at a seat of learning, a college or university; an establishment, probably, of priests, for the purpose of educating the younger members of their body."*

The numerous references made in the Sacred Scriptures to music, and the variety of terms in use for musical instruments shew, that among the Hebrews this science was much cultivated. And as we trace this prevalence of music up to their exodus from Egypt, we might naturally expect to find in the contemporaneous monuments of that country, traces of its cultivation there. Accordingly, there is perhaps, no subject so frequently repeated in the sculptures and paintings as musical performances; and the variety and perfection of the instruments in use, are truly astonishing.

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The evidence of these records, on this subject also, entirely discountenances the theory of the gradual discovery of the various arts of life, and their progress to perfection. In the accompanying scene, which is from a tomb believed to be not less ancient than the pyramids, we have performers upon the harp and pipes. Exactly similar harps having been observed in others of the earliest of the tombs, it has been assumed that this is the original and most ancient harp. The supposition is by no means improbable; for, instead of the imperfect and unfinished attempt in which it has been often supposed that music originated, this is the completed instrument, the model from which all other instruments

Calmet, voce KIRJATH-SEPHER.

must necessarily be formed. It is an octachord, or instrument of eight strings; that is, of the seven tones into which all musical sounds, by an unalter

ANCIENT HARP AND PIPES.

able law of nature, must resolve themselves,—and of the octave, or repetition of the first of these tones. To these, as to elements, all music must ultimately be referred, so that every thing that is to be found in the entire compass of this sublime science, whether in ancient or modern times, has really its representative in the eight strings of which this simple but perfect harp is composed."*

The two figures above are flute or pipe-players; the one performing on the straight, the other on the oblique pipe. The person seated opposite the harper is singing in accompaniment to the music. In the original, a singer is seated before each of the fluteplayers also, but these are omitted in our engraving for lack of space.

Some time before the flood, the knowledge of stringed and wind-instruments is recorded. Jubal "was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ." The word translated "organ," has been shewn to be not the instrument called Pandean pipes, as has been assumed, but a kind of simple pipe, the dulcimer of Nebuchadnezzar's orchestra.

*

Thus the remotest Egyptian antiquity shews us, that concerted music was practised; the human voice being accompanied by instruments exactly correspondent to those mentioned in the Sacred Records of the antediluvian age. So erroneous is the assertion of Dr. Burney, that, in the infancy of music, no other instruments were known than those of percussion, and that it was, therefore, little more than metrical.

In one of the Tombs of the Kings near Thebes, which, from the first describer, has been called Bruce's Tomb, are two harpers playing on instruments of great size and elaborate ornament. One of them is stated in the French "Description," to have twenty-one strings, but in the published figures, we do not find so great a number represented. One of the harpers is dressed in a black, the other in a white

*Gen. iv. 21.

robe; their attitude is remarkably free and unconstrained. The accompanying engraving will give an idea of the elegant form of these harps, but not of the

BRUCE'S Harper.

brilliancy and variety of the colours with which they are painted.

The following scene well illustrates the numerous passages in the Word of God in which the harp is spoken of in connexion with the psaltery, as accompaniments to singing, and of which it may be sufficient to quote one.

O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory. Awake psaltery and harp; I myself will awake early. Ps. cviii. 1, 2.

This harp is remarkable for the richness of its decorations, and for the number of its strings, which

ว

PSALTERY AND HARP.

amount to twenty, yet this is not the greatest number found on Egyptian harps. The instrument at the right resembling the modern guitar, is, without doubt, the (nebel) of the Hebrews, rendered in our version," psaltery," but, more correctly, in the version of the Psalms in the Book of Common Prayer, "lute." The word nebel signifies also a bottle or pitcher of pottery, and it was probably from the similarity in form of the body of this pleasing musical instrument to the earthen vessel, that the name was appropriated. The introduction of this instru