Music of Egypt

Music has been integral to Egyptian culture since antiquity. Egyptian music had a substantial influence on the development of ancient Greek music and, via the Greeks, was important to early European music well into the Middle Ages.

Due to the millennia of Egypt's dominance over its neighbors, Egyptian culture, including music and musical instruments, was very influential in the surrounding regions; for instance, the instruments described in the Bible as having been played by the ancient Hebrews were all Egyptian instruments, as established by Egyptian archaeology.

Modern Egyptian music is a prime core of Middle Eastern music, owing to the huge popularity of the Egyptian cinema and music industries, owing to Egypt's political influence on neighboring countries, and owing to Egypt producing the region's most accomplished musicians and composers, especially in the 20th century.

The tonal structure of the East's music is defined by the maqamat, loosely similar to the Western modes, while rhythm in the East is governed by the iqa'at, standard rhythmic modes formed by combinations of accented and unaccented beats and rests.

History

The ancient Egyptians credited the goddess Bat and the god Ihy with the invention of music. The cult of Bat was eventually syncretised into that of Hathor because both were depicted as cows. Hathor's music was believed to have been used by Osiris as part of his effort to civilise the world. The lion-goddess Bastet was also considered a goddess of music in ancient Egypt.

Neolithic period

In prehistoric Egypt, chanting was commonly used in magic and rituals.