Listen to the enchanting sound of the world’s oldest song, the Hurrian Hymn (2024)

FAQs

What is the meaning of the Hurrian Hymn? ›

The “Hurrian Hymn” is the earliest known song to be recorded in writing, dating to around the 13th century BCE. The text of this hymn is concerned with the promotion of fertility. It refers to the making of offerings and libations to the moon goddess, Nikkal.

History. The complete song is one of about 36 such hymns in cuneiform writing, found on fragments of clay tablets excavated in the 1950s from the Royal Palace at Ugarit (present-day Ras Shamra, Syria), in a stratum dating from the fourteenth century BC, but is the only one surviving in substantially complete form.

The tablet, which dates back to around 1400 BCE, contained the musical composition known as the Hurrian Hymn to Nikkal (a god in Hurrian civilization), or simply, “Hurrian Hymn No. 6.” The hymn was composed in the Hurrian language, an ancient language spoken in Mesopotamia.

The Hurrian Hymn was discovered in the 1950s on a clay tablet inscribed with Cuneiform text. It's the oldest surviving melody and is over 3,400 years old.

The Seikilos epitaph is the oldest surviving complete musical composition, including musical notation, being dated between the first and second century CE.

The Hurrians (/ˈhʊəriənz/; Hurrian: 𒄷𒌨𒊑, romanized: Ḫu-ur-ri; also called Hari, Khurrites, Hourri, Churri, Hurri) were a people who inhabited the Ancient Near East during the Bronze Age.

But for the title of oldest extant song, most historians point to “Hurrian Hymn No. 6,” an ode to the goddess Nikkal that was composed in cuneiform by the ancient Hurrians sometime around the 14th century B.C.

"Song of Moses". In Singer, Isidore; et al. (eds.). The Jewish Encyclopedia.

As a pastor who also is a songwriter, I have always been intrigued by the role music plays in scripture. There are nearly 200 songs found in the Bible. The first song that appears is the Song of Moses in Exodus 15. Moses and the Israelites immediately burst into singing upon their safe journey across the Red Sea.

"Sumer is icumen in" is the incipit of a medieval English round or rota of the mid-13th century; it is also known variously as the Summer Canon and the Cuckoo Song. The line translates approximately to "Summer has come" or "Summer has arrived". The song is written in the Wessex dialect of Middle English.

What is the oldest song still played today? ›

Although interpretations of the melody may vary, modern scholars and musicians have reconstructed and performed the "Hurrian Hymn No. 6," making it one of the oldest known musical compositions still played and appreciated today.

It is generally believed that the speakers of Hurrian originally came from the Armenian mountains and spread over southeast Anatolia and northern Mesopotamia at the beginning of the 2nd millennium bce.

Sumerian cuneiform and Egyptian hieroglyphs are generally considered to be the earliest examples of true writing systems. Both gradually evolved from proto-writing between 3400 and 3100 BCE.

Expert-Verified Answer. That musical notation was used in ancient Mesopotamia is the discovery of the Hurrian Song most likely prove.

1888: 'The Lost Chord'

This is the earliest recording of music known to exist. In 1888 a recording of Arthur Sullivan's song 'The Lost Chord' was etched onto a phonograph cylinder.

Cædmon's Hymn is a short Old English poem attributed to Cædmon, a supposedly illiterate and unmusical cow-herder who was, according to the Northumbrian monk Bede (d. 735), miraculously empowered to sing in honour of God the Creator. The poem is Cædmon's only known composition.

1400BCE) - Ancient Mesopotamian Musical Fragment. The 3400 year old Hurrian Hymn (text H6) was discovered in Ugarit in Syria in the early 1950s, and was preserved for 3400 years on a clay tablet, written in the Cuniform text of the ancient Hurrian language - it is THE oldest fragment of written music yet known!

Although it was written in Ugaritic cuneiform it is actually in Hurrian rather than a West Semitic dialect such as Akkadian, Canaanite, Amorite, Aramaic, or proto-Hebrew. This is a hymn to the Great Goddess Nikkal (Nikkalu in Ugaritic) composed by a sacred scribe by the name of Hammurapi.

What is the song close your eyes at a funeral? ›

“You Can Close Your Eyes” by James Taylor (Lyrics)

Often described as a lullaby, “You Can Close Your Eyes” is soft, peaceful, and quietly uplifting. While it may not meet the true definition of a “funeral song,” it's been widely used as one since its release in 1971.

a song or ode in praise or honor of God, a deity, a nation, etc. something resembling this, as a speech, essay, or book in praise of someone or something.

"Lord of the Dance" is a hymn written by English songwriter Sydney Carter in 1963. The melody is from the American Shaker song "Simple Gifts". The hymn is widely performed in English-speaking congregations and assemblies.