Ancient Egyptian Music

3100 BC to 1070 BC
Did you know
Music played a very important part in
ancient Egyptian life.

From all periods there are pictures in

tombs and temples showing musicians
playing.

Music was present in Egyptian life in so

many ways, like farmers who were
working in the field would have sung folk
songs and love songs.
 Music found its way into Egyptian life in
temples, workshops, battlefields, and the
court of the Pharaohs. .

Music was a good opportunity for women

to work at a skilled job.

From looking at the tomb paintings and

similar artwork, it is believed that most
Egyptian musicians were female.
Tombs:
Tombs and temples give us some of
the best examples of how the
instruments worked and were played.

We learn how they were held, which

instruments were played together,
which ones were played by men,
which ones were played by women.
 We learn if and how they were used in
religious ceremonies and secular
practices.

We also learn which classes (high

class, middle class, and low class)
were associated with certain
instruments.
 Men musicians even used their teeth as
instruments!

They would make tapping noises and

also use special plucks to make
interesting noises.

Music was seen as an art form and the

children of wealthy Egyptians were
taught to play musical instruments for
their own pleasure.
Egyptian Instruments:
There was no written music, notes were
not documented and music was learned
by rote, learning by ear and memorizing
it.

Due to Egypts arid environment, most of

the instruments found have been well-
preserved.

Instruments included the lyre, the oud,

the kithara, and sistrum.
Lyre:
an ancient plucked string instrument in
the shape of a box, similar to a harp
but smaller.
The Oud:
A pear shaped stringed instrument.
The kithara:
A seven stringed Lyre played by
professional musicians.
The sistrum:
A special instrument in Egypt used in
dances and religious ceremonies.
Drums:
Cylindrical drums and barrel drums
are common ancient Egyptian drums.
Flutes (mat):
An instrument made out of cane/stalks
of reed, with two to six fingerholes. It
was typically a yard long and half an
inch wide.
The arghul:
A double-pipe, single reed woodwind
instruments that consists of two tubes.
Tutankhamen's trumpets:
A pair of trumpets found in the burial
chamber of Tutankhamen.

One is sterling silver, while the other

one is bronze.

They are considered to be the oldest

examples from ancient Egypt.
 It is claimed that these two trumpets
have magical powers that are used to
summon war.

The evening they were first played in

1939, the power cut out at the Cairo
museum just before the sound
recording and it had to be completed
by candle light. Five months later,
World War II began.
Music and Humanity:
Music found its way into many places
like temples, workshops, farms,
battlefields, and tombs.

Music was an essential part of

religious worship in ancient Egypt. It
was used to honor gods, mourn death,
celebrate special occasions, and
festival events.
 It is believed that Thoth, one of the
Egyptian gods, was the inventor of
music in the ancient Egyptian society.