Listen to the Oldest Song in the World: A Sumerian Hymn Written 3,400 Years Ago
In the early 1950s, archaeologists unearthed several clay tablets from the 14th century B.C.E.. Found, WFMU tells us, in the ancient Syrian city of Ugarit, these tablets contained cuneiform signs in the hurrian language, which turned out to be the oldest known piece of music ever discovered, a 3,400 year-old cult hymn. Anne Draffkorn Kilmer, professor of Assyriology at the University of California, produced the interpretation above in 1972. (She describes how she arrived at the musical notationin some technical detailin this interview.) Since her initial publications in the 60s on the ancient Sumerian tablets and the musical theory found within, other scholars of the ancient world have published their own versions.
The piece, writes Richard Fink in a 1988 Archeologia Musicalis article, confirms a theory that the 7-note diatonic scale as well as harmony existed 3,400 years ago. This, Fink tells us, flies in the face of most musicologists views that ancient harmony was virtually non-existent (or even impossible) and the scale only about as old as the Ancient Greeks. Kilmers colleague Richard Crocker claims that the discovery revolutionized the whole concept of the origin of western music. So, academic debates aside, what does the oldest song in the world sound like? Listen to a midi version below and hear it for yourself. Doubtless, the midi keyboard was not the Sumerians instrument of choice, but it suffices to give us a sense of this strange composition, though the rhythm of the piece is only a guess.
http://www.openculture.com/2014/07/the-oldest-song-in-the-world.html
arcane1
(38,613 posts)burrowowl
(17,641 posts)And thanks for link to Open Culture!
octoberlib
(14,971 posts)Tommy_Carcetti
(43,182 posts)Maybe a bass beat as well.
mainer
(12,022 posts)Some things about music are universal, and pleasing harmonies using thirds and fifths would be one of them. I don't know why we would think that the ancients wouldn't use harmony.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)The Oldest Known Melody c.1400BC!
Uploaded on May 13, 2009
- Michael Levy
This unique video, features my first of 2 arrangements for solo lyre, of the 3400 year old "Hurrian Hymn no.6", which was discovered in Ugarit in Syria in the early 1950s, and was preserved for 3400 years on a clay tablet, written in the Cuniform text of the ancient Hurrian language
- The Hurrian Hymn (catalogued as Text H6) was discovered in Ugarit, Syria, in the early 1950s, and was preserved for 3400 years on a clay tablet, written in the Cuniform text of the ancient Hurrian language - except from a few earlier Sumarian fragmentary instructional musical texts from c.1950 BCE (Musical Instructions for Lipit-Ishtar, King of Justice) the Hurrian Hymn it is the oldest written song yet known, in History!
Although about 29 musical texts were discovered at Ugarit, only this text, (text H6), was in a sufficient state of preservation to allow for modern academic musical reconstruction.
In short, the Cuneiform text clearly indicated specific names for lyre strings, and their respective musical intervals -- a sort of "Guitar tablature", for lyre!
Although discovered in modern day Syria, the Hurrians were not Syrian -- they came from modern day Anatolia. The Hurrian Hymn actually dates to the very end of the Hurrian civilisation (c.1400BCE) . The Hurrian civilization dates back to at least 3000 BCE. It is an incredible thought, that just maybe, the musical texts found at Ugarit, preserved precious sacred Hurrian music which may have already been thousands of years old, prior to their inscription for posterity, on the clay tablets found at Ugarit!
My arrangement here, is based on the that the original transcription of the melody, as interpreted by Prof. Richard Dumbrill. Here is a link to his book, "The Archeomusicology of the Near East":
http://bit.ly/d3aovp
It is played here, on a replica of the ancient Kinnor Lyre from neighbouring Israel; an instrument almost tonally identical to the wooden asymmetric-shaped lyres played throughout the Middle East at this amazingly distant time... when the Pharaoh's still ruled ancient Egypt.
A photograph of the actual clay tablet on which the Hurrian Hymn was inscribed, can be seen here:
http://www.phoenicia.org/music.html
The melody is one of several academic interpretations, derived from the ambiguous Cuneiform text of the Hurrian language in which it was written. Although many of the meanings of the Hurrian language are now lost in the mists of time, it can be established that the fragmentary Hurrian Hymn which has been found on these precious clay tablets are dedicated to Nikkal; the wife of the moon god.
There are several such interpretations of this melody, but to me, the fabulous interpretation just somehow sounds the most "authentic". Below is a link to the sheet music, as arranged by Clint Goss:
Please note:
I can't get the link to post, but you can get the sheet music in a pdf by clicking on the link at this point of the video description, just can't get to post here:
http://www.flutekey.com/pdf/HurrianTa...
In my arrangement of the Hurrian Hymn, I have attempted to illustrate an interesting diversity of ancient lyre playing techniques, ranging from the use of "block and strum" improvisation at the end, glissando's, trills & tremolos, and alternating between harp-like tones in the left hand produced by finger-plucked strings, and guitar-like tones in the right hand, produced by use of the plectrum.
I have arranged the melody in the style of a "Theme and Variations" - I first quote the unadorned melody in the first section, followed by the different lyre techniques described above in the repeat, & also featuring improvisatory passages at the end of the performance. My arrangement of the melody is much slower than this actual specific academic interpretation of the melody- I wanted the improvisations in the variations on the theme to stand out, and to better illustrate the use of lyre techniques by a more rubato approach to the melody.
For full details about my albums of lyre music, and the fascinating ancient historical background, please visit my official website:
http://www.ancientlyre.com
Music from 3400 years ago?
bananas
(27,509 posts)Always better to hear an actual instrument instead of a midi file.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)octoberlib
(14,971 posts)freshwest
(53,661 posts)roguevalley
(40,656 posts)Judi Lynn
(160,545 posts)Babel_17
(5,400 posts)yurbud
(39,405 posts)marble falls
(57,105 posts)progressoid
(49,991 posts)marble falls
(57,105 posts)Uncle Joe
(58,366 posts)Thanks for the thread, octoberlib.
yurbud
(39,405 posts)octoberlib
(14,971 posts)She explains how she got the music theory but I still don't understand how she translated the musical notes.
Babel_17
(5,400 posts)The Magistrate
(95,247 posts)Thank very much for sharing this.
LiberalElite
(14,691 posts)reminded me of a Tracphone polyphonic ringtone.