Musical INSTRUMENTS of the ANCIENT Age

History and the past are important factors for our present time, since no matter how old something is, It is through this and its evolution that we are able to understand the origin and reason for being of many things today in day. In musical instruments we achieve observe the evolution and improvements in sophistication or purpose and this can be very interesting. In this lesson from a TEACHER we will talk about musical instruments of the Old Age to know these tools whose principles have managed to remain despite thousands of years.

Index

1. The Ancient Age and its music
2. Instruments of Ancient Greece and Rome
3. Instruments of Ancient Egypt
4. Instruments of Ancient China

When we speak of the Ancient Age we are referring to one of the music stageswhat goes from millennium IV a. C. to the year 476 d. C., moment in history where the first writings were already given, that is, after the prehistory when the first civilizations in the history of mankind emerge and acquire a method of leaving their way of life embodied.

Despite the fact that hundreds of civilizations were formed in the Ancient Age, the predominant ones in contribution to development and cultural wealth were the Ancient Egypt, Ancient China, Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. Other notable civilizations were the civilizations in Mesopotamia (Sumer, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, etc.) and India.

Depending on the civilization, music would have its variants in reasons of being, but we can include that music was a companion element of important events, religious, ceremonial or entertaining (as is the case with the gladiators in Rome). It was also used as a method of praise or communication with the gods and, in the case of some instruments, they were used during battles to make calls or raise the spirits of the soldiers.

In the case of ancient greek instruments It is known that they shared very similar instruments with Rome, with the same principle and appearance but with different names, and Greece produced many instruments that were later adopted by the Romans.

Aulos (Greece) and Tibia (Rome)

It can be categorized as a double oboe. It was a wind instrument with a double reed and two cylinders with 3 to 6 holes. Sometimes this instrument was related to the cult of pleasures and fertility.

Lira

It is a kind of harp, built with several strings that are struck with both hands. It has a very similar shape to the abacus, due to its representation of the god of commerce "Hermes". It was also a symbol of culture, music, science, and religion. Other similar instruments are the barbiton or phormix.

Chelys, Zither, Kithara

They are plucked string instruments, variants of the Lyre with a soundboard. Depending on the instrument, some strings can be pressed against a neck to change notes, just like the guitar we know today since in fact, the word "guitar" has its origin in the word "zither".

Pan flute

The pan flute a wind instrument and are made up of several small tubes made of reed. These hollow tubes come in different lengths and are lined up to blow from above. Its name comes from the Greek god "Pan", the faun in Roman mythology.

Tambourine

It is a percussion instrument that has a frame to support a taut layer of skin, generally of animal origin. The tambourine is held with one hand and played with the other, tapping with the fingers and palm.

Hydraulic organ (hydraulis)

It's one of the first organs in history and the first keyboard. It has a sophisticated system of cavities that contain water to maintain air pressure (hence its name "hydraulis"), which was produced with bellows. It was used for theaters and shows like the gladiatorial events in Rome.

We continue to know the instruments of the Ancient Age to speak, now, of the instruments of Egypt that were created in Antiquity.

Straight Flute

It was a vertical reed flute with 4, 5 or 6 holes, without a mouthpiece and with a length of approximately one meter. The straight flute is the principle of oriental flutes that subsist today as the “Nay”.

Double shawm

Like the Greek aulos and the Roman tibia, the double shawm had two parallel tubes. These had a reed reed and both tubes sounded in unison.

Harp

Instruments that work with the harp principle have been found dating from 2000 BC. C. They had 6 to 8 ropes and rested on the ground. According to the representations found, it was used as a companion instrument for singers and flutists.

Sistro

It is a kind of rattle, a horseshoe-shaped percussion instrument with metal cymbals supported by rods that cause sound when shaken. It was used frequently during religious festivals, a custom later adopted by the Romans.

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We conclude this lesson by reviewing the chinese musical instruments emphasizing those that were created in the Old Age. They are as follows:

Xiao

It is a vertical flute made of bamboo that has 6 holes. It is also characterized by having a "V" shaped nozzle. If the sound is soft and sweet, used in lyrical works.

Sheng

Since it is made from several bamboo tubes of varying lengths arranged in a circle, the Sheng is referred to as a mouth organ. All the reeds receive the wind through the same nozzle. It usually has 17 tubes but varies from 13 to 36.

Gu

It is the Chinese word for drum. They varied in shape and size and were used primarily during warfare. It has leather patches on both ends.

Luó

Better known as a "gong", a high resonance metal plate that is suspended. It is struck in the center to cause an expansive effect towards the extremes. They come in various sizes, both small and very large.

Now that you have learned more about the musical instruments of the Old Age, you will notice how interesting it is to own instruments that even today after thousands of years retain certain characteristics of the objects of civilizations ancient.

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