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the expression of emotion in man and animals-第21章

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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 f
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