Ancient music is music that developed in literate cultures, replacing prehistoric music. In the History of music, prehistoric music (previously called primitive music) is all Music produced in preliterate cultures ( Prehistory Early music is commonly defined as European classical music from the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Baroque. The common practice period, in the history of European Art music (broadly called Classical music) spanning the Baroque, Classical, and At the turn of the 20th century classical music was characteristically late Romantic in style while at the same time the Impressionist movement spearheaded by Claude Debussy Contemporary classical music can be understood as belonging to a period that started in the mid-1970s with the retreat of modernism. Music is an Art form in which the medium is Sound organized in Time. Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to cultivate" generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic In the History of music, prehistoric music (previously called primitive music) is all Music produced in preliterate cultures ( Prehistory

Ancient music refers to the various musical systems that were developed across various geographical regions such as Persia, India, China, Greece, Rome, Egypt and Mesopotamia (see music of Mesopotamia, Greek music, Roman music). This article treats the music of Ancient Mesopotamia (see Music and Ancient Mesopotamia) The musical legacy of Greece is as diverse as its history. Cypriot music has certain similarities to traditional Greek Music, and their We know less about Ancient Roman Music than we do about the Music of ancient Greece. Ancient music is designated by the characterization of the basic audible tones and scales. It may have been transmitted through oral or written systems.

The term "ancient music" may also refer to contemporary, but traditional or folk, music which is considered to continue its "ancient" style and includes much Indian Music, Persian music, Asian music, Jewish music, the music of Egypt, and Muslim music. Folk music can have a number of different meanings including Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous The music of India' includes multiple varieties of folk, popular, pop, and classical music. Persian traditional music (also known as Iranian traditional music, Musiqi-e Sonati-e Irani, also Persian classical music or Iranian classical music Asian music encompasses numerous different musical styles originating from a large number of Asian cultures Jewish music, the music of Jews, is quite diverse and dates back thousands of years Egyptian music has been an integral part of Egyptian culture since ancient times Islamic music is Muslim religious Music, as sung or played in public services or private devotions See also: authentic performance. The historically informed performance, period performance, or authentic performance movement is an approach by musicians and scholars to research and perform works Through excavated evidence, such as statuettes recovered in Susa, it can be fairly stated that music in Iran can be traced back to the days of the Elamite Empire (2,500-644 B. C). Understandably, little is known of the music during this period except for the fact that various instruments, such as guitars, lutes, and flutes were created and played. Instruments, such as the "Barbat," are said to have originated in this period, probably around 800 B. C.

Figurines playing stringed instruments, excavated at Susa, 2nd millennium BC. Susa ( Biblical שושן ( Shushan) also Greek: Σοῦσα Transliterated as Sousa; Latin Susa) Iran National Museum. The National Museum of Iran (in Persian: موزه ملي ايران Mūze-ye Millī-ye Irān, or موزه ایران باستان Muze-ye Irân-e Bâstân

Ancient Persia

Main article: Music in ancient persia

Persian traditional music (also known as Iranian traditional music, Musiqi-e Sonati-e Irani, also Persian classical music or Iranian classical music, Musiqi-e Assil-e Irani, Khonyâ-ye Bâstâni Irâni) is the traditional and indigenous music of Iran and Persian-speaking countries(Sakata 1983). Persian traditional music (also known as Iranian traditional music, Musiqi-e Sonati-e Irani also Persian classical music or Persian traditional music (also known as Iranian traditional music, Musiqi-e Sonati-e Irani, also Persian classical music or Iranian classical music Persian traditional music (also known as Iranian traditional music, Musiqi-e Sonati-e Irani, also Persian classical music or Iranian classical music Persian traditional music (also known as Iranian traditional music, Musiqi-e Sonati-e Irani, also Persian classical music or Iranian classical music Persian traditional music (also known as Iranian traditional music, Musiqi-e Sonati-e Irani, also Persian classical music or Iranian classical music Through excavated evidence, such as statuettes recovered in Susa, it can be fairly stated that music in Iran(Persia) can be traced back to the days of the Elamite Empire (3,500-644 B. Susa ( Biblical שושן ( Shushan) also Greek: Σοῦσα Transliterated as Sousa; Latin Susa) For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. Elam is the name of an ancient civilization located in what is now southwest Iran. C). Understandably, little is known of the music during this period except for the fact that various instruments, such as guitar, lute, and flute were created and played. The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck (either Fretted or unfretted and a deep round back or more specifically to an instrument from The flute is a Musical instrument of the Woodwind family Unlike other woodwind instruments a flute is a Reedless wind instrument that produces its Instruments, such as the "Barbat," are said to have originated in this period, probably around 800 B. C. During the Achaemenid Empire, that famous "Persian Empire," it was stated by Herodotus that music played an important role, especially in court. The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenid Persian Empire ( haχɒmaneʃijɒn (558–330 BC was the first of the Persian Empires to rule over significant portions of He mentions that music was crucial to religious ceremonies in worshiping the God, Mithra (5000 B. This article is about the Zoroastrian Yazata Mithra (Miθra For other divinities with related names see the general article Mitra. C. ), whom was later to be accepted a "Amesha Spenta" divinity concepts in Zoroastrianism, as well as several other idols, after the religion of Prophet Zoroaster became more and more accepted. Zoroastrianism (ˌzɔroʊˈæstriəˌnɪzəm is the religion and philosophy based on the teachings Zoroaster ( Latinized from Greek variants) or Zarathushtra (from Avestan Zaraθuštra) also referred to as Zartosht (زرتشت

Mesopotamia

Main article: Music of ancient Mesopotamia

Anne Draffkorn Kilmer from the University of California at Berkeley published in 1986 her decipherment of cuneiform tablet from Nippur dated to about 2000 BCE. This article treats the music of Ancient Mesopotamia (see Music and Ancient Mesopotamia) , demonstrating that it represents fragmentary instructions for performing music and that the music was composed in harmonies of thirds, and that it was also written using a diatonic scale (Kilmer 1986) The notation in that tablet was not as developed as the notation in the later cuneiform tablet dated to about 1250 BCE. In Music theory, a diatonic scale (from the Greek διατονικος, meaning " through tones" also known as the heptatonia prima and (Kilmer 1965) Although the interpretation of the notation system is still controversial, it is clear that the notation indicates the names of strings on a lyre, the tuning of which is described in other tablets (West 1994). These tablets represent the earliest recorded melodies, though fragmentary, from anywhere in the world. (West 1994)

The Harps of Ur

In 1929 Leonard Woolley discovered pieces of at least three harps while excavating in the ruins of the ancient city of Ur located in what was Ancient Mesopotamia and is contemporary Iraq. Year 1929 ( MCMXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Sir Charles Leonard Woolley ( 17 April 1880 &ndash 20 February 1960) was a British Archaeologist best known for his Excavations The harp is a Stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicular to the soundboard. Ur ( Sumerian:urim; Akkadian: ?) is modern Tell el-Mukayyar, Iraq, and was a city in ancient Sumer. Mesopotamia (from the Greek meaning "land between the rivers" is an area geographically located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers largely corresponding For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. Some fragments are in Pennsylvania, some in the British Museum in London, and some in Baghdad. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern The British Museum is a Museum of human history and culture in London. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Baghdad (بغداد) is the Capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate, with which it is also coterminous They have been dated to 2,750 BCE. The 27th century BC is a Century which lasted from the year 2700 BC to 2601 BC Various reconstructions have been attempted, but none were totally satisfactory. Depending on various definitions, they could be classed as lyres rather than harps. The lyre is a stringed musical instrument well known for its use in Classical Antiquity and later The most famous is the bull-headed harp, held in Baghdad. The second Iraqi War led to the destruction of the bull-head lyre ^[1], and attempts are being made to play a replica of it as part of a touring orchestra. The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, or the War in Iraq, is an ongoing Military campaign An orchestra is an instrumental ensemble, usually fairly large with string brass woodwind sections and possibly a percussion section as well

Harps from Assyria and Egypt

Assurbanipal (705 - 681 BCE) was king of Assyria. Ashurbanipal ( Akkadian: Aššur-bāni-apli, " Ashur has made a son" or "Ashur created an heir" (b Events and trends 689 BC — King Sennacherib of Assyria sacks Babylon. Early history The most Neolithic site in Assyria is at Tell Hassuna, the center of the Hassuna culture At his capital at Nineveh is a bas-relief showing the fall of the Judean city of Lachish. Nineveh ( Akkadian: Ninua; Aramaic: ܢܝܢܘܐ Hebrew נינוה Nīnewē; Arabic نينوى Naīnuwa) A bas-relief (baʁəljɛf in French; French for "low relief" derived from the Italian basso rilievo) or low relief is a Sculpture Judea or Judæa ( Hebrew: יהודה Standard Yəhuda Tiberian Yəhûḏāh, "praised Lachish (לכיש was a town located in the Shephelah, or maritime plain of Philistia ( Joshua 103 5 1211 In the procession is the Elamite court orchestra, containing seven lyre-players and possibly a hammer-dulcimer player. Elamite is an Extinct language, which was spoken by the ancient Elamites. The hammered dulcimer is a stringed Musical instrument with the strings stretched over a Trapezoidal sounding board The lyres appear to have seven strings. True harps are shown in murals from the time Ramesses III of Egypt, about 1200 BCE. A mural is a Painting on a wall ceiling or other large permanent surface Usimare Ramses III (also written Ramesses and Rameses) was the second Pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty and is considered to be the last great This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. "The Tomb of the Harpists" contains a bas-relief with two blind musicians. James Bruce described it in 1768 and it is sometimes known as Bruce's Tomb. James Bruce ( December 14, 1730 &ndash April 27, 1794) was a Scottish traveller and Travel writer who spent more than a Year 1768 ( MDCCLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a . . . .

Hurrian Music

Among the Hurrian texts from Ugarit are some of the oldest known instances of written music, dating from c. The Hurrians (also Khurrites; cuneiform Ḫu-ur-ri 𒄷𒌨𒊑 were a people of the Ancient Near East, who lived in northern Mesopotamia Ugarit ( Ugaritic: ʼugrt; Hebrew:; Arabic:) (modern Ras Shamra رأس شمرة ("top/head/cape of the wild Fennel 1800 BCE. A reconstructed hymn is replayed at the Urkesh webpage.

Ancient India

Some of the earliest musical records exist in the Sama Veda which was transmitted orally from one generation to the next until it was written down. The Samaveda ( Sanskrit: सामवेद sāmaveda, from sāman "melody" + veda "knowledge") is third (in the usual Excavated specimens from Mohenjodaro and Harappa such as the Dancing Girl suggest development of an ancient musical system in Ancient India. Instruments, such as the seven-holed flute and various types of stringed instruments have been recovered from the Indus valley civilization archaeological sites.

Ancient Greece

Main article: Music of ancient Greece

Ancient Greek musicians developed their own robust system of musical notation. Much of what defines Western European culture in terms of Philosophy, Science, and the arts has origins in the culture of Ancient The system was not widely used among Greek musicians, but nonetheless a modest corpus of notated music remains from Ancient Greece and Rome. Much of what defines Western European culture in terms of Philosophy, Science, and the arts has origins in the culture of Ancient We know less about Ancient Roman Music than we do about the Music of ancient Greece. The epics of Homer were originally sung with instrumental accompaniment, but no notated melodies from Homer are known. An epic is a lengthy Narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation Homer ( Ancient Greek:, Homēros) is a legendary ancient Greek epic Poet, traditionally said to be the author of the epic poems the Several complete songs exist in ancient Greek musical notation. The Seikilos epitaph is the oldest surviving complete musical composition from the Greek tradition or from any tradition. The Seikilos epitaph is the oldest surviving example of a complete musical composition including musical notation from anywhere in the world Three complete hymns by Mesomedes of Crete (2nd century CE) exist in manuscript. A hymn is a type of Song, usually religious specifically written for the purpose of praise adoration or Prayer, and typically addressed to a deity/deities Mesomedes of Crete was a Greek lyric Poet and composer of the early 2nd century Crete ( Greek: Κρήτη transliteration: Krētē, modern transliteration Kriti) is the largest of the Greek islands and the The 2nd century is the period from 101 to 200 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. In addition, many fragments of Greek music are extant, including fragments from tragedy, among them a choral song by Euripides for his Orestes and an instrumental intermezzo from Sophocles' Ajax. The Greek chorus ( choros) is believed to have grown out of the Greek Dithyrambs and Tragikon drama in tragic plays of the ancient Euripides ( Ancient Greek:) (ca 480 BC–406 BC was the last of the three great tragedians of classical Athens (the other two being Aeschylus Orestes (Ορέστης / Orestēs) ( 408 BCE) is an Ancient Greek play by Euripides that follows the events of Orestes An instrumental is a Musical composition or recording without Lyrics or any other sort of Vocal music; all of the Music is produced by In Music, an intermezzo (pl intermezzi in the most general sense is a composition which fits between other musical or dramatic entities such as acts of a play or movements Sophocles (ˈsɒfəkliːz Ancient Greek, sopʰoklɛ̂ːs circa Ajax (Αίας Aias) is a play by Sophocles. The date of its first performance is unknown but most scholars regard it as early rather than late in Sophocles' Romans did not have their own system of musical notation, but a few Romans apparently learned the Greek system. A line from Terence's Hecyra was set to music and possibly notated by his composer Flaccus. Publius Terentius Afer (195/185&ndash159 BC better known as Terence, was a Playwright of the Roman Republic. A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance Flaccus is a Composer from the Second century BC, of whom little is known

It has always been known that some ancient music was not strictly monophonic. Some fragments of Greek music, such as the Orestes fragment, clearly call for more than one note to be sounded at the same time. Greek sources occasionally refer to the technique of playing more than one note at the same time. In addition, double pipes, such as used by the Greeks and Persians, and ancient bagpipes, as well as a review of ancient drawings on vases and walls, etc. , and ancient writings (such as in Aristotle, Problems, Book XIX. 12) which described musical techniques of the time, all indicate harmony existed. One pipe in the aulos pairs (double flutes) may have served as a drone or "keynote," while the other played melodic passages. In music a drone is a harmonic or monophonic effect or Accompaniment where a note or chord is continuously sounded throughout much Kilmer's decipherment of the cuneiform tablets indicate that the simultaneous sounding of different pitches was practiced very early, perhaps by 2000 BCE.

See also

• History of music
• Persian music

References

1. ^ Ancient Iraqi harp reproduced by Liverpool engineers - University of Liverpool

• Kilmer, Anne Draffkorn, 'The Strings of Musical Instruments: their Names, Numbers, and Significance', Studies in Honor of Benno Landsberger = Assyriological Studies, xvi (1965), 261-8
• Kilmer, Anne Draffkorn, Journal of Cuneiform Studies, xxxviii (1986), 94-98
• West, M. Music is found in every known Culture, past and present varying wildly between times and places Persian traditional music (also known as Iranian traditional music, Musiqi-e Sonati-e Irani, also Persian classical music or Iranian classical music L. , 'The Babylonian Musical Notation and the Hurrian Melodic Texts', Music & Letters, Vol. 75, No. 2. (May, 1994), pp. 161-179

External links

• Nay-Nava the encyclopedia of persian music instruments
• Reconstructed bone flutes, sound sample and playing instructions.
• International Study Group on Music Archaeology
• Musica Romana: Ensemble for ancient music
• Ancient Greek music on original instruments : Daimonia Nymphe