The Creation of Music (Mesoamerican myth)
The Mesoamerican myth of the creation of music offers insight into the rich cultural tapestry of the Aztec civilization. In this narrative, the modern world is depicted as a serene fifth incarnation, under the guardianship of Tezcatlipoca, a deity associated with nature and the jaguar. Tezcatlipoca yearns for music to fill the silence of the earth, believing it essential for human happiness. He enlists Quetzalcóatl, the god of wind and spirit, to retrieve musicians from the Sun, where their melodies echo joyfully but remain silent due to the Sun's fearsome presence. The myth vividly illustrates the diversity of music through the colors worn by musicians, each signifying different musical styles and emotional expressions, such as lullabies, love songs, and festive melodies.
Moreover, the myth emphasizes the importance of music in spiritual and cultural life, portraying it as a connection to the divine and a reflection of natural phenomena. It suggests that while the heavenly realm is devoid of sorrowful songs, earthly existence is marked by both joy and sadness, with music serving as a bridge between these experiences. Through this myth, the Aztecs communicated their understanding of music's role in expressing emotions, honoring the gods, and celebrating life's beauty, offering a poignant commentary on the human condition and the search for transcendence through art.
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The Creation of Music (Mesoamerican myth)
Author: Traditional Aztec
Time Period: 1001 CE–1500 CE
Country or Culture: Mesoamerica
Genre: Myth
PLOT SUMMARY
The modern earth, which is the fifth incarnation of the world, is considered the most beautiful and serene of all the manifestations. Humanity lives under the protection of Tezcatlipoca, who is one of the four sons of the first god, Ometeotl, and is associated with night winds, water, the earth, and the jaguar. Tezcatlipoca laments that though the earth is beautiful, it is too silent because it lacks the sounds of music. He believes that music alone has the power to bring happiness to the people and to delight the soul.
Tezcatlipoca knows that the Sun keeps musicians in his kingdom, where they play beautiful music throughout the celestial heavens. Tezcatlipoca asks Quetzalcóatl, god of wind and spirit, to travel to the house of the Sun and to return music to the earth. In some versions of this myth, Quetzalcóatl calls upon the winds from the four directions to create a forceful gale that propels him directly to the house of the Sun. In another version of the story, Quetzalcóatl relies on the aid of three of Tezcatlipoca’s servants—Water Woman, Water Monster, and Cane-and-Conch—who unite their bodies to create a living bridge that Quetzalcoatl can follow to the Sun.
Once he arrives in the realm of the Sun, Quetzalcóatl sees musicians of many different varieties, each wearing a color that is associated with a musical specialty. Those who play lullabies wear white clothing, while wandering minstrels wear blue robes. Those who play flutes and spend their days in the sun wear yellow clothing, and those who concentrate on “musical stories” and love songs wear cherry-red clothing. In most versions of the myth, Quetzalcóatl notices that none of the musicians wear dark clothing, for no sad songs are played in the realm of the Sun.
The Sun realizes that Quetzalcóatl has come to take his musicians and orders them to be silent, so that Quetzalcóatl cannot find them. In some versions of the myth, the Sun uses his powers to transform the musicians to stone statues. Quetzalcóatl calls out to the musicians, telling them that their music is needed on earth, but the musicians do not make any sound, fearful of the Sun. Angered, Tezcatlipoca conjures lightning and thunder, while Quetzalcóatl calls forth strong winds. Frightened and realizing that the two gods can destroy them, the musicians flee to Quetzalcóatl, who gently cradles them in his feathers and brings them to the earth. Once there, the musicians from the Sun teach their music to the people and also to the other animals and elements of nature. This is why music can be heard in birdsong and also in the ocean’s waves, the water of the sea, and the patterns of the wind.
SIGNIFICANCE
Music played an important role in Aztec culture and was seen as both an expression of happiness and hope and a symbol of the Aztec connection to nature and the gods. In part, this reflects the sociobiological theory that the inspiration for the first forms of music were likely derived from natural phenomena, such as the songs of birds and the noises heard from rushing water, thunder, and wind rustling through the trees. Among the most important types of Aztec music were songs that Western historians have termed sacred hymns, which generally pay homage to one or more of the Aztec gods. Often, the sacred hymns functioned to transmit mythological lessons by describing various deeds attributed to the gods, while the hymns were also sung to ask the gods for assistance. The Aztec cantares, sometimes called ghost songs, were sung to honor ancestors or historical events. Generally, only specially trained singers and musicians performed the cantares, and the songs were often sung only during specific ceremonies.
The myth of the creation of music also mentions a symbolic relationship between different types of music and different colors. In Aztec culture, each color was associated with a variety of physical, emotional, and spiritual entities, and these relationships were often reflected in stories, myths, and songs. For instance, the myth relates red to love and passion by stating that musicians who play love songs are clad in red. The color white, in contrast, is related to the serenity and calm of the lullaby, a color that was also associated with motherhood and peace. This part of the myth also communicates the roles of musicians in Aztec culture; some sang love songs or songs for children, some were traveling musicians, and others played music to celebrate the sun and the bounties of nature.
Another symbolic message contained within the myth can be found in the statement that there were no sad songs played in the realm of the Sun. Surveys of Aztec music show that sad songs, including songs of mourning, were common in Aztec music. The absence of sad songs in the Sun’s dominion creates a dichotomy between the perfection of the heavenly realm and the suffering inherent to life on earth. Sadness is therefore a quality not inherent to music but inherent to humanity. One of the most famous cantares, known as the “Cuicapeuhcayotl,” or the “Beginning of Songs,” reflects this belief, describing the earth as essentially a place of unhappiness and reminding the people that music can only be found by maintaining a connection with the supernatural realm in which there is no suffering and where, therefore, the beauty of music can originate.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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