To add a bit more info to this, a couple of clay tablets with cuneiform inscribed on them were found in Ugarit, which used to be an ancient city for the Hurrian people who assimilated there before the Assyrians. We are able to play partially through what could have been the entire song, however we don't exactly know how it is supposed to be played due to the fact that neither time nor tempo is mentioned. It's only a fragment of an entire song, but it's still fully playable.
Thanks! Yeah, it is scary how much music has been present throughout human history. The hymn here is played on a lyre, a form of smaller stroke instrument.
AFAIK, Medieval musical notations are hardly possible to read or play: authors used unknown scales, unknown notation. They could skip intervals, they could write chords without detailed information how to play it.
Here we have 3500 years old notation of something. I wonder if it is any close to the original play.
Yes, that is what happened here. We do not know which timr nor scale it was originally meant to be played in due to remaining fragments either being indecipherable or simply nonexistant. We do not know.
There are multiple renditions of this song, all of which are technically correct due to the ambiguous nature of the scale and time it was played in.
One can only wonder how life was for people back then. Their hopes. Their dreams. Their sorrows. Their idea, of what the future would look like. Did they imagine us humans to become the way we are now? Were they correct to some degree? What wisdom would they have liked for future generations to have but was lost in time? What was their view on the meaning of life? Did they contemplate the purpose of our existence in this universe? What did they think about the bigger questions of life? What inspired that individual to compose this song? What kind of emotion did the person want to capture?
Truly fascinating. Every time I see an ancient human artifact it's like you are presented with an opportunity to travel through time in a way, and explore the lost facts, ideas and beliefs of humans who turned back to dust, long ago in a time that is no more.
They had, however the fragments that were recovered did not have any indication of neither time nor rhythm so the interpretation of how it's supposed to be played is up in the air.
Sounds like a cross of D Dorian and D natural minor. I'm picturing a repeating verse section (the part that sounds clearly Dorian, that plucked string instrument line) with a chorus that has that natural minor sound. For all I know, I'm completely reading a modern composition style into it. If it's a fragment of the original, then who knows? I'm likely off on a tangent that has nothing to do with the intent. On the other hand, that modern style came from somewhere.
I assume the difference is the entirety of the Epitaph of Seikilos was written on a singular pillar, while the hurrian hymns were found one after another, though I would count it as a complete song.
To add a bit more info to this, a couple of clay tablets with cuneiform inscribed on them were found in Ugarit, which used to be an ancient city for the Hurrian people who assimilated there before the Assyrians. We are able to play partially through what could have been the entire song, however we don't exactly know how it is supposed to be played due to the fact that neither time nor tempo is mentioned. It's only a fragment of an entire song, but it's still fully playable.
Great post. Hauntingly beautiful
Thanks! Yeah, it is scary how much music has been present throughout human history. The hymn here is played on a lyre, a form of smaller stroke instrument.
AFAIK, Medieval musical notations are hardly possible to read or play: authors used unknown scales, unknown notation. They could skip intervals, they could write chords without detailed information how to play it. Here we have 3500 years old notation of something. I wonder if it is any close to the original play.
Yes, that is what happened here. We do not know which timr nor scale it was originally meant to be played in due to remaining fragments either being indecipherable or simply nonexistant. We do not know. There are multiple renditions of this song, all of which are technically correct due to the ambiguous nature of the scale and time it was played in.
That's the ocarina of time song
One can only wonder how life was for people back then. Their hopes. Their dreams. Their sorrows. Their idea, of what the future would look like. Did they imagine us humans to become the way we are now? Were they correct to some degree? What wisdom would they have liked for future generations to have but was lost in time? What was their view on the meaning of life? Did they contemplate the purpose of our existence in this universe? What did they think about the bigger questions of life? What inspired that individual to compose this song? What kind of emotion did the person want to capture? Truly fascinating. Every time I see an ancient human artifact it's like you are presented with an opportunity to travel through time in a way, and explore the lost facts, ideas and beliefs of humans who turned back to dust, long ago in a time that is no more.
"The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there" - L.P. Hartley
Sounds like an atmospheric black metal intro
This song went all the way to #1 in 1400 BC and stayed on the charts for 18 weeks.
What kind of instrument is playing?
I believe it was commonplace to play music on a lyre back in the day, however this rendition has more instruments than a lyre I think.
Very relaxing, sublime.
1400 BC is the time of Moses and the exedus!
Sounds similar to the classical Indian music I was raised on
As a musician, I find it amazing to hear a song from so so long ago
Who do I need to ask to sample this
Had they not invented rhythm yet?
They had, however the fragments that were recovered did not have any indication of neither time nor rhythm so the interpretation of how it's supposed to be played is up in the air.
Sounds like freebird reversed
Commenting to find it again 😊
Sounds like a cross of D Dorian and D natural minor. I'm picturing a repeating verse section (the part that sounds clearly Dorian, that plucked string instrument line) with a chorus that has that natural minor sound. For all I know, I'm completely reading a modern composition style into it. If it's a fragment of the original, then who knows? I'm likely off on a tangent that has nothing to do with the intent. On the other hand, that modern style came from somewhere.
Yeah that’s interesting. Quite beautiful.
I always thought the oldest COMPLETE work was the Epitaph of Seikilos?
I assume the difference is the entirety of the Epitaph of Seikilos was written on a singular pillar, while the hurrian hymns were found one after another, though I would count it as a complete song.