What is the oldest song (melody) that is known to us?

UM ba UMMMMMBAAAAAAAAAAAH…. when men found fire 10,000 years ago.

Here is something about caveman inventing music. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYBNoFcvcWI

Nice one buster.

@buster: I once heard music in the natural history museum in NYC that was composed using only prehistoric instruments (absolutely beautiful btw), the melodies however, aren’t anywhere to be found.

On that point… I have no idea. :)
I’d like to know too. Any musical historians on Fluther?

@buster: Haha, yeah, it was a nice idea, but I doubt it would sound anything like that :P

@asmonet: what kind of prehistorical instruments was that, and what did they sound like?

@mea05key too funny!!

I think I read somewhere that it was Louie Louie.

@ellkay: It was quite a few years ago but I’m almost sure it was something similar to an ocarina, some drums, simple things. I don’t want to say it was haunting (I kinda do though. :P) but I listened to it for about forty minutes. Just took me away.

Probably the oldest that you can still hear today is something played on a didgerdoo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFGvNxBqYFI

auld lang syne

is that the way it’s spelled? well, you know what i’m talking about. the new years day song.

What about an old Hebrew chant?

Religious chants/songs are the oldest known melodies since they were written down.

Folk melodies (blues, bluegrass, and traditional country) are old as well… but their ancient roots have not been as well documented.

Happy Birthday to you?

@pup: Alan Lomax tried, he’s really the best we got for the last 150 years of folk, country and such. My mom used to work for him, otherwise I probably never would have even known he existed.

I agree with galileogirl, Didgeridoos have been around for about 40000 years.

AAAAAAAAAAEEEEEAAAAAAEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH

While some people think the the didgeridoo has been around 40,000 years archaeological evidence suggest it has only been around 2,000 years.
http://www.ididj.com.au/theDidjeridu/timeline.html
Drums and drumming is the oldest musical expression known to man.
http://www.essortment.com/all/historyofthed_rjgo.htm

The question is about melody, not rhythm or percussion.

Yeah, I know music has probably been around for a loooong time, but I’d like to know what the oldest melody is that we have actual evidence of! I was thinking it would be some kind of medieval song, or, if not that old, then maybe some Gregorian? I actually have no idea, but it would be nice to find out!

BOOYA!

You can also listen to it as a midi file. :D It’s happier sounding than I imagined it would be.

I win, yes?

While the roots of Gregorian chant go wayyyyy way back, it developed after the birth of Christ and was organized in the 12th or 13th century. Medieval music, obviously, comes from the Middle Ages. You can definitely go older than that.

I suspect that since oral history predates written history, there is no written record of the first songs. The melody that asmonet linked to may be the oldest recorded music. This guy claims that he knows which recorded song is the oldest, and that all that came before it used an ambigious notation system and/or were only fragments of songs.

maybe one of david’s hymns.

@asmonet and shadling21: Thanks a lot! Both the links were very interesting reads! The one asmonet linked to sort of sounds like something from an old video game :p The one shad linked to sounds very relaxing, I like it a lot! Thanks to both of you! :)

Yeah, it sounds like something Atari would have used. :P

I remember “Happy Birthday”

This guy is probably correct as to the oldest recorded music. I am not sure that that would necessarily be the oldest tune handed down.

There is strong evidence that a particular interval (space between notes) exists in all cultures, regardless of the musical system used. This interval is known as the universal plaint, because it is so common. It is the minor third. If you remember the “taunt” that might go, say “na-na, na-na boo, boo!” or “Jan-ey’s got a boy-friend!” the distance between the last two notes is a minor third, the universal interval.

Before writing, when the ancients wanted to pass information from generation to generation, it would have to be in the form of oral tradition. At some point, it was discovered that in order for the tradition to survive generations, it would have to be stylized, in a very specific tone and rhythm. This evolved into songs about tribal history and heroes, as well as love songs, which seem to be the predominate type of song throughout history.