Through the Eras

Musicserve the extent of Egyptian contact with foreign culturesby examining the import of both foreign musicalinstruments and musicians into Egypt. Foreign musicians,for example, played at the court of Akhenaten,king of the Eighteenth Dynasty. The study of Egyptianmusic thus relates to numerous secular issues in Egyptianhistory.RELIGIOUS ISSUES AND MUSIC HISTORY. Thestudy of Egyptian music also illuminates strictly religiousissues. The role of deities in musical life illustratesthat some Egyptian deities could be associatedwith music without actually being a “god of” music.For example, in most periods a representation of thegoddess Hathor’s head tops the sistrum, a sacred rattleplayed in the worship of all gods, and her temple atDendera had columns designed to resemble the instrument.Despite the close association with music,however, Hathor did not function as a muse of musicin the pantheon. Music was, however, essential to worship.The Egyptian sage Any claimed that playing musicfor a god was as important for his/her worship asfood and incense. The lyrics from Egyptian songs arealso very telling in the deciphering of Egyptian religiousbeliefs. A study of the lyrics of the harpists’ songscarved in tombs and on stelae (standing stone slabs withinscriptions) indicates that the Egyptians used music toconsider the nature of life after death in a non-ritualsetting, giving voice to both their fears and their hopesfor the next world. In this way, the study of Egyptianmusic adds immeasurably to an understanding ofEgyptian culture, even though the actual sound of musicfrom ancient Egypt is lost.MUSICAL INSTRUMENTSTOPICSin MusicEGYPTIANMusical InstrumentsThe following list describes various musical instrumentsfrom ancient Egypt, including the Egyptianname (when known), the modern equivalent, and abrief description.Egyptian ModernName Equivalent Description? Clappers Ivory or woodMenat Rattle Part of a necklaceSekhem or Sistrum Ritual useSesshet (rattle)? Finger Ritual useCymbal? Barrel Drum Military use formarching or signalingSer Frame drum Tambourine withoutshakers? Harp Native Egyptina, arched? Harp Imported fromMesopotamia, angledGengenty Lute Syrian importDjadjaret or Thin Lyre Syrian import,kinnarumc. 1900 B.C.E.? Thick Lyre Foreign import? Giant Lyre Canaanite importMat Flute Used for entertainmentMemet Clarinet Single reed, Old andNew Kingdom onlyWedjeny Oboe Double reed; inventedin the New KingdomSheneb Trumpet Military use only;made of metalSACRED AND SECULAR EVIDENCE. The evidencefor ancient Egyptian music comes exclusively from survivingreligious structures such as temples and tombs,which limits scholarly understanding of this art formto its role within religious life. Relief sculptures andpaintings created by artists for the walls of tombs andtemples, as well as a few actual instruments found intombs, are all that is left of Egypt’s musical tradition.The scenes carved in temples provide unambiguous evidencefor music in religious life, but the scenes on thewalls of tombs present considerable difficulties for interpretationbecause the tomb drawings served a veryspecific purpose in the Egyptian belief system regardingthe rebirth of the dead. Scenes in tombs were meantto ensure through magical means that the deceasedwould be reborn into the afterlife and that the goodthings in this life could be made available magically inthe next life. Egyptians particularly relied on sceneswith erotic content to aid in the process of rebirth becausethey believed that sexual energy had the religiousArts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Egypt (2675 B.C.E.–332 B.C.E.) 155