I doubt they had bands called Metutica and Linkin Cleo.

uhhhhhh....riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. They had musicians.

Music in Ancient Egypt was a lot more different in its’ purpose than music in most other cultures. Originally it was solely used for religious practices and for religious rituals. Sacred instruments called the Sistrum, which sounded like milk bottle tops being jangled together, were in use since at least 2500 BC. Sistrums were particularly used in the Cult of Isis who was the mother goddess of love, magic and the home. The cult of Hathor grew up around 2000 BC, Hathor was the wife of Horus and the goddess of music and festivities and was a Cult which really pioneered ancient music. The drum was used a lot to create beats and rhythms and the drum was used a lot as an ensemble instrument with groups of drummers creating fast and rhythmically complicated ostinatos. In 1900 BC, when Egypt was first invaded by northern Semitic peoples a great deal of Judaic and Babylonian instruments came down to Egypt and the Harp, Lute and Flute were introduced. At this time music also came out of the temples and soon dancers, jugglers and even storytellers had musicians to accompany their acts. Huge choirs of harpists, lutists and flautists grew up and the chanting of the temples had orchestras to accompany them. Although music was still quite primitive and quite highly minimalist in its style it had set off in Egypt the rules that would introduce music in the East for three Millennia and much of modern traditional belly-dancing has been likened to the music of ancient times.

I love music, of any form, i wish that there was a way to listen to the music they had, i know we have the knowlege of the insturments used the beats and melody is what i want to hear. nayone know if there is anywhere u can?

Barnes and Noble once had a CD. I am not sure if the beat was a real song , but I am sure it was similar to the real music they had.I liked the CD , but I am not sure if they still sell it or not.

thanks ill look out for it.

We have no idea of what their music sounded like really. It is pure guess work as there was no notation in ancient times. All this "new age" music is notr even historically accurate to their instruments. It is just marketed as "egyptian music". It is quite a ripoff.

[quote="Si-Amun"]We have no idea of what their music sounded like really. It is pure guess work as there was no notation in ancient times. All this "new age" music is notr even historically accurate to their instruments. It is just marketed as "egyptian music". It is quite a ripoff.

You're right, Si-Amun. Although we have several of the ancient Egyptians musical instraments, most notably Tutankhamen's "Trumpet", we have no idea of the type of music played. We know the sound the trumpet makes--it was played, and recorded in the 20's--and we know that sistra was used, and there are carvings of priestess' clapping and shaking sistra. But as far as any actual written notation of any style of music, it is complete guess work--"New Age" music, claiming to be the music of ancient Egypt, is just wishful thinking. I think it's just a way to make a fast buck!

I composed an Oratorio based on the legend of Isis, Osiris and Seth. I used the closest I could find to authentic instruments (harps, drums, flutes etc) but as to beats and rhythms I had to use traditional arabic influences and coptic church music. New Age music is generally a waste of time in my opinion. It is rarely anything like the original traditional music of the regions they represent. I know that Ancient Egyptian music was not synthesised with computers and pan pipes were South American in my memory! lol

Okay maybe the music is not the real music they played , but it is what I would image it to be like and the Cd I listened to was good so it does not really matter if it is a real song or not , I would enjoy listening to it.

If you enjoyed listening to it then thats cool. Just remember that you aren't listenening to ancient music. Ancient music would have sounded very harsh and discordant to or modern ears as the rudiments of musical theory were not even started until Ancient Greece. The music would have been quite horrible compared to any type of modern music, apart from perhaps serialism.

Yeah , that is too bad.

Xochimoki is one of my favorite tapes. It is new music, from ancient sources:) Using modern made prehistoric Mesoamerian instruments, the musicians do a wonderful job of recreating the sounds once heard upon American shores. Until my tape deck died, it was my 2nd favorite of all. So cool, so ancient and not a single thing was really ancient. LOL Even though my tape deck died some years ago i keep my Xochimoki tape... one day i will live to hear it again. (it and one my sons got me as a present are all the tapes i have today)

But your are quiet right Si-Amun it is very harsh, and discordant to our modern ears. i am the only person i know to have heard Xochimoki and really enjoyed it. It was a great way to get rid of unpleasent guests! And a big help in getting myself transported back in time.

i recently bought an "Egyptian CD" it had so much arabic influcence in it i just stopped it shortly after i started it. It is another assumption that ancient Egyptian music must have had sounded not to unlike arabic. Umm, right because Egypt is arabic today and so forth and so on...

It would have been better had the artist done like my Xochimoki artists. Gone with just their reconstructed instruments and ability leaving preconcieved ideas out. But i think the artist was afraid of that harsh, and discordant effect. That by using arabic beats, tempos he was i think attempting to tie it up with a sound something westerners could identify with.

Kemetic music was still connected to the Divine principals.
Creating music was a portal so to speak into the higher planes of existence and became communion with the Gods.
Vibrations can be looked at as the Eartly manifestation of Ma'at and puts everything into order (Cymetics) and thus gave birth to Creation itself.

There is quite a fameous recording of someone (I think a British army bugler) playing Tuts trumpet but apparently he used a modern mouthpiece so the sound is not authentic.
Surely the first Egyptican music would be singing an clapping.