Musical notation is a unique, versatile language which can capture the versatility and magic of nearly every instrument it is possible to play.
Whilst modern notation systems date back to 11th Century Catholic monasteries and this forms the basis of modern music score printing, the history of humankind writing down songs dates back thousands of years further.
Exactly how far back has yet to be discovered, but the first complete piece of sheet music dates back over 2500 years, to Ancient Greece.
When Man Discovered Music
Whilst it is most likely that any remains of the first-ever musician and musical instrument have long since decayed out of existence, the first known musical instruments were two flutes made over 42,000 years ago, out of bird bone and mammoth ivory.
At this point, we were a mere 35,000 years away from the first written languages, so for those intervening years music was passed along through an oral tradition of sharing ideas and copying from others. Unfortunately, this means any music before the invention of writing is lost to history.
Hymn To Nikkal
The first known form of musical notation is a stone tablet found in Ugarit, an ancient city in the north of Syria, dating back to around 1400BC.
The song itself, theHurrian Hymn to Nikkal(Goddess of Orchards), is the earliest known musical score in the history of any significant size. Another 35 hymns were found in the same cuneiform writing but theHymn to Nikkalwas the only one that survives relatively complete.
The way in which the notation system worked was that one tablet showed how to tune a Babylonian lyre, another referred to musical intervals, and the notation stone itself had both the lyrics and instruction for a singer and a nine-stringed lyre.
Interestingly, it was committed to stone at a time when Hurrian as a language was dying out, so it appears it was trying to preserve not only a divine song but a language which was precious to the hearts of people in the region, which should be kept for future generations.
Seikilos Epitaph
The oldest complete song, with lyrics and notation to be found, was inscribed on a tombstone in Turkey and dates back to some time between the 2nd Century BC and 2nd Century AD (most likely the latter).
The song, theSeikilos Epitaph, is a short composition, with most modern performances lasting around 42 seconds. However, it is complete, and surprisingly complex, with sections for both a harp and a recorder or flute-like instrument.
The notation appears above the lyrics, which talk about the briefness of life and the importance to shine and not to grieve, as well as a dedication by Seikilos to his wife (or perhaps the Muse of Music) Euterpe.
Interestingly Seikilos’ Epitaph has appeared in several other locations, most notably the computer gamesCivilisation Vand aGreekMythology Editionof Minecraft, both greatly expanding the original short melody into full-length musical tracks.
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FAQs
Hymn To Nikkal. The first known form of musical notation is a stone tablet found in Ugarit, an ancient city in the north of Syria, dating back to around 1400BC. The song itself, the Hurrian Hymn to Nikkal (Goddess of Orchards), is the earliest known musical score in the history of any significant size.
What is the oldest piece of sheet music? ›
One of the oldest known examples of music notation is a papyrus fragment of the Hellenic era play Orestes (408 BC), which contains musical notation for a choral ode. Ancient Greek notation appears to have fallen out of use around the time of the Decline of the Roman Empire.
What is the earliest written sheet music? ›
The earliest form of musical notation can be found in a cuneiform tablet that was created at Nippur, in Babylonia (today's Iraq), in about 1400 BCE. The tablet represents fragmentary instructions for performing music, that the music was composed in harmonies of thirds, and that it was written using a diatonic scale.
What was the first musical piece? ›
“Hurrian Hymn No. 6” is considered the world's earliest melody, but the oldest musical composition to have survived in its entirety is a first century A.D. Greek tune known as the “Seikilos Epitaph.” The song was found engraved on an ancient marble column used to mark a woman's gravesite in Turkey.
What is the beginning of sheet music? ›
The clef is a symbol used at the beginning of every piece of sheet music. It indicates the note value of each line on the staff. There are many clefs in music but the two most common are the treble and bass clef.
What old sheet music is valuable? ›
And while they aren't found often, sheet music examples dating to the early 1800s can also be valuable. These are usually simple sheets of handwritten music recorded on paper before the advent of mass printing.
What is the oldest playable sheet music? ›
The oldest written music is from a 4,000 year old Sumerian tablet, but recreating it is largely guesswork. Then there is the Hurrian Hymn no 6, found in Syria, which contains detailed instructions on how to play it, including tuning instructions for the instrument.
What is the very first song ever made? ›
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.
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.
What is the oldest song in the Bible? ›
"Song of Moses". In Singer, Isidore; et al. (eds.). The Jewish Encyclopedia.
The first known form of musical notation is a stone tablet found in Ugarit, an ancient city in the north of Syria, dating back to around 1400BC. The song itself, the Hurrian Hymn to Nikkal (Goddess of Orchards), is the earliest known musical score in the history of any significant size.
What is the first ever instrument? ›
The oldest musical instrument in the world (60,000 years) The oldest musical instrument in the world, a 60,000-year-old Neanderthal flute is a treasure of global significance. It was discovered in Divje babe cave near Cerkno and has been declared by experts to have been made by Neanderthals.
Who invented sheet music? ›
The modern Western music notation system developed from a basic notation system designed by an 11th century monk named Guido d'Arezzo, who developed a notation system from neumatic practices that eventually evolved into the system we use today.
What were song sheets originally? ›
These are single printed sheets, usually six by eight inches, with lyrics but no music. Song sheets were published in the U.S. in the nineteenth century and peaked in popularity in the period from 1850 to the 1870s.
What is empty sheet music called? ›
Manuscript paper (sometimes staff paper in U.S. English, or just music paper) is paper preprinted with staves ready for musical notation.
What is the oldest piece music? ›
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.
What is the earliest piece of recorded music? ›
The first-ever piece of music to be recorded was the French folk song “Au clair de la lune”, sung by Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville. He recorded it on April 9th, 1860, using his invention, the Phonautograph.
What is the oldest piano sheet music? ›
The "Twelve Sonate da Cimbalo di piano e forte" Op. 1 were published in Florence in 1732, and republished in Amsterdam four years later. At that time, the piano was still a new invention. The first piano had been created just 32 years' prior, in 1700.
