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For those interested in the history of music, composition and early musical instruments -- here is a VIDEO presentation on Mesopotamian music -- with SINGING!
Presentation of CAENO 2008 conference paper Theo J.H. Krispijn Sumerian Cultic Songs and Music Video of presentation Many Sumerian texts written in cuneiform script from Mesopotamia belong to the genre of cultic songs. The oldest examples are from ± 2500 B.C. These texts often refer to singing, musical practice and musical instruments. In my paper I shall give a survey of different sorts of cultic songs and their spread over the different periods of Sumerian literature. I shall pay special attention to the musicians, musical instruments, and musical terminology mentioned in these texts. As an illustration of musical practice, I will show pictures of the excavated instruments used in the cult, along with examples of Mesopotamian art that feature instrumentalists and singers. At the end of my paper I shall perform the only complete piece of early music that survived the ages, the prayer of an infertile woman from the city of Ugarit (± 1150 B.C.). I shall sing the prayer, accompanying myself on a replica lyre. ---Powerpoint:TEXT Adobe Format ---Powerpoint:SLIDES Adobe Format
