The Music of the Sumerians and their immediate successors, the Babylonians and Assyrians

Thirty-six different forms of ancient instruments are described here and illustrated from contemporary representations and extant examples, the place that music occupied in temple ritual and civil life is discussed, and the musical scale in use is examined.

For the first time a staff translation of the cuneiform notation is presented, the example being a harp accompaniment to a Sumerian hymn of about 2000 B.C.

Out of his wide knowledge of the ancient distribution of musical instruments, Dr. Galpin suggests points of contact with other cultures that may help to elucidate the origin of the Sumerians and their place in the history of art.