Musical Instruments

Sources

Variety of Instruments. The Egyptians used percussion, wind, and stringed instruments. Some of these instruments were imported from the Near East, while others were indigenous to Egypt. The simplest percussion instrument was two hands clapping. The Egyptians depicted singers clapping in Old Kingdom (circa 2675-2130 b.c.e.) tomb scenes, but the sound could be amplified by use of instruments they called “Two Hands,” which were made from two pieces of curving ivory or bone with the image of Hathor or of hands carved at their ends. A smaller version of these instruments resembles castanets. A related instrument is the menat, which was also associated with the goddess Hathor. This instrument was worn around the neck like jewelry. All these instruments were in use during the Old Kingdom and later.

Percussion. Drums resembled a variety of shapes including barrels, goblets, and circles. From the Middle Kingdom (circa 1980-1630 b.c.e.) through the New Kingdom (circa 1539-1075 b.c.e.), drums were small enough to be held with one hand and beaten with the other. These smaller drums were played by women. The Egyptians did not use drumsticks. In the Late Period (664-332 b.c.e.) a larger barrel drum was worn with a strap around the neck and was played by a man. The drummer beat on both ends with his hands. These drums were all made by stretching skin across a wooden frame. The circular drum was probably introduced from Syria-Palestine during Dynasty 13 (circa 1759–after 1630 b.c.e.).

Sistra. The sistrum (plural “sistra”) is an instrument resembling a rattle. Egyptian sistra include metal disks, pierced in the middle, which are strung on a metal bar that is suspended on another loop of metal. The loop is mounted on a wooden handle often decorated with Hathor’s face. Other sistra used a rectangular frame shaped like a shrine in a temple. Sistra were commonly used in religious ceremonies and were played by women.

Wind Instruments. Egyptians played a variety of wind instruments, including flutes, parallel double pipes, and divergent double pipes. The flute was held to the side of the body, while the two kinds of pipes were held in front of the body. The parallel double pipes seem to have been bound together with string, while the divergent double pipes form a V-shape with the point at the mouth. Each half was played with one hand. These wind instruments all had a slightly different mouthpiece. The parallel pipes had a single vibrating element, so it is sometimes called a clarinet. The divergent pipes had a double vibrating element, similar to an oboe. Metal trumpets were used by the military.

Stringed Instruments. Stringed instruments included harps, lyres, and lutes. The shape of the harp was uniquely Egyptian, but lyres and lutes probably were based on Near Eastern types. In the arched harp the sound box and neck form a continuous curve. The arched harp was most popular during the Old and Middle Kingdoms. It had fewer than ten strings and thus had a limited range of sounds. In the angular harp the sound box and neck are at right angles to one another. Angular harps were known in Mesopotamia by 1900 b.c.e. but did not become common in Egypt until almost four hundred years later. Angular harps had more strings than arched harps. They introduced a much broader range of sound than the older arched harp. Thin, thick, and giant lyres were known throughout the Near East. Egyptian lyres are part of a broader, international

musical culture. In the New Kingdom, the same name was used for the thick lyre both in the Near East and in Egypt (kinnarum). Giant lyre players, depicted in Egyptian scenes of the Amarna period, wore typical Canaanite dress. Lutes were invented in Mesopotamia in circa 1900 b.c.e. and quickly spread to Egypt. They were played both by men and women in ensembles or alone.

Sources

Bo Lawergren, “Music,” in Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt, edited by Donald B. Redford (New York & Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), pp. 450–454.

Lise Manniche, Music and Musicians in Ancient Egypt (London: British Museum Press, 1991).