Ancient Egypt’s Music

We all love music and it brings a lot of light and meaning to our lives. Through music, we can learn so much about a person, a different culture, a language, etc. and for the ancient Egyptians, music (and dance) was highly valued.

Not only was it a form of pleasurable entertainment, but it also was considered to be integral to the power of creation and communion with their gods and goddesses. It was the representation of the human response to the gift of life and all of the things that we can experience.

The music could have helped to form the Egyptian State because of its integration into the religious ceremonies which were used as a way of helping the community to get together and create a common identity. Music was played after sunset, in the evenings when it was too late to continue working and people would sit together for a little while.

Egyptologist Helen Strudwick notes how, “music was everywhere in Ancient Egypt: at civil or funerary banquets, religious processions, military parades and even at work in the field”. In temples as a part of worship, during processions and holidays, at celebrations and parties.

The Egyptian people loved music and they painted scenes of their rituals where music was played; they painted them on their tombs and their temple walls.

Gods & Goddesses

The Egyptians had a deity almost for every aspect of their culture and music was not an exception. The Goddess Hathor, who was also associated with bringing joy to the world, was considered to be the goddess of music and before her, there was the goddess Merit or Meret.

There’s a story about the creation of the world and how Merit came together with Ra and Heka (the God of music) to bring harmony and order through melodies into the world. Merit was the writer, composer, singer, and maestro of the symphony of creation.

The role of women in religion was often to provide music and dance for religious ceremonies. Not only priestesses, but also women in general were associated with music. Wives, daughters, and mothers were frequently shown shaking sistra for the deceased in the Eighteenth Dynasty. The heavy smell of incense, the rhythm of the menit-necklace and the sistra, the chanting of the female priestess musicians in the semi-gloom of the Egyptian temple were sensual experiences which we can only imagine today.

Egyptologist Carolyn Graves-Brown

Musical Instruments

Their musical instruments included: wind, percussion, and string instruments. The percussion instruments covered hand-held drums, rattles, castanets, bells, and the sistrum which is a highly important rattle used in religious worships. Hand clapping was also used as rhythmic accompaniment. Wind instruments, on the other hand, were consisted of double and single flutes with reed and without reed flutes as well as trumpets.

Stringed instruments included harps, lyres, and lutes: were plucked rather than played with a bow. Musical instruments in ancient Egypt were inscribed with the one who owned them and were often adorned with representations of the goddess Hathor and the god Bes who were deities of music as we mentioned before. Also, both male and female singers formed a prominent part of musical performances in Egypt during this period.

Professional Musicians

Professional musicians existed in the ancient Egyptian culture and they would play their instruments and sing in numerous social events. The temple musicians were the ones that had the highest rank amongst them all, as well as the women who performed on behalf of a particular God or Goddess.

Then we have musicians who belonged to the royal family and they would also be considered to belong to a higher status. The informal signing could be seen in the scenes of workers at the workers’ tombs as well, showing how central music was to every part of ancient Egyptian life.

Sadly, there was not a musical notation system in ancient Egypt. Therefore, no “authentic” melodies are known in the present day. But song texts have survived, and the analysis of original instruments and their depictions give very valuable hints. Moreover, replicas of instruments such as lutes and flutes elucidate the mode of playing. It has been suggested that the music system was pentatonic, with an octave of five rather than seven notes.

We have a beautiful example here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZ5oIVvFebk

I believe that it is important to appreciate and get to know the music that exists around us, about the cultures of the world because music is a way to directly connect with one another. Music can reach our souls. In our ability to appreciate other cultures’ music, we also learn to value our own music. The most important thing is that we connect and get a more profound understanding of our relationship with the world around us.

Sources:

Ancient Egyptian Music | Ask Aladdin

Music & Dance in Ancient Egypt | Ancient History Encyclopedia

The Earliest Music in Ancient Egypt | Friends of Asor