Ancient Egyptian Music Egyptian harp, lute, double pipe, lyre, and square drum in procession

Idiophones IHY = clappers NA’TA’HI = bone clappers MA’H = artificial hands and feet clappers SEHEM = sistrum of pottery body with metal jangles SES / SESSET = sistrum of metal body with metal jangles

Membranophones TEBEN = drum SER = tambourine DARABUKKA = vase-shaped drum QEMQEM = cylinder-shaped drum A’SHE = barrel-shaped drum SER = tambourine

Aerophones SEBA’ / SEBY = flute WA’YR / WA’DI / WA’D’AI / WA’DENI = recorders / photinx MA’ = reed pipe MET = single reed pipe IS = double reed pipe ISIT = parallel double reed pipe A’A’T = angular double reed pipe Music of the Ancient Sumerians, Egyptians, and Greeks, Band 22 = Isis sistrum rhythm This sistrum rhythm is produced after the description of Lucius Apuleius in his Metamorphoses (2C CE). Apuleius described the rhythm performed on the sistrum at the apparition of the goddess Isis as a “triple shake of the arm”. Hans Hickman interpreted this rhythm as three equal notes followed by a rest in order to separated each group of three. The sistrum shakes on the recording are followed by a pouring of a libation from a situla.

‘AB/ ‘ABW / DEB = animal horn SNEB = trumpet “hydraulis” = water organ Music of the Ancient Sumerians, Egyptians, and Greeks, Band 21 = Egyptian trumpet call This trumpet call was developed after the description given by Plutarch in his Moralia (1C CE). Plutarch describes the manner in which the Egyptian trumpet was played as follows: “But for the people of Busiris even to hear a trumpet is a sin, because they think it sounds like the bray of an ass” and “The people of Busiris and Lycopolis do not use trumpets at all, because they make a sound like an ass; and altogether they regard the ass as an unclean animal.” This instrument is capable of producing two effective pitches (approximately f#’ and c”) as well as a less stable fundamental (b flat). Since there is no mouthpiece in the modern sense, higher harmonics were extremely difficult to produce. Assuming that no more than two harmonics are sounded in normal use, Plutarch’s remarks give us a basis for this call, taking the order of pitches and rhythm from the natural bray of the ass.

IS / ISIT Egypt, Tomb, Wall Painting, c. 1475 BCE Harp, Lute, Double-reed Pipe

Chordophones BEN / BENT / BIN / BINT = bow harp DA’DA’T / DA’DA’NEWT = horizontal harp KENA’NA’WR = kithara NEFER = long-necked lute BEN / BENT / BIN / BINT = bow harp DA’DA’T / DA’DA’NEWT = horizontal harp KENA’NA’WR = lyre / kithara NEFER = long-necked lute

BEN / BENT / BIN / BINT Egypt, Thebes Small bow-shaped harp [BEN /BENT / BIN / BINT] with 20 strings

Egypt, Relief, 18th Dynasty, 1570-1310 BCE Lower-chested harp [BEN / BENT / BIN / BINT] and flute [SEBA’ / SEBY]

Egypt, Wall painting in the tomb of Ramses III, 19th Dynasty, 1320-1200 BCE Egyptians harpists, with large bow-shaped [BEN / BENT /BIN / BINT] harps

Music of the Ancient Sumerians, Egyptians, and Greeks, Band 23 = Harp piece from 7C or 6C BCE This example of what is apparently musical notation survives on an Egyptian statuette now in the Brooklyn Museum (58.34). Two figures, a harpist and what may be a musical director or chironomist (whose right arm is unfortunately missing) are depicted; a tablet in front of the second figure displays a series of horizontal lines with short vertical strokes in a variety of positions relative to the lines. This may be a graphic representation of the various inclinations of the arm of the chironomist indicating the rise and fall of the melody being played by the harpist. For this recording, the height of a given stroke above the line indicates its relative intervallic distance above the lowest note. The smallest meaningful differences should indicate scale steps, since the melodic movement in the bulk of the ancient repertoire is predominately stepwise. Rhythm and mode are unknown. The scale used in the recording is taken from an extent three-holed Egyptian vertical flute in playable condition. Band 24 presents the same harp piece (with somewhat altered tuning in agreement with the reed pipes) performed on a variety of Egyptian instruments.

DA’DA’T / DA’DA’NEWT Egypt, c. 1300 BCE, presently held in the Cairo Museum Artifact: Small Egyptian angular harp [DA’DA’T / DA’DA’NEWT]

KENA’NA’WR Egypt, probably from Der el-Medihan, New Empire, 1580 - 1090 BCE Artifact: Egyptian Lyre [KENA’NA’WR]

Egypt, Thebes, Wall painting from Tomb 38, 18th Dynasty, 1580-1320 BCE Lyre [KENA’NA’WR]

Egypt, Wall Painting, tomb of the 19th Dynasty, 1320-1200 BCE Egyptian Lyres [KENA’NA’WR]

NEFER Egypt, Probably from Der el-Mediah, New Empire, 1580-1090 BCE Artifact: Long-necked Lute [NEFER]

Egypt, Tell el Amerna Wall painting: Lute player [NEFER]

Worship Music and Musicians HERW = “voice” SEM’AYT = female temple musician (harem of the god) NEHWT = lamentation