LISTEN TO THE SOUND OF THE OLDEST SONG IN THE WORLD, DATING BACK MORE THAN 3,400 YEARS
Just as early humans created art through cave paintings and pottery, music has also served as a universal form of expression since ancient times. Thankfully, one exceptional piece of music from approximately 1,400 BCE was saved on clay tablets more than 3,400 years ago, but we will probably never get to hear the numerous tunes that have been lost to time. The "Hurrian Hymn No. 6," which is regarded as the oldest playable hymn in the world, was found by archaeologists in the 1950s among the remnants of the ancient Syrian city of Ugarit.
The tablets are inscribed in the Hurrian language using Sumerian cuneiform script and include both the lyrics and the musical notes of the Hurrian Hymn. However, because the instructions don't specify the exact length and pitch of the notes, unlike contemporary sheet music, nobody can be certain of how the song should sound. Numerous hypotheses regarding the appropriate interpretation of the music have been developed as a result of the experts' intensive study of the tablets. One interpretation, though, appears to be the most credible.
Canadian musician Peter Pringle recreated “Hurrian Hymn No. 6” based on the interpretation of archaeomusicologist Dr. Richard J. Dumbrill. In the video below, he plays the song using a long-necked lute, which is like a cross between the Turkish baglama and the Persian setar. “I made this instrument myself as an experiment,” reveals Pringle. “It has four strings but the bass notes are a double course. It is tuned F-C-F. Lutes of this type have been played since the most ancient times throughout Mesopotamia and Anatolia.”
Additionally, Pringle sampled old pipes and incorporated their sounds into a backdrop music. He says, "The pipes you hear are reproductions of the silver pipes that were found in the 1920s in the Sumerian city of Ur, and they date back 5,000 years." I sampled the pipes and am playing them using a pedal keyboard, which is comparable to the type of pedalboard used by organists, even though they are reed instruments. This is because I am unable to play wind instruments and sing simultaneously".
“My left foot controls the lower register pipe, and my right foot the higher register.” Pringle adds, “Players of these instruments used the technique known as ‘circular breathing,’ which is still used today for wind instruments like the Armenian duduk, and the Australian didgeridoo.”
Scholars believe “Hurrian Hymn No. 6” was dedicated to Nikkal, the goddess of orchards and fertility in the ancient Near East. A compelling window into a lost world from thousands of years ago is provided by Pringle's captivating rendition of the oldest song in the world.