The first historical mention of musical strings is addressed in this article. It begins with an overview of the literary references to the ĝiˇs-gu3-di-da “long-necked lute; musical instrument” before delving into a dossier of Neo-Sumerian texts that record the yearly delivery of “sheep sinews” (sa udu) for the lute of Dada, the lamentation priest (gala). It is hypothesized that the Sumerian word sa refers to gut or catgut, which was the material used to make lute strings.
A New Set of Strings for the Lute of Dada / Verderame, Lorenzo. - In: RIVISTA DEGLI STUDI ORIENTALI. - ISSN 1724-1863. - 2-4:96(2023), pp. 243-247. [10.19272/202303804014]
A New Set of Strings for the Lute of Dada
Verderame, Lorenzo
2023
Abstract
The first historical mention of musical strings is addressed in this article. It begins with an overview of the literary references to the ĝiˇs-gu3-di-da “long-necked lute; musical instrument” before delving into a dossier of Neo-Sumerian texts that record the yearly delivery of “sheep sinews” (sa udu) for the lute of Dada, the lamentation priest (gala). It is hypothesized that the Sumerian word sa refers to gut or catgut, which was the material used to make lute strings.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
