Topic > Egyptian Dances, Instrumentation, and Music

As the centuries passed, Egyptians trained in the art so they could be employed by temples or priestesses. In the beginning it all started with the women of the lower classes. During the execution, women danced while men played instruments to please the ruler. Only the lower class performed in public, while the upper class sat and watched. Instrumentation, music and dance were used for entertainment, religious devotion, to reveal human sexuality, for earthly pleasures and ceremonies. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayWhen music was first introduced to the Egyptians, they believed that the instrumentation brought the goddess Hathor; the goddess of music. Besides Hathor, many other Gods were seen on temple walls with instruments such as the drum or the menit. Egyptian instrumentation ranged from strings, to trombones, to lutes, to percussionists. Other instruments used are lyres and harps (Reshafim). The menit was a percussion instrument used by the goddess Hathor. As Hathor walked from door to door, she shook the menit within the homes of different families because she believed it brought good health and peace to the families. The next most popular instrument was the Sistrum; which means to vibrate. The Sistrum was a Y-shaped instrument that was mostly known to be made of wood, but metal and ceramic were also sometimes used. This was another tool used by Hathor. This instrument represented the love someone had for Hathor (7 original instruments that originated in ancient Egypt). In Egypt, the Old Kingdom was known mostly for the presence of a male soloist and not for instrumentation, while the New Kingdom was known for its extraordinary performers who loved the detail put into all their performances (Simmance). Most of the dances performed in Egypt were intended for religious rites, festivals, ceremonies or funeral ceremonies. Another reason people danced was for entertainment. The dances were known to be dramatic, religious, funeral or war. The level of dancing was usually excessive. For example, today the dances would be similar to ballet and gymnastics which included splits, cartwheels and backbends (Lichteim). In Egypt, the Old Kingdom was known for having more formal dancers, the dances of the Middle Kingdom consisted of stomping and jumping. New Kingdom dance was more graceful and fluid (Hays). The only way a man and a woman could dance was apart. Dancing together was not known in Egypt at that time. If a woman started dancing, everyone would join her. In Egypt, today what is known as a professional dancer is known as a chebejet. Chebejets were women or girls of the royal harems. Women were selected from among the ruler's servants to perform in any sociable posy (Lichtheim). The only time a Chebejet performs alone is when the dance consisted of high flexibility skills and ample physical fitness. Most of the dancers received preliminary training before performing the number. Most exotic dancers received most of their attractions thanks to Pipi; a god who as a child performed a dance that made the Egyptians more impressed by his divine powers (Lichtheim). When the Egyptians performed a ritual ceremony, the men sang a hymn. As the anthem progressed, many different instruments joined in, from percussion to stringed instruments. The women performed a dance consisting of bending backwards or letting their hair fall over their faces. (Felgir). While the woman danced, she performed “Palmistry,” I note.