Ancient Egyptian Music: History, Instruments and Musical Traditions

Egyptian Music

Egyptian music is thought to have been very generalized in its practice. Music was a popular form of expression, typically performed collectively as well as individually, with or without instruments.

The voice was considered the most powerful instrument, capable of connecting with the divine and with the afterlife.

In religion, the most common form of song was the alternating chant between two priests and two priestesses, who sometimes combined their voices with those of soloists. In one half of the song, one priest sang a hymn to Osiris, and the voices were accompanied by instruments.

Instruments were used both individually and collectively by orchestras. Drums marked the pace, with rhythms based on the quarter note or the eighth note.

Little is known about the notation of Egyptian music. Although the ancient Egyptians had a system of notation, it has not yet been deciphered. Some musicologists believe it could have used a hieroglyphic notation, and that it may have been related to a kind of fingerboard. On the other hand, some have suggested the use of the double clarinet and the double oboe, which points to a tonal concept.

Based on these findings, it has been concluded that the Egyptians used a pentatonic or heptatonic system. Some scholars believe that their music was built on two tetrachords and a fourth-interval system, both tonal and chromatic, and that this system may have influenced the Greek tetrachord. Pythagoras and other thinkers may have learned their musical system in Egypt, and it is possible that the Egyptian system developed independently of the Greek one.

Periods of Egyptian History

Throughout history, Egypt went through many changes, and its periods are divided as follows:

• Predynastic Period (6000 BC)
• Thinite Period
• Old Kingdom
• First Intermediate Period
• Middle Kingdom
• Second Intermediate Period
• New Kingdom
• Third Intermediate Period
• Late Period

After the conquest by the Greeks under Alexander the Great, the period is known as the Ptolemaic period. It was followed by the Roman domination, the Byzantine era, and later the Arab period.

Predynastic Period

This period is not clearly defined in Egypt. Early settlements in Heliopolis produced the first unification of the nomes. Later, the country was divided into two regions, Upper and Lower Egypt. Mesopotamian influences can be seen in the similarity of some instruments.

From this period, we have images in tombs showing women dancing, accompanied by men playing clappers (crotales). Life in Egypt was reflected in the paintings and reliefs of the tombs, which show what was most prominent in daily life and in the afterlife.

In these scenes, young men hunted or fought while women and men danced, and men played clappers. Clappers were probably used to keep rhythm and to add a sense of unity to collective performances.

Thinite Period

This period is significant because Upper and Lower Egypt were unified into a single kingdom. The hieroglyphic writing system was progressively perfected during this time.

Music had a utilitarian character, always aimed at helping with work.

Old Kingdom and First Intermediate Period

The period of the Old Kingdom, during the third to sixth dynasties, was a time of great splendor. The famous pyramids were built then. The dynasties until the eleventh formed the transition period, which ended with the division of the country into two states: one in the north (Heracleopolis) and another in the south (Thebes).

Reliefs survive with representations of instruments related to Mesopotamia. These show that music was a part of domestic practice. Worship of the god Ptah was accompanied by the harp, which played an important role in national and religious ceremonies.

Singers are depicted with their hands near the left shoulder and the right hand making expressive gestures. In other scenes, like those of Eastern peoples, singers tightened their throats and used vibrato to produce a particular sound.

Choreographic representations show how pharaohs performed dances. We also see dancers clapping or playing an instrument such as clappers.

Much remains unknown, but it is known that harps were played with a bow, along with very long flutes and pipes, and frame drums. In this period, instrumental music with accompaniment was cultivated, and music began to shift toward what is known as the golden age.

The earliest known musician was Khufu, an Egyptian flutist, who was honored with the ankh symbol.

Middle Kingdom and Second Intermediate Period

The Middle Kingdom was a period of reunification under the Theban pharaohs. During the Second Intermediate Period, the Hyksos invaded Upper Egypt and established their capital at Avaris. These foreigners assimilated Egyptian culture and continued to cultivate its instruments, while also introducing new ones.

Great representations from this era show that harpists played with two hands, which suggests that Egyptians cultivated melody together with harmony.

During the Hyksos rule, foreign instruments were introduced to Egypt, such as new drums, clappers, harps, and new types of rattles. Rattles were especially used in religious ceremonies and dances. One painting shows the first lyre, which resembles the lyre used in Mesopotamia at the time.

New Kingdom

After the Hyksos were expelled, a new capital was founded in Thebes, and the New Kingdom began. This was a brilliant period in the history of Egypt. The later part of the New Kingdom saw its decline.

The Syrian conquest had a great impact on early Egyptian music.