Ancient Egyptian Music
I choose ancient Egyptian music because of the interesting percussion and strings noise produced. Ancient Egyptian music was important for religion, war, and workplaces. The music changed drastically through time starting from ritual chants, musical entertainment, and now classic pop deriving from Egypt. The instruments vary extremely from common western instruments. Some instruments are the Darbouka, Benet, Cymbals, and Trumpets. Though, many of these instruments are alike western ones, the noise is different. The darbouka is also called the goblet drum which is hand-beaten, the benet is the Egyptian version of the harp, and cymbals have around the same design as the basic western one. The twangy sound of Egyptian instruments truly characterizes the music.
Both of these song examples you can clearly hear percussion and the cymbal.
Darbouka
The Darbouka is a hand-beaten drum that is played in many ancient Egyptians songs. The instrument provides a slow consistent percussion giving the songs an aggressive yet distinctive sound. The tone of the instrument has a deep range of sound. The Darbouka usually stays at a low BPM due to it being hand-beaten. The goblet drum is used by many other cultures in multiple Arabic countries and is still used today.
Benet
Otherwise known as the Egyptian harp, the instrument is drawn in many ancient paintings and used in many songs. The sound has a raspy tone which provides Egyptian songs with their twangy guitar plucking. The instrument was originally shaped like an archer bow. The range of the Benet usually is higher and softer than the common day stringed instruments. This gives songs an uplifting and calming feel. The rhythm is also usually slow.
Cymbal
The ancient cymbal is by far my favorite instrument. The finger cymbal is a smaller version of the larger instrument that is played quickly by both hands. The cymbal provides music with high pitch and quick interval claps of metal. Cymbals are used in many orchestras in current day will never sound better than being combined with Egyptian instruments.
Rythm and Range
Ancient Egyptian music is truly recognizable by the rhythm and range produced. The Rythm is very progressive and climatical. Some songs start slower before involving all the instruments and reaching high points of range. The range is usually higher pitched and doesn't have many deeper sounding instruments. The trumpets and percussion truly help create an interesting eerie tone in the songs. The Rythm does repeat at times but also brings listeners into higher and climatical riffs.
Opinion
In my opinion I very much enjoy the mysterious and climatical feeling Egyptian music produces. Though much of the culture has adapted to more western genres of music, ancient Egyptian music will always be remembered. I enjoy the high-pitched harp and the quick cymbals which combined create a tone unlike common guitar and percussion play.
Sources:
'10 Traditional Musical Egyptian Instruments: From The Ancient To The Now' April 21st, 2022
Music in Ancient Egypt (umich.edu) Kelsey Museum, unknown date of publish, 'Music in Ancient Egypt'
Eddie,
ReplyDeleteOddly enough I almost studied Egyptian music myself for this assignment. It's fascinating how this type of music can be so relaxing, yet so eerie, simultaneously. I've also noticed that Egyptian music (including the two songs you shared) carries a lot of minor chords which is probably why it can be described as eerie. Thank you for sharing.
Had me at history. This music is sounds like classical music of the 18th century. I wonder if classical music was influenced by Egyptian music. While listening to this reminds me so much of an orchestra piece. If I hadn't been exposed to Egyptian music by Hollywood, I would have assumed it was a concerto. Its very complex in a way many ancient music forms are not. Makes me think that the music was made for mass appeal rather than court appeal. I read on https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1075/music--dance-in-ancient-egypt/ that egypt was a very musical society in general. Thanks for sharing.
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