[painting of ancient musicians, narrator speaking] Although we cannot date it’s beginnings, evidence of music as much as 4,000 years old has been found in Mesopotamia. [picture of old sculptures] Many remnants of ancient instruments have been unearthed, but we know almost nothing about the music played on the because so little written music has been found from early civilization.

The ancient Egyptians probably learned something about music from the Mesopotamians. Music was a feature of Egyptian daily life as well as of it’s festivals, processions, and dramatic presentations.

[painting of King David] The ancient Hebrews also considered music important. The old testament describes David as a composer, performer, and inventor of musical instruments. [another painting of King David] David was able to sooth King Saul by singing songs, accompanied by his lyre. [painting of guy playing shofar] Although the shofar, a kind of ram’s horn, was the only instrument allowed in the synagogue, portions of the Bible were chanted by trained singers during Hebrew religious services, sometimes with florid improvisations.

[picture of choir singing] Psalms were often sung in one of music’s oldest musical forms we know, call and response, in which a phrase sang by a leader is repeated by the group, either exactly or with some variation. Call and response is still widely used in folk, popular, and religious songs today.