West-Jersey pioneer., 1876-08-24
ANCIENT MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Some years ago, Capt Wilcox, when
engaged in his researches among the sup
posed ruins of Babylon, found pipe of
baked clay about three inches long, which
by common agreement of antiquities, is of
Assyrian workmanship. This little object
can hardly be less than 1900 years old, and
is probably the most ancient musical instru-
ment in existence. 1t has two finger holes,
and when both of these are closed, and the
mouth piece is blown into, the note G is
produced. If only one hole is closed, the
sound emitted is E, and if both are open,
G is produced. Thus the notes of this in
strument, which is believed to be the very
Oldest yet discovered, produces the tonic,
the third. and the fifth-that is, the inter-
walls of the common chord, the notes which,
sounded together, form what is termed by
musicians, the harmonic triad. Here is at
once established certain coincidence be.
tween our music and that which must have
existed during the Babylonian captivity
coincidence which, to be sure, priori rea-
soning might go far to establish, but never
SO convincingly to non scientific understand
ings as does the evidence of this insignifi-
cant pipe. The least observant student of
the art remains found among the ruined
cities of the Assyrian and Babylonian
plains cannot fail to be struck with the evil
dence which they afford of strong and
widely diffused musical culture among the
kindred races who inhabited them. The
frequent introduction in mural paintings
and bas relefs of instruments of music, the
representations of concerts and long pro
cessions of musicians, the repeated allu.
sions in the Bible to the musical habits and
skill of the people of Babylon, all point to
a singular development Of the art of music
In the opinion of Rawlinson, the Assyrians
were superior in musical skill, as they were
in every form of culture, to the Egyptians
themselves, aud the Assyrio Babylonian
music was, there is little reason to doubt,
an early and yet highly developed form of
the Asiatic type of music-a type which
possesses to this day most extensive and
most characteristic developments among
the slow changing nations Of Asia. If we
| are asked for more positive proofs of the
| advance of music among this nation, we
point to the unmistakable evidence afforded
by the constructional complication of many
| of their instruments. We have from the
ruins of Ninevah, countless representations
of the harp, with strings varying in num-
Der from ten to twenty six; of the Tyre,
identical in structure, though not in shape,
with the Tyre of Greece; and of an instru-
ment differing from any known to modern
musicians. 1t was harp shaped, was held
horizontally, and the strings, six to ten in
number, were struck by plectrums held in
the right hand; it has been called the asor,
from its resemblance to the Hebrew instru.
ment of that name. We find frequent rep
resentations of guitar shaped instrument,
and of double pipe with single mouth
piece, and finger holes on each pipe. Be
sides these, the Assyrians had musical bells,
trumpets, flutes, drums, cymbals and tam
bourines. Almost every one of these in.
struments, either in it's original form OF
slightly modified, is in use to this day by
some one Asiatic or African nation. The
ancient Greeks adopted the Tyre and the
double pipe; the former is still used by the
Abyssinians under the name of kissar,
! Greek, kithara.) The double pipe, the
present writer has himself seen in use by
the boatmen of the Nile. The guitar ol
the Abyssinians is probably identical with
the long necked guitar or tamboura depict
ed on both Assyrian and Egyptian monu
ments, and still in use all over the East
and even in Hindustan. The ancient As
syrian harp is remarkable for not having
the 'front pillar which completes the tri
angle in the European harp, and this appar
ent defect of construction is characteristic
4 of every sort of harp employed in Asia a
9 this day. On Assyrian bas relefs we fine
representations of concerts, in which severa
4 of these instruments are taking part. Ii
one, for instance, we see seven harps, twt
double pipes, drum, and the above men
toned sor.-New Quarterly Magazine.