the expression of emotion in man and animals-第15部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


rge　and　terrible　as　possible。　Rival　males　try　to　excel　and　challenge　each　other　by　their　voices；　and　this　leads　to　deadly　contests。　　Thus　the　use　of　the　voice　will　have　become　associated　with　the　emotion　of　anger；　however　it　may　be　aroused。　We　have　also　seen　that　intense　pain；　like　rage；　leads　to　violent　outcries；　and　the　exertion　of　screaming　by　itself　gives　some　relief；　and　thus　the　use　of　the　voice　will　have　become　associated　with　suffering　of　any　kind。

The　cause　of　widely　different　sounds　being　uttered　under　different　emotions　and　sensations　is　a　very　obscure　subject。　　Nor　does　the　rule　always　hold　good　that　there　is　any　marked　difference。　For　instance　with　the　dog；　the　bark　of　anger　and　that　of　joy　do　not　differ　much；　though　they　can　be　distinguished。　It　is　not　probable　that　any　precise　explanation　of　the　cause　or　source　of　each　particular　sound；　under　different　states　of　the　mind；　will　ever　be　given。　　We　now　that　some　animals；　after　being　domesticated；　have　acquired　the　habit　of　uttering　sounds　which　were　not　natural　to　them。＇1＇　Thus　domestic　dogs；　and　even　tamed　jackals；　have　learnt　to　bark；　which　is　a　noise　not　proper　to　any　species　of　the　genus；　with　the　exception　of　the　_Canis　latrans_　of　North　America；　which　is　said　to　bark。　Some　breeds；　also；　of　the　domestic　pigeon　have　learnt　to　coo　in　a　new　and　quite　peculiar　manner。

The　character　of　the　human　voice；　under　the　influence　of　various　emotions；　has　been　discussed　by　Mr。　Herbert　Spencer＇2＇　in　his　interesting　essay　on　Music。　　He　clearly　shows　that　the　voice　alters　much　under　different　conditions；　in　loudness　and　in　quality；　that　is；　in　resonance　and　_timbre_；　in　pitch　and　intervals。　No　one　can　listen　to　an　eloquent　orator　or　preacher；　or　to　a　man　calling　angrily　to　another；　or　to　one　expressing　astonishment；　without　being　struck　with　the　truth　of　Mr。　Spencer's　remarks。　It　is　curious　how　early　in　life　the　modulation　of　the　voice　becomes　expressive。　　With　one　of　my　children；　under　the　age　of　two　years；　I　clearly　perceived　that　his　humph　of　assent　was　rendered　by　a　slight　modulation　strongly　emphatic；　and　that　by　a　peculiar　whine　his　negative　expressed　obstinate　determination。　Mr。　Spencer　further　shows　that　emotional　speech；　in　all　the　above　respects　is　intimately　related　to　vocal　music；　and　consequently　to　instrumental　music；　and　he　attempts　to　explain　the　characteristic　qualities　of　both　on　physiological　groundsnamely；　on　〃the　general　law　that　a　feeling　is　a　stimulus　to　muscular　action。〃　It　may　be　admitted　that　the　voice　is　affected　through　this　law；　but　the　explanation　appears　to　me　too　general　and　vague　to　throw　much　light　on　the　various　differences；　with　the　exception　of　that　of　loudness；　between　ordinary　speech　and　emotional　speech；　or　singing。


＇1＇　See　the　evidence　on　this　head　in　my　‘Variation　of　Animals　and　Plants　under　Domestication；'　vol。　　i。　　p。　　27。　　On　the　cooing　of　pigeons；　vol。　　i。　　pp。　　154；　155。

＇2＇　‘Essays；　Scientific；　Political；　and　Speculative；'　1858。　‘The　Origin　and　Function　of　Music；'　p。　　359。

This　remark　holds　good；　whether　we　believe　that　the　various　qualities　of　the　voice　originated　in　speaking　under　the　excitement　of　strong　feelings；　and　that　these　qualities　have　subsequently　been　transferred　to　vocal　music；　or　whether　we　believe；　as　I　maintain；　that　the　habit　of　uttering　musical　sounds　was　first　developed；　as　a　means　of　courtship；　in　the　early　progenitors　of　man；　and　thus　became　associated　with　the　strongest　emotions　of　which　they　were　capable；namely；　ardent　love；　rivalry　and　triumph。　That　animals　utter　musical　notes　is　familiar　to　every　one；　as　we　may　daily　hear　in　the　singing　of　birds。　　It　is　a　more　remarkable　fact　that　an　ape；　one　of　the　Gibbons；　produces　an　exact　octave　of　musical　sounds；　ascending　and　descending　the　scale　by　halftones；　so　that　this　monkey　〃alone　of　brute　mammals　may　be　said　to　sing。〃＇3＇　From　this　fact；　and　from　the　analogy　of　other　animals；　I　have　been　led　to　infer　that　the　progenitors　of　man　probably　uttered　musical　tones；　before　they　had　acquired　the　power　of　articulate　speech；　and　that　consequently；　when　the　voice　is　used　under　any　strong　emotion；　it　tends　to　assume；　through　the　principle　of　association；　a　musical　character。　We　can　plainly　perceive；　with　some　of　the　lower　animals；　that　the　males　employ　their　voices　to　please　the　females；　and　that　they　themselves　take　pleasure　in　their　own　vocal　utterances；　but　why　particular　sounds　are　uttered；　and　why　these　give　pleasure　cannot　at　present　be　explained。


＇3＇　‘The　Descent　of　Man；'　1870；　vol。　　ii。　　p。　　332。　　The　words　quoted　are　from　Professor　Owen。　　It　has　lately　been　shown　that　some　quadrupeds　much　lower　in　the　scale　than　monkeys；　namely　Rodents；　are　able　to　produce　correct　musical　tones：　see　the　account　of　a　singing　Hesperomys；　by　the　Rev。　S。　Lockwood；　in　the　‘American　Naturalist；'　vol。　　v。　　December；　1871；　p。　　761。

That　the　pitch　of　the　voice　bears　some　relation　to　certain　states　of　feeling　is　tolerably　clear。　　A　person　gently　complaining　of　ill…treatment；　or　slightly　suffering；　almost　always　speaks　in　a　high…pitched　voice。　Dogs；　when　a　little　impatient；　often　make　a　high　piping　note　through　their　noses；　which　at　once　strikes　us　as　plaintive；＇4＇　but　how　difficult　it　is　to　know　whether　the　sound　is　essentially　plaintive；　or　only　appears　so　in　this　particular　case；　from　our　having　learnt　by　experience　what　it　means！　　Rengger；　states＇5＇　that　the　monkeys　（_Cebus　azaroe_）；　which　he　kept　in　Paraguay；　expressed　astonishment　by　a　half…piping；　half…snarling　noise；　anger　or　impatience；　by　repeating　the　sound　_hu　hu_　in　a　deeper；　grunting　voice；　and　fright　or　pain；　by　shrill　screams。　　On　the　other　hand；　with　mankind；　deep　groans　and　high　piercing　screams　equally　express　an　agony　of　pain。　Laughter　maybe　either　high　or　low；　so　that；　with　adult　men；　as　Haller　long　ago　remarked；＇6＇　the　sound　partakes　of　the　character　of　the　vowels　（as　pronounced　in　German）　_O_　and　_A_；　whilst　with　children　and　women；　it　has　more　of　the　character　of　_E_　and　_I_；　and　these　latter　vowel…sounds　naturally　have；　as　Helmholtz　has　shown；　a　higher　pitch　than　the　former；　yet　both　tones　of　laughter　equally　express　enjoyment　or　amusement。

In　considering　the　mode　in　which　vocal　utterances　express　emotion；　we　are　naturally　led　to　inquire　into　the　cause　of　what　is　called　〃expression〃　in　music。　　Upon　this　point　Mr。　Litchfield；　who　has　long　attended　to　the　subject　of　music；　has　been　so　kind　as　to　give　me　the　following　remarks：〃The　question；　what　is　the　essence　of　musical　‘expression'　involves　a　number　of　obscure　points；　which；　so　far　as　I　am　aware；　are　as　yet　unsolved　enigmas。　　Up　to　a　certain　point；　however；　any　law　which　is　found　to　hold　as　to　the　expression　of　the　emotions　by　simple　sounds　must　apply　to　the　more　developed　mode　of　expression　in　song；　which　may　be　taken　as　the　primary　type　of　all　music。　A　great　part　of　the　emotional　effect　of　a　song　depends　on　the　character　of　the　action　by　which　the　sounds　are　produced。　In　songs；　for　instance；　which　express　great　vehemence　of　passion；　the　effect　often　chiefly　depends　on　the　forcible　utterance　of　some　one　or　two　characteristic　passages　which　demand　great　exertion　of　vocal　force；　and　it　will　be　frequently　noticed　that　a　song　of　this　character　fails　of　its　proper　effect　when　sung　by　a　voice　of　sufficient　power　and　range　to　give　the　characteristic　passages　without　much　exertion。　This　is；　no　doubt；　the　secret　of　the　loss　of　effect　so　often　produced　by　the　transposition　of　a　song　from　one　key　to　another。　The　effect　is　thus　seen　to　depend　not　merely　on　the　actual　sounds；　but　also　in　part　on　the　nature　of　the　action　which　produces　the　sounds。　Indeed　it　is　obvious　that　whenever　we　feel　the　‘expression'　of　a　song　to　be　due　to　its　quickness　or　slowness　of　movement　to　smoothness　of　flow；　loudness　of　utterance；　and　so　onwe　are；　in　fact；　interpreting　the　muscular　actions　which　produce　sound；　in　the　same　way　in　which　we　interpret　muscular　action　generally。　But　this　leaves　unexplained　the　more　subtle　and　more　specific　effect　which　we　call　the　MUSICAL　expression　of　the　song　the　delight　given　by　its　melody；　or　even　by　the　separate　sounds　which　make　up　the　melody。　　This　is　an　effect　indefinable　in　language　one　which；　so　far　as　I　am　aware；　no　one　has　been　able　to　analyse；　and　which　the　ingenious　speculation　of　Mr。　Herbert　Spencer　as　to　the　origin　of　music　leaves　quite　unexplained。　　For　it　is　certain　that　the　MELODIC　effect　of　a　series　of　sounds　does　not　depend　in　the　least　on　their　loudness　or　softness；　or　on　their　ABSOLUTE　pitch。　A　tune　is　always　the　same　tune；　whether　it　is　sung　loudly　or　softly；　by　a　child　or　a　man；　whether　it　is　played　on　a　flute　or　on　a　trombone。　The　purely　musical　effect　of　any　sound　depends　on　its　place　in　what　is　technically　called　a　‘scale；'　the　same　sound　producing　absolutely　different　effects　on　the　ear；　according　as　it　is　heard　in　connection　with　one　or　another　series　of　sounds。


＇4＇　Mr。　Tylor　（‘Primitive　Culture；'　1871；　vol。　　i。　　p。　　166）；　in　his　discussion　on　this　subject；　alludes　to　the　whining　of　the　dog。

＇5＇　‘Naturgeschichte　der　Saugethiere　von　Paraguay；'　1830；　s。　　46。

＇6＇　Quoted　by　Gratiolet；　‘De　la　Physionomie；'　1865；　p。　　115。

〃It　is　on　this　RELATIVE　association　of　the　sounds　that　all　the　essentially　characteristic　effects　which　are　summed　up　in　the　phrase　‘musical　expression；'　depend。　　But　why　certain　associations　of　sounds　have　such…and…such　effects；　is　a　problem　which　yet　remains　to　be　solved。　　These　effects　must　indeed；　in　some　way　or　other；　be　connected　with　the　well…known　arithmetical　relations　between　the　rates　of　vibration　of　the　sounds　which　form　a　musical　scale。　And　it　is　possiblebut　this　is　merely　a　suggestionthat　the　greater　or　less　mechanical　facility　with　which　the　vibrating　apparatus　of　the　human　larynx　passes　from　one　state　of　vibration　to　another；　may　have　been　a　primary　cause　of　the　greater　or　less　pleasure　produced　by　various　sequences　of　sounds。〃

But　leaving　aside　these　complex　questions　and　confining　ourselves　to　the　simpler　sounds；　we　can；　at　least；　see　some　reasons　for　the　association　of　certain　kinds　of　sounds　with　certain　states　of　mind。　A　scream；　for　instance；　uttered　by　a　young　animal；　or　by　one　of　the　members　of　a　community；　as　a　call　for　assistance；　will　naturally　be　loud；　prolonged；　and　high；