| | In terms of the decorative arts, using colors as visual substitutes of auditory might be considered - but as fine art, no, since the human mind operates from the conceptual via the perceptual, not the sense-ual...
It is my contention that the first of the Arts was music. It evolved from the developmental consequences of sound being used to mark territories, and for courting - both activities involved with acquiring and retaining a mate. It has long been noted among the observations of animals - birds in particular, where the songs given forth are often complex and unique to the individuals involved. It has also been noted among the primates - especially the orangutan, where its displays of howlings go much beyond mere coutring the upcoming nuptials, but a continuing afterwards, not just as signalings to outsiders of a territory to refrain from, but as an added inducement to continuedness with the chosen mate. Moreover, this is echoed with the female, who joins in - indeed who sets up refraining choruses which play off those of the male's. In each of these examples, the vocalizations are evolved into a measure of complexity such that the tones evoke specific emotional responses - and this is where music comes in. Music is first and formost melody, with the tones used being an extention to those of the forebearers in regards to the vocalizations evoking specific emotional responses. It is an extention of a means of communicating - in this case in line with the developing of cognition, such that the experiences of a not-present is thus being vocalized, not initially with other than just the soundings [words came later] evoking particular emotions familiar at the time thru the same process of evolving as was with, for instance, the orangutan, but being emitted as a form of remembrance, utilizing the same soundings which were originally used at the times of the events first evoking them. Being observant beings, no question, these were embellished thru observations of sounds emitted by such as birds, which widened the repertoire as such. Rhythm, then, was added as a means of providing cadence, enhancing the vocal experience.
It is in this way that the first direction of rhythm went - an overlaying into the beginning of music, starting with percussional efforts from beating sticks, clapping, and so forth, eventuating into xylophone-like instruments made from mammoth bones. From there, it would be discovering tones from blowing thru assorted reeds or hollow bones [aligning them of sorts to the tones already produced by the vocalizations], eventuating the flute and pan pipes from assorted lengths of the reeds or bones, to discovering that various holes in a bone produced different tones. When, after hunters discovered the bow, which made a great advance over the throwing of the spear, an idle hunter one time might have 'twanged' it [or even more possible, a child having gotten hold of one 'twanged' it], thereby discovering the tone-making from it, as well as noticing that if the length of the gut is different, different tones resulted, thereby eventuating the rudiments of what became the lyre. At this time as well, tones from the instruments also did some substituting for the vocals, carrying the melody into the instruments themselves - especially if there was perceived a similarity in how they sounded to those doing the vocalizating.
[from the chapter "Acts of Creation" from my manuscript]
It is in this respect that music deals with the cognitive, that is, the conceptual aspects of reality... but there is no way this works with - normally - the visual, as that operates, as said, from the perceptual level, not the sense-ual level... it is true there are psychological affects of colors on a person, but even so, there is nothing conceptual from that, only the pricking as it were of emotions, elicitating at best moods - and from the conceptual level, in term of contemplativeness, utter boredom.
(Edited by robert malcom on 9/24, 2:21pm)
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the nimbus arrival
