In a culture as deeply immersed in religious rituals as ancient Egypt, music held a significant place in everyday life. Countless wall murals depict musicians playing instruments while dancers moved to the rhythm, and onlookers clapped along. Archaeological excavations have unearthed a variety of musical instruments, offering glimpses into the sonic landscape of this ancient civilization. However, the precise melodies and compositions of ancient Egyptian music remain largely unknown to us.
Music was as important to the ancient Egyptians as it is in our modern society. This was especially true during Egyptian dynasties when pharaohs were established. Through the study of hieroglyphs, researchers have learned that there were many ancient Egypt musical instruments. There are depictions of instruments of all kinds, including string, wind and percussion. The hieroglyphs also show those listening to music clapping their hands along with the performances.
Ancient Egypt musical instruments found buried with the dead often have the names of the Egyptian gods Hathor and Bes, who were the gods of music, inscribed on them.
Hathor, the Egyptian goddess of music, often depicted with a sistrum.
Instruments of Ancient Egypt
Egyptologists, through the examination of hieroglyphs, have discovered that the ancient Egyptians created a wonderful selection of musical instruments. They had stringed, wind and percussion instruments. They also accompanied their musical performances with hand clapping as well as singing by both men and women.
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Percussion Instruments
Percussion instruments included rattles, drums and bells as well as something called a sistrum. The sistrum was a metallic instrument held in the hand that was in a “U” shape. There were small metal or bronze pieces tied to the sistrum so that when it was moved, it made sounds. The sound differed depending on the type of metal used.
Wind Instruments
The wind instruments found were similar to those used today, such as trumpets and flutes while stringed instruments included lyres, harps and lutes.
Stringed Instruments
Ancient Egyptians did not use bowed instruments like today’s violin, but instead played stringed instruments with their fingers. Harps were special in that they were of a much more complex design than other string instruments, and it was also common to deck out a harp with precious materials such as ebony, silver, gold, lapis lazuli, malachite, or anything valuable both monetarily and aesthetically.
Ancient Egyptian Musical Instruments:
| Instrument Type | Examples | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Percussion | Rattles, Drums, Bells, Sistrum, Castanets | Used in religious ceremonies and festivals. The sistrum, a U-shaped metallic instrument, was particularly significant. |
| Wind | Trumpets, Flutes (single and double reed) | Similar to modern wind instruments, used in various musical performances. |
| Stringed | Lyres, Harps, Lutes | Plucked instruments that provided melodic accompaniment. Harps were often adorned with precious materials. |
The Role of Musicians in Society
Ancient Egyptians had a number of professional musicians that performed for many occasions. Since their society was set up with social levels, this meant that different musicians could play only for specific events. A musician with a high status could play for religious ceremonies at the temples, where a lower class musician might only be able to play for regular community members.
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The highest status for a musician in ancient Egypt was for temple musicians as playing music for a particular god or goddess placed someone in a high position in the culture. In addition, musicians who played for the royal family were also held in high regard as were gifted singers. Musicians who acted as entertainment, even for royalty, at parties and festivals, were lower on the social scale than those who performed regularly in palaces or temples.
The highest honor to achieve was the status of ‘shemayet’, which gave these musicians the ability to play for a particular god or goddess and these musicians were mostly women. The royal family of the pharaoh had personal musicians of the highest quality. These included not only those that played instruments, such as the harp, but also singers. Lower class musicians performed as entertainers for many of the festivals and parties and it was common to see dancers and informal singers perform with them. Egyptians valued music in all of its forms as part of their religious praise to their gods as well as part of celebration of everyday life.
Musicianship was highly regarded in ancient Egypt and singing was no exception. There are references to many during the era who were considered outstanding singers, including Amen Inaros, whose mother was also a songstress. Singers became quite common among females who were related to high officials and they often officiated at ceremonies.
Music in Religious Ceremonies and Tombs
Music was an important part of many ceremonies in the Egyptian culture with many inscriptions of songs found in tombs to be sung to the accompaniment of harps. Researchers believe that the songs found in the tombs were more than likely sung by priests and priestesses. Clapping of hands during singing was an integral part of the culture during ancient Egypt, considered sacred.
There is no doubt that music played an important part of ancient Egypt, even prior to the end of the Persian rule. Songs were played during religious ceremonies and even in the tombs after people died. Like today, songs were heard while people worked, for royalty in palaces and even on battlefields during times of war.
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Dance in Ancient Egypt
Not much is known about dancing in ancient Egypt, although there are depictions of dancing during the enthronement of a new king. There do not appear to be any depictions of men and women dancing to music together in ancient Egypt and their form of dance may have had Nubian influences. This type of dance became popular in Rome and parts of the Sudan still dance in this manner today. It appears that dances in ancient Egypt were similar to modern ballet, meant to be expressive, and some appeared to include gymnastics. On special occasions, female servants or harem members were chosen to dance slow, elegant steps which more than likely alternated with acrobatic movements.
Depiction of dancers in ancient Egypt.
Lost Melodies
One theory that developed among scholars who have studied facts about music in ancient Egypt, one that has been largely disproved, was that depictions of arm movements in hieroglyphics were used to communicate pitch to the musicians. However, recent research indicates that the arm movements were simply responses to songs today where people raise their arms and move in time with the music. It is possible that in some of the depictions, the arm movements may be indicating where a musician should start or stop, but in all likelihood they are just people enjoying a song. One Terracotta figurine found by archaeologists may depict music notes, but there is not much more than a few horizontal lines crossed by vertical strokes. It is not until the Greek Period that a papyrus with musical notations was discovered, but the music and notes are Greek, not Egyptian.
In fact, Egyptians did not note music prior to the Greco-Roman period, indicating that it was not an important part of daily life until the end of the Persian rule.
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