The Denver Jewish news. [volume] (Denver, Colo.) 1915-1925, 1920-03-31
Egypt and the Music of
BY JEFFREY PULvER.

or or Joseph WIN the nur1poulc SAoAAeS
Of tile Temple, we may with complete
justification wonder where all this per-
lection in the art and science of music
was acquired. Between the pasturages
of Jacob and the dominions of Solo
mon there lay but one land capable OF
teaching Israel the art for which Jews
have SO long been famous. Egypt, the
land to which Western civilization
owes so much, was the only source
or, at least, the chief source-for the
luusic of the Hebrews. l do not write
this with the object of rObbing the
Israelites of all their musical initia-
tive; my intention is only to show that
they were amazingly good pupils in
the Egyptian school. Before the en-
try of Jacob and his family into Egypt,
they possessed the poetry Of pastorals
combined with the music OF pastorais
Their mode of living would have pre-
vented them from attaining to the
technical excellence of the Egyptians
with their cities, museums, and skilled
craftsmen. They had in the highest
degree the idealism and the Unborn tai
cnt necessary to the making OF good
musicians but they lacked the science.
Settling at Heliopolis (On) in Goshen,
they were accorded u hearty welcome
at the hands of the Hyksos-Shepherd
Kings, who must have possessed hab-
its and tastes very like those of their
Semitic guests. The surroundings III
which the Israelites found themselves
we're eminently suited to the acquire
Inent of whatever arts their instincts
directed them to; that part of the
country was occupied by u mixed pop
ulation and the Hebrews had the OPP
portunity of developing their latent
talents unhindered. And there it was
that the mathematically-m ply
sicists of Egypt taught them the art
of improving the Kinnor and ugav (of
Gen. iv., 21) to the standard of ar
tistic excellence easily provable from
the monuments and from tangible re-
mains.
While seeking proofs for these state
ments we must be careful to keep three
points in mind The first is that the
lsraelites sojourned long enough in
Egypt to have become thoroly Egyp-
TANNED in all but religion-and even
-in the latter sufficient evidence is to
he found in the Book of Exodus to
show that there also they were, i'll
some degree, influenced by Egyptian
thought. The second is that the phil
osophy of the Egyptians and that OF
Israel differed only very slightly, and
people whose ideals agree can easily
learn from one another. The third
is that the Hebrews We're not, during
the whole of their stay on the banks
of the Nile, subjected to the rigours OF
slavery, and that for long period
anterior to the accession of the Phar-
aoh who knew not Joseph the Israel
ties enjoyed an era of peace, pros
perity, and development. Four cen
turtles of such conditions, ! think,
would he quite sufficient to render
the music Of Israel and that Of Egypt
Identical.
The land of the Pharaohs, ut the
time of Israers arrival, was on very
high artistic plane. Science flourish
ed, and the instruments of music, as
we see from mural paintings and in
scriptions on the tombs, had been
brought to an amazingly high state oil
excellence; SO high, indeed, that they
were hardly surpassed in many ma
ton, of more recent development.
From the earliest periods of their
known history, the Egyptians used
musical Instruments. The native him.
self was easy-going, simple. and fonh
of innocent amusement; lie held 1t part
of his religion and all of his phil
osophy to enjoy his earthly existence
as thoroly as he could lie cultivated Il
love for the Beautiful in form and
sound. Is it possible that such peo-
PIE as the Israelites could have been
themselves were drawn so irresistibly
l,v their own Unborn genius? Nor were
\, they ignorant of what school awaited
= them: Joseph was not the first Semitic
TO visit the Nile; from the time of
Abraham onward wanderers often
came and went and the existence OF
such civilizu ton could not have been
' unknown to them.
The invasion of the HyksOs was no
great blow to Egyptian plusress. Their
advent did not upset the order Of
things built up by many Dynasties of
pure Egyptian kings. Manetho says
there was not even pitched battle,
and the onward march Of development