THE ORIGIN, OR BEGINNING, OF MUSIC? WHAT IS MUSIC -AND WHY DO WE LISTEN TO IT? Think about what people do when they hold a baby. They usually sing a song or make musical sounds, don't they? Well, scientists know that mothers in every country, who speak different languages, do the same thing when they hold their babies. They all use a high voice, and they all make the same sounds again and again. These sounds have a rhythm and are like the melody of a song. Scientists think that mothers made the same sounds to their babies in ancient times. These sounds were, and are, very important for mother-child communication. Were these sounds the first songs? Perhaps.

What is the origin of the first musical instrument? More than two million years ago, ancient humans used sharp rocks to cut like a knife. But when two rocks hit together, they can make a nice sound. So maybe rocks were the first percussion instruments. Over time, ancient humans made other instruments, too. In 1995 in Slovenia, a scientist found a flute made from the leg bone of a bear. The famous "Divje Babe" flute is about 50,000 years old. In a cave in southwestern Germany, scientists have found flutes that are at least 35,000 years old. Some scientists think that people used music, and moving to music, as a way to feel the same emotions and work together.

CHAPTER 2 Musical Places THERE ARE MANY PLACES IN THE WORLD WHERE MUSIC IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE CULTURE. Some people like to go to big concerts. But many people prefer to hear music close up and to see the singers and musicians. If they are closer to the music, they can feel the emotions better. This is what happens in Japan's "live houses." A live house is a very small room, sometimes under a restaurant or shop, for musicians to play in. Musicians who are not famous but are talented play in these small places. They don't make very much money for playing music, but they get to play for an audience. People go there just to hear the music— not to eat, drink, or talk to their friends. There are about 300 live houses in Tokyo and about 1,000 live houses in all of Japan.

Buskers, musicians who play music on the street for money, have been around for a long time. The first buskers may have been traveling musicians who brought news and messages from one place to another. They also entertained by singing songs for something to eat or a place to sleep. Today in Mexico City, hundreds of mariachi bands play on the streets in a kind of daily audition. They hope that people will like their music and pay them to play at parties. Every year there are many busker festivals and competitions around the world. Ferrara, Italy, has one of the largest festivals, where thousands of buskers perform. In New York City, USA, only a few hundred buskers can play in the subway. So, every year, thousands of musicians audition in the Music Under New York competition to become one of the lucky few.

Music is a big part of Indian "Bollywood" movies. Audiences go to hear the music as much as to watch the movie. Sometimes Bollywood songs tell us about the thoughts and emotions of one or more of the characters in the movie. Sometimes they show us something that will happen later in the movie. The music and the words to the songs help explain the story and why the characters do what they do. Most of the actors in a Bollywood movie don't sing. They lip sync while they dance. Later, talented playback singers sing the songs. The playback singers are as famous as the actors. Many people go to see a movie just to hear their favorite playback singer. People can buy the soundtrack the songs from the movie before the movie comes out.

New Orleans, a city in the USA, is a very musical place. It is the home of jazz music. In 1900, people from many different countries lived in New Orleans. And they all brought different kinds of music from their countries. The African- American musicians in New Orleans took these different kinds of music and mixed them with African rhythms to make a new music jazz. An important part of jazz is improvisation. For part of the song, all the musicians play their instruments together. But then at different points in the song, one musician improvises while the others keep playing the rhythm and melody of the song. One of the greatest jazz musicians was Louis Armstrong. This trumpet player from New Orleans is often called the father of jazz improvisation.