Ancient Egyptian Music - Essay Example

Ancient Egyptian Music Music has been an essential aspect of human culture from time immemorial and it has been used for various functions throughout its history. The central part the music has played in the cultures that have exited all over the world was also significant in the development of the culture of ancient Egypt where it was used for functions ranging from religious ceremonies to feasts arranged by government officials. It is a fact that the ancient Egyptians considered music to be an important aspect of their lives and it is for this reason that musicians were given varying positions within the society where they served different functions. Music in ancient Egypt was known for thousands of years and evidence for its existence has been found in the pre-dynastic period. It is mainly because of the massive influence of this art that if came to be found in many aspects of Egyptian life ranging from the palaces of the royal family and nobility, to the workshops of artisans and all the way to the tombs of the wealthy. It is a fact that music was a basic part of the religious services of this ancient state and it was associated with a number of gods to whom it was dedicated. Music was used by the priests to set the mood for the people to worship the gods and the fact that these gods were worshiped using music meant that the temple musicians held an esteemed place in the society. The ability of the priests to make use of music in religious ceremonies ensured that the music of worship was completely improved by the temple musicians so that it was not only used for religious purposes, but temple music also developed into an art form. Such gods as Hathor and Bes tended to be associated with music and this was despite the fact that they were also associated with childbirth, fertility, and dance and this made them extremely important to musicians. All of the major known classifications of musical instruments were well represented in ancient Egypt and these were used in diverse occasions, depending on the event as well as the people who used them. Among the percussion instruments that were used by the ancient Egyptians included hand-held drums, rattles, castanets, bells, and the sistrum (Lawergren 101). The last was a very significant rattle that was used in religious worship and it is because of this that in most cases, the sistrum was found in the possession of temple musicians (Krogh and Brooke 167). It is for this reason that the sistrum was mostly represented as being in the possession of temple musicians in the illustrations that were painted or carved onto temple walls. The instruments that have been named above were normally used in places worship as well as during official occasions such as those festivals which were presided over by the pharaoh. Moreover, hand clapping was also a favorite means of ensuring that there was a rhythmic accompaniment to the music which also required dancing and it was done to ensure that all the individuals in the event participated in the music. Wind instruments such as flutes and trumpets were also used in ancient Egypt and these were normally made from either imported wood or from the domestically available papyrus reeds. Ancient Egyptians were also known to have been avid users of stringed instruments and these included lyres, harps, and lutes which were normally plucked rather than bowed in order to produce music. The abilities of local musicians were highly respected and those who took it up as a profession normally inscribed their names on their instruments and further decorated them with representations and images of the gods that they considered to be their patrons. Both the men and women of ancient Egyptian society were active participants in music and it was very common for both of their voices to be utilized in music. In all of the social levels of ancient Egyptian society, there existed professional musicians whose main task was to recite poetry to the accompaniment of musical instruments as well as providing general entertainment for the people (Troy 238). Music was one of the most used forms of entertainment in this period with many individuals choosing to spend their evenings being entertained by local musicians with them creating accompaniments through clapping. In addition, there were professional musicians who worked in temples and it was not rare for there to be musicians who were dedicated to certain gods; so that there was a position in the temple for the Musician of Hathor, Musician of Isis, among many others. Most of the individuals who held the positions of musicians for specific gods were normally women. These were always dedicated to the service of the gods when they were quite young, and in most cases as soon as it was discovered that they had a talent for music (Li 146). It was normally their parents who dedicated them into the service of specific gods and these tended to be individuals from all the classes in society who felt that they could gain prestige as well as assure the future of their children by putting them to work in the temple. It is a fact that those musicians who were connected with the royal palace were highly esteemed within the society and these tended to be those individuals who were the most gifted in the society. Those musicians who worked as entertainers during festivals as well as parties were of a slightly lower rank than those who worked in the palace and these were normally accompanied by dancers who contributed to the entertainment (Spencer 112). Music was also informally used whenever individuals were working and this was normally done as a means for setting the tempo, especially among quarrymen as they worked. However, very little evidence has been found of there being amateur musicians in this society with more attention being paid to those who practiced it as professionals. This does not, however, rule out the possibility that there were many amateur musicians in the society who did not achieve renown because of their low profile status. Musical historians have found it extremely difficult to reconstruct the music that was played during the ancient Egyptian period and this is mainly because of the fact this music was not notated until during the period of Greek rule over Egypt. However, some reconstruction of ancient Egyptian music has been attempted through the piecing together of the possible tunes that were played during that period (Spencer 112). It is speculated that the temple music that was used for rituals involved the rattling of the sistrum to the accompaniment of the voice of both the priests and devotees and in some occasions by percussion instruments. In addition, during festivals, it is likely that all the musical instruments available were used and these were used either with or without the presence of singers to accompany them. Music was believed to play an important part in the lives of ancient Egyptians because of the beneficial values for those who listened to it. It was believed that music had a great effect in determining the emotions or mood of those who listened to it. In ancient Egypt, it was believed that music had a lot of influence on those who listened to it because it not only calmed them down (Kreutz et al 102); it also ensured that they became more focused on what they were doing, as seen in the case of the use of music when working. Thus, music became a basic part of the culture of the ancient Egyptians who used it for many occasions ranging from entertainment to religious purposes. Music is believed to have been so important in this society that any formal or informal gathering did not pass without the presence of musicians who set the background mood for those who were present. In conclusion, as has been discussed above, music in ancient Egypt was known for thousands of years and evidence for its existence has been found in the pre-dynastic period, and it is mainly because of the massive influence of this art that if came to be found in many aspects of Egyptian life. Moreover, all of the major known classifications of musical instruments were well represented in ancient Egypt and these were used in diverse occasions, depending on the event as well as the people who used them. Furthermore, it has been found that in all of the social levels of ancient Egyptian society, there existed professional musicians whose main task was to recite poetry to the accompaniment of musical instruments as well as providing general entertainment for the people. However, musical historians have found it extremely difficult to reconstruct the music that was played during the ancient Egyptian period and this is mainly because of the fact this music was not notated until during the period of Greek rule over Egypt. Finally, it can be said that such a high civilization as that of ancient Egypt could not have existed without the presence of an advanced form of music and future research will likely show the extent of its musical achievements. Works Cited Kreutz, Gunter et al. Using music to induce emotions: Influences of musical preference and absorption. Psychology of Music (2008): 101 – 126. Krogh, Marilyn C., and Ashley Pillifant Brooke. "Kemetic Orthodoxy: Ancient Egyptian Religion on the Internet - A Research Note." Sociology of Religion 65.2 (2004): 167-75. Lawergren, Bo. "Music in Ancient Israel/Palestine: Archaeological, Written, and Comparative Sources." Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research.332 (2003): 100-2. Li, Jean. "The Life of Meresamun, A Temple Singer in Ancient Egypt." Near Eastern Archaeology 72.3 (2009): 146-8. Spencer, Patricia. "Dance in Ancient Egypt." Near Eastern Archaeology 66.3 (2003): 111-21. Troy, Lana. "The Tales of Sinuhe and Other Ancient Egyptian Poems, 1940-1640 B.C." Journal of the American Oriental Society 120.2 (2000): 237-9. Read More