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Jun 28, 2024 · In this post, we’re going to take a look at 19 of the oldest instruments in the world, with histories dating back to ancient civilizations and cultures. These instruments offer a glimpse into the rich musical traditions of the past and the enduring power of music to bring people together. Let’s get started.
- Geisenklösterle Flutes. Age: 42,000 – 43,000 years old. Country of Origin: Geisenklösterle Cave, Blaubeuren, Germany. Material(s) Used: Mute Swan bone and Mammoth Ivory.
- Divje Babe Flute. Age: 43,100 years old. Country of Origin: Cerkno, Slovenia. Material(s) Used: Cave Bear Femur. photo source: Wikimedia Commons. Prior to the discovery of older bone flutes, the Divje Babe Flute was considered the oldest example of a musical instrument ever found in the world.
- Hohle Fels Flute. Age: 35,000 – 40,000 years old. Country of Origin: Hohle Fels Cave, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Material(s) Used: Griffon Vulture Bone. photo source: Wikimedia Commons.
- Isturitz Flutes. Age: 20,000 – 35,000 years old. Country of Origin: Isturitz Cave, France. Material(s) Used: Vulture Wing Bones. photo source: Flutopedia. The flutes found at the Isturitz archaeological site in southwestern France range in age from about 20,000 to 35,000 years old.
- Mesopotamian lyre. This imposing silver lyre was played in Mesopotamia (modern-day southern Iraq) over 4,000 years ago. Music was an important aspect of many celebratory and ritual occasions in ancient Mesopotamia.
- Medieval citole. This richly decorated instrument, dripping with carved foliage, has an interesting story. It was originally made between 1280 and 1330 as a citole, a medieval guitar-like instrument, usually with four strings.
- Ancient Egyptian harp. Harps like this highly decorated example were played at ancient Egyptian banquets – they're often shown in scenes covering the walls of tombs.
- Arabian lute. This Arabian lute (oud in Arabic) was made by the famous Iraqi luthier Fawzi Monshid of Basra in 1981. The cedar wood soundboard has decorative details in ebony, rosewood and bone and the belly is made of strips of north Indian rosewood.
May 25, 2012 · Researchers have identified what they say are the oldest-known musical instruments in the world. The flutes, made from bird bone and mammoth ivory, come from a cave in southern Germany which...
- Mary Bellis
- Accordion. An accordion is an instrument that uses reeds and air to create sound. Reeds are thin strips of material that air passes over to vibrate, which in turn creates a sound.
- Conductor's Baton. In the 1820s, Louis Spohr introduced the conductor's baton. A baton, which is the French word for "stick," is used by conductors primarily to enlarge and enhance the manual and bodily movements associated with directing an ensemble of musicians.
- Bell. Bells may be categorized as idiophones, or instruments sounding by the vibration of resonant solid material, and more broadly as percussion instruments.
- Clarinet. The clarinet's predecessor was the chalumeau, the first true single reed instrument. Johann Christoph Denner, a famous German woodwind instrument maker of the Baroque era, is credited as the inventor of the clarinet.
The first aulos musical instruments are carved from bone. 2700 BCE - 2300 BCE. The first depiction in art of the aulos musical instrument appears in Cycladic sculpture. 2000 BCE. The first examples of the lyre in the Bronze Age Aegean occur in the Cyclades and on Minoan Crete. 1500 BCE - 1450 BCE.
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These are truly ancient musical instruments. Most instruments on this list are over 3000 years old and many are much older. I’ll show you some of the artifacts and their history, and at the very end of this list, I will show you a special instrument.
