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

3. 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

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

5. 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.

6. ‘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.

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

8. 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

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

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

11. 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

12. 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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