Womans Work in Music | Page 3

and, being fond of singing, he admitted them to his
train of musicians. In their midst were nine young maidens, skilled in
music and various sciences, evidently the prototype of the Grecian
Muses. Horus, the son of Osiris (equivalent to the Greek Apollo) was
considered the god of Harmony.
An important mythical character was Maneros, son of the earliest
Egyptian king. He seems to hold the same position as Linus, son of
Apollo, among the Greeks. The first song of Egyptian music was a
dirge for his untimely end, and a lament for the swift passing away of
youth, spring, joy, and so on. Gradually the song itself, instead of the
king's son, began to be called Maneros, and became the well-known
banquet song of the social feasts, calling upon the guests to enjoy life
while they might. In time the song became a symbol of gaiety and
merriment instead of grief.
In most of the ancient civilizations, the songs appear to have been
accompanied by clapping of hands, to mark the rhythm. There were
many actual dances, also, in ancient Egypt, as is fully proven by a
number of the old paintings. Some were like our jigs, break-downs, or
clog-dances, while others consisted of regular figures, such as forward
and back, swing, and so on, the latter kind being restricted to the lower
orders. In all of these, women must have taken a large part, and
doubtless they were responsible for some of the music. They were not
allowed to play the flute, but could indulge in the tabor and other
instruments. Some of the scenes depicted closely resemble the modern
stage, and it is more than probable that, when the audiences of to-day
applaud our own ballet scenes, they are enjoying themselves in the old
Egyptian manner.
There can be no doubt that woman played an important part in music,
possibly even in composition, in many civilizations which apparently
allowed her only a restricted field of action. The Empress of Germany
recently defined woman's sphere as consisting of four
subjects,--children, clothes, cooking, and church; yet the German
women have far more influence than this official utterance would
indicate. It is not surprising, then, to find in the folios of Lepsius a

reproduction of something analogous to our conservatories of music. It
represents a course of musical instruction in the school of singers and
players of King Amenhotep IV., of the eighteenth dynasty. There are
several large and small rooms, connected with each other, and
containing furniture and musical instruments. In some are the
musicians practising and teaching. One teacher sits listening to the
singing of a young girl, while another pupil is playing the
accompaniment on a harp. Still another girl stands attentively listening
to the teacher's instructions, as in a modern class. In another place are
two girls practising a dance with harp music. In one room is a young
lady having her hair dressed, while in another a young girl has placed
aside her harp and is sitting down to lunch with a companion. All this
goes to show that different civilizations often resemble one another
more than would appear at first sight, and very probably woman's part
in ancient Egyptian music was much like that which she plays in our
own to-day.
The earliest Hebrew music was undoubtedly modelled after that of
Egypt. In later Biblical times, however, there were many national
instruments, and the style of the music must have been characteristic.
The Old Testament, even in its earlier books, contains many examples
of the songs of the people. Their ancient folk-music showed three
principal styles,--the joyous bridal song, the cheerful harvest or vintage
song, and the wailing funeral song; and there are many examples of
each in the Scriptures. As there was no definite notation among the
ancient Hebrews, the actual tunes that were sung with these songs will
never be known. But it may be possible that the melodies have been
preserved by rote, for it is certain that these three schools of singing
exist to-day in Arabia and Syria. Whole villages are known to unite in a
seven-day festival of rejoicing, not unlike the one at the wedding of
Samson, as described in the fourteenth chapter of Judges.
The Song of Solomon presents an entire set of bridal songs in the
popular vein. A good example of the mourning song is found in the
opening chapter of the second book of Samuel, where David laments
the death of Saul and Jonathan. It is somewhat exceptional because of
its being rendered by a man, for in Eastern countries the professional

mourners were always women, hired for the occasion. The men might
join in the chorus of woe if they wished, but the main part of the song
was always given by the women, who