Seven songs from Ancient Mesopotamia

[@gamermales_original]

1. Hurrian Hymn no.6 0:00 2. Shigar Shami 3:31 3. Iltam Zumra 6:14 4. Assyrian Wisdom Song 10:14 5. Old Babylonian Lullaby 17:01 6. Poem of The Righteous Sufferer 20:28 7. Sumerian Drinking Song 26:48

[@rynneivarsson751]

Thank you.

[@ozersata4238]

You've discovered the time travel machine for music. I am grateful to you!

[@rbmusic247]

“The manner in which systems are constructed, whether consciously or not, are part of the culture of a people and must be unveiled with the utmost respect and without linkage to theories of later cultures as this would lead to colonialist unification.” -Richard Dumbrill. Everyone please understand how heroic and important this research is. Beautiful music too!

[@susannaseltzer7558]

What a phenomenal achievement! Thank you so much, Professor Dumfries, for your long labors that have brought to life these ancient expressions of the human experience. Deep Gratitude🙏💖

[@arxsyn]

Indeed l really appreciate the endeavour. There is a beautiful meandering, lilting quality to these melodies

[@moriorinvictus9054]

I feel as though I am able to taste a glimpse of the distant past. Thank you to everyone involved in this undertaking. Truly captivating.

[@ShadyRonin]

Thank you Professor Dumbrill. I’m in awe of your work, and the music!

[@arxsyn]

Wonderful work Mr Dumbrill! My favourite song by far was the drinking song that Sevan sung with character and mirth. I liked her chuckles and little hiccups. She has a beautiful lyrical instrument. As for the poor man's lamentations, please find an alto to sing it. I am a Contralto myself and l have observed that many of us with our darker, earthy instruments have a demonstrably haunting, mournful, melancholic quality.

[@francisadams-u9l]

I will be listening to this again.

[@JasonLankinoBandara]

Thank you for this treasure.

[@christopher4098586]

Sounds beautiful, cheers for your hardwork, professor.

[@CaesiusX]

Thank you for this! It is more than simply stepping back into history. It is stepping back and taking time to pause. To pause and _listen._ 🏺⚱️🪔 Your work has achieved so much and is appreciated by so many. Again, thank you! I'm so embarrassed. I read the last line of the poem (22:43) and took it as somewhat of a euphemism. 🤦🏼‍♂️ _The diviner with his inspection did not get to the bottom of it._ _Nor did the dream priest with his incense clear up my case._ Thinking, initially, the last few words meant _…way up inside her "case."_ 🤭 I understood the mistake I made almost immediately.🙇🏼‍♂️

[@richarddumbrill]

It is not a mistake on my side, this is a mistake in the original text

[@srinivasashree0000]

ಆಹಾ ಕೇಳಲು ತುಂಬಾ ಸುಮಧುರವಾಗಿದೆ ❤️

[@gamermales_original]

Greetings from South East Asia, i like the song and your interpretations of them also Ms. Sevan's voice suits the song very much

[@sanadasanada2643]

You welcome from Iraq

[@gamermales_original]

@@sanadasanada2643 Thank you brother

[@davidlewis5798]

Great story from BBC Sounds Witness History today, Richard. Can we follow a translation of the lyrics as she sings, please?

[@torinion]

Thank you , Professor!

[@fronkykoko]

Beautiful

[@lucehleblanc]

Way too many people slow these songs so much to make them sound ancient and mystical and it ruins that traditional babylonian structure. Thank you for preserving not only the words which are supposed to be the focus, but also the tempo as you so see it

[@rhettclark2877]

This is excellent!

[@alecaleblues]

It would be nice to known the frequency used in that period .

[@adamthaeer217]

The first song moms and grandmothers in Iraq still sing it to the baby to sleep till now

[@francisadams-u9l]

Do they sing in Aramaic or in an ancient language?

[@adamthaeer217]

@ So it’s in Arabic with a lot of words we don’t understand it It’s tradition in middle and southern part of Iraq which is more Sumerian language influenced the Mesopotamian Arabic (Iraqi accent) So it’s not Aramaic kzbin.info/www/bejne/hoWXfpWVbpWcq5ofeature=shared This is the song ☝🏼 and I still remember my mom or grandma sing it to my infant siblings

[@gabrielrabanal9763]

What transliteration was used for the first performance (Hurrian H6)? I can't find the chorus "ulali uli ulali ula" in the most common transliterations

[@richarddumbrill]

It was based on Babylonian a vowel ululation. See CAD

[@HalcoNJorge13]

Pls, in wich music scale, mesopotamic played their songs?

[@SunStarSounds]

Pentatonic mostly

[@TheCheese06z]

The drinking song is SO fun but the sound of it is so. Familiar. Like bone deep. 😂

[@wesamal_iraqi1100]

Wow this really similar to Assyrians songs

[@AyubuKK]

Awesome

[@IreneIppolito-t9o]

But how do you know how the songs sounded from the lyrics? Do the tablets contain music notations that indicate the melody? How do you know the scale and how the instruments were tuned?

[@richarddumbrill]

THe tablets include a special notation for the melody also indicated rhythm in addition to the lyrics. We know the notation from Old Babylonian tablets which I have tranlated in the past.

[@bidalaska3457]

This Old Babylonian Lullaby sounds like Lord of Ring….

[@AsifUsei]

🔥🔥🔥

[@lizardbrain4836]

I'm sorry but how is it possible that a song from ancient Mesopotamia is written in 12-tone equal temperament? These songs are melodically written with a b2 harmonic minor scale which only exists within the confines of 12-TET which was invented in germany during the 17th century... I understand the melody is a recreation because only the lyrics have been saved from the erosion of time but I can not understand how you chose this tuning system for your recreation even though you state that you based it on the melodic and rhythmic structure of old Mesopotamian music. That's not to say that this is not an amazing achievement, but I would love to hear your reasoning is all. Have a good day!

[@gabrielevion7055]

you are wrong, do your research. no music system was ever invented anywhere it always was and always will be.

[@rbmusic247]

If you read his research you will answer your own question.

[@stephaniechochotte434]

~One of the earliest discussions of equal temperament occurs in the 4th century BCE in the writing of Aristoxenus, a pupil of Aristotle. Aristotle was heavily influenced by Pythagoras who had developed a 12 tone scale based on a 3:2 ratio or a “pure” perfect fifth, but was not an equal temperament scale. ~Vincenzo Galilei (father of Galileo Galilei) was one of the first practical advocates of twelve-tone equal temperament. He composed a set of dance suites on each of the 12 notes of the chromatic scale in all the "transposition keys", and published in 1584 "Fronimo Dialogo” an instructional book on playing, composing and intabulating vocal music for the lute. He used the 18:17 ratio for fretting the lute (although some adjustment was necessary for pure octaves). ~In China, dating from the 5th century BCE, a complete set of bronze chime bells, among many musical instruments found in the tomb of the Marquis Yi of Zeng (early Warring States, c. 5th century BCE in the Chinese Bronze Age), covers five full 7-note octaves in the key of C Major, including 12 note semi-tones in the middle of the range. ~While China had previously come up with approximations for 12-TET, Zhu Zaiyu was the first person to mathematically solve twelve-tone equal temperament, which he described in his Fusion of Music and Calendar (律暦融通) in 1580 and Complete Compendium of Music and Pitch (Yuelü quan shu 樂律全書) in 1584.

[@richarddumbrill]

You should listen more carefully. It is all Zalzalian and nothing to do with equal temp.

[@richarddumbrill]

It is not in 12 tone equal temperament. You should listen a more carefully.

[@TheKsk1997]

This song probably was rhythmed with drums and tambourines

[@TheKsk1997]

The baby lullabye song is the best !

[@recepuslumusichistory]

It can be criticized that it was interpreted as if a church choir was singing.

[@xriptery1291]

Ancient playlists must’ve been like:

[@ξενοφωνψαλτιδης]

Πολύ καλά τραγούδια,αν και δεν μου αρέσουν τα αργά τραγούδια.Ποια γλώσσα ειναι;Ευχαριστώ για την ωραία μουσική.

[@barbamew444]

Is that me in the first one

[@clotslurp]

Wdym?

[@BetrayingLight]

Did she say "inshallah" at 0:56??

[@richarddumbrill]

No she says Ish ala

[@BetrayingLight]

@@richarddumbrill Oh, okay. Thanks.

[@KB4QAA]

@@BetrayingLight And you thought "Louie, Louie" was the first song to be misheard! :)

[@sasquatchdonut2674]

6:15- this is Iltam Zumta rashubti ilatim in its original form. You’re welcome memers

[@admin8784]

Is there any lyrics to all these songs?

[@richarddumbrill]

Of course, can you not hear the lyrics?

[@stephaniechochotte434]

@@richarddumbrill A translation into English would be very nice for those who might be interested in understanding the meaning of the songs.

[@harveymogarawanderingfilip5318]

I wonder what if Sumerians and Babylonians still exist today with an independent country?

[@miguelalvarado1464]

where would such independent country be located?

[@harveymogarawanderingfilip5318]

@@miguelalvarado1464 Around Iraq and Kuwait probably?

[@ilonabarhy8646]

@@harveymogarawanderingfilip5318 they would be based in Iraq, East-Syria, north-Turkey and West-Iran.

[@thehittite6536]

they still exist yes (the kurds who are divided in four contries) but they still don't have an independant country unfortunatly..

[@cleitondecarvalho431]

the woman singing might be absurdly beautiful.

[@richarddumbrill]

She is

[@ceciliaanabelcantoralroque9299]

💕⚘💕

[@sanadasanada2643]

How they know it the song it's so old?

[@richarddumbrill]

Because they were written down on clay tablets that we can date with accuracy

[@julianokhoshaba1]

tell me lies tell me sweet little lies tell me lies tell me tell me lies ! era goo hoothayeh w'koola tookhmeheh dooglaneh !

[@HellHell-fk8if]

🙏🌍

[@Chronomancer3791]

These songs sound very nice indeed, but unfortunately they're only interpretations. Nobody knows what the Mesopotamian songs sound like, Sumerian, Akkadian, Chaldean, Assyrian, it really doesn't matter, the true sounds of these songs are lost in time in the deserts of Iraq forever.

[@richarddumbrill]

We know what their scales sounded from a series of texts dating from 4000 to 1000 BC and we can estimate that modern maqam came from Ancient Iraq. This is how reconstructions are possible. Although I cannot say that my reconstructions are exact, they would have not been sounded much different to what they composed 4000 years ago

[@richarddumbrill]

We know a bit more than you think...

[@Bereket9]

We as a civilization live with and perpetuate amnesia. We like so many other civilizations produce dominant belief systems and propagate our interpretation of the previous ages. Islam will not tolerate any expression of existence before itself. Dying for a headscarf ? Zahi Hawass, Head of the Egyptian antiquities, maintains Ancient Nubia ( Nubian Ostrich egg depicting three pyramids) a far older civilization was subject to the Egyptian Pharaonic civilization. He also claims the Pyramids were built by the Pharaohs when evidence all around the world, including a pyramid in Bosnia, which is bigger than the Great Pyramid of Gaza, confirms a civilization in existence 10000 years BC. The Arab diaspora and Islam appears to claim, deny and destroy to the extent that it appears invisible. More amnesia. So the music was interesting.

[@rickallanolsen]

Music back then really sucked.