The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1880-07-10

engaged IN his researches among the sup |
posed ruins Of Babylon, found a pipe Of
baked clay about three inches long, which,
by common agreement Of antiquaries, is OF
Assyrian workmanship. This little object
can hardly be less than 2600 years old,
and is probably the most ancient musical
instrument in existence. Ii has two fin
gerholes, and when both Of these are
closed and the mouth-pieee is blown into
the note G is produced If only one hole
is closed the sound emitted is Il, and If
both are open G is produced. Thus the
notes OF this instrument produces the ton
ic, the third and the ffth--that is, the in
tervals Of thu common chord, the notes
which, sounded together, form what is
termed BY musicians the harmonic triad.
Here is at once established certain
coincidence between our music and that
which must have existed during the Ba-
bylonian captivity coincidence which
to be sure priori reasoning might 90 far
to establish, but never so conyincingly to
non-seientifc understandings as does the
evidence of this insignificant pipe The
least obseryant student Of the art-remains
found among the ruined cities of the As
syrian and Babylonian plains cannot fail
to be struck with the evidence which they
afford Of a strong and widely diiTused mu-
sical culture among the kindred races who
inhabited them. The frequent introduc-
ton in mural paintings and bas-reiefs Of
instruments Of music, the representations
Of concerts and long professions of musi-
clans, the repeated illusions in the Bible
to the musical habits and skill Of the peo-
pie Of Babylon, all point to a singular de-
yelopment of the art Of music. In the
opinion of Rawlinson, the Assyrians were
superior in musical skill, as they we're in
every form Of culture, to the Egyptians
themselves, and the Assyrio- Babylonian
music was, there is little reason to doubt
au early and yet highly developed form
of the Asiatic type Of musie-a type which
possesses to this day most extensive and
most Characteristic developments among
the slow-changing nations Of Asia. If W.
are asked for more positive proofs Of th,
advance Of music among this nation, W,
point to the unmistakable evidence afford
ed by the eonstrucliOnal complication o
many Of their instruments. We hav,
/ from among the ruins Of Nineveh count
less representations Of the harp, will
strings varying in number from ten t,
twenty-sixi of the Tyre, identical in struc
ture, though not in shape, with the Tyr
of Greece; and Of an instrument diiferin
from any known to modern musicians. |
was harp-shaped, was held horizontally
aud the strings, six to ten 10 number, wer
struck by a piectrum held in the righ
hand; it has been called the asor, from il
resemblance to the Hebrew instrument Q
that name. We find frequent representa-
tions Of guitar-shaped instrument, an
Of double pipe with single mouth .piec'
aud fnger-holes on each pipe Beside
these, the Assyrians had musical bell
trumpets, flutes, drums, cymbals aud tau
bourines. Almost every one Of these il
struments, either in its original form {
slightly modified, is in use to this day )
some one Asiatic or African nation. III
ancient Greeks adopted the Tyre and II
double pipe; the former is still used by ii
Abyssinians under the maine of kiss,
Greek, kithara.) The double pipe Il
present writer has himself seen ia use |
? the boatmen Of the Nile. The guitar
the Abyssinians is probably identic
r with the long-uecked guitar or tamboul
depicted on both Assyrian and Egyptia
; monuments, and still in use all over ii
| Fast, aud even in Hindostan. The al
cient Assyrian harp is remarkable for n,
, having the "front pillar which complet
) the triangle in the European harp, at
this apparent defect Of construction
characteristic of every sort of harp emplo
, ed in Asia at this day. On Assyrian ba
reliefs we find representations of concert
, in which several Of these instruments n
taking part. In one, for instance, We 81
seven harps, two double pipes, a drnr
: aud the aforementioned asor.-Ne
r Quarterly Magazine.