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This is the oldest melody in existence
The Hurrian Hymn was discovered in the 1950's on a clay tablet inscribed with Cuneiform text. It’s the oldest surviving melody and is over 3400 years old.
The hymn was discovered on a clay tablet in Ugarit, now part of modern-day Syria, and is dedicated the Hurrians’ goddess of the orchards Nikkal.
The clay tablet text, which was discovered alongside around 30 other tablet fragments, specifies 9 lyre strings and the intervals between those strings – kind of like an ancient guitar tab.
But this is the only hymn that could be reconstructed – although the name of the composer is now lost.
Michael Levy plays the first written melody on a replica of an ancient lyre that he made. Visit his wonderful website for a journey into the music of the ancient world.
http://ancientlyre.com/
The image in this video is from the J. Paul Getty Museum collection, Cycladic marble harp player, circa 2500 bc.
Michael Levy's arrangement is based on the original transcription of the melody, as interpreted by Prof. Richard Dumbrill.
Here is a link to his book, "The Archeomusicology of the Ancient Near East" http://bit.ly/d3aovp Powered by Onadime.
Music © Michael Levy. Visualmyth © 2011 Patrick Burke
http://www.classicfm.com/music-news/...t-song-melody/
The hymn was discovered on a clay tablet in Ugarit, now part of modern-day Syria, and is dedicated the Hurrians’ goddess of the orchards Nikkal.
The clay tablet text, which was discovered alongside around 30 other tablet fragments, specifies 9 lyre strings and the intervals between those strings – kind of like an ancient guitar tab.
But this is the only hymn that could be reconstructed – although the name of the composer is now lost.
Michael Levy plays the first written melody on a replica of an ancient lyre that he made. Visit his wonderful website for a journey into the music of the ancient world.
http://ancientlyre.com/
The image in this video is from the J. Paul Getty Museum collection, Cycladic marble harp player, circa 2500 bc.
Michael Levy's arrangement is based on the original transcription of the melody, as interpreted by Prof. Richard Dumbrill.
Here is a link to his book, "The Archeomusicology of the Ancient Near East" http://bit.ly/d3aovp Powered by Onadime.
Music © Michael Levy. Visualmyth © 2011 Patrick Burke
http://www.classicfm.com/music-news/...t-song-melody/
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