Download Elisa Xu Period 3 12/14/11 Instruments: Roman and Now

Elisa Xu
Period 3
12/14/11
Instruments: Roman and Now-Draft
As a Roman girl starts to bed, she hears enchanting music flowing from
the house next door. She listens, and she can imagine the instruments used to
create such beautiful music. The melody made by the instruments was
mystifying; and the girl goes to sleep with the music still echoing in her ear.
The instruments that originated in Ancient Rome, how do they compare and
contrast with the modern ones? The wind, the string, and the percussion
instruments of the Ancient Romans have similarities and differences that are
distinguished while also similar with the instruments of modern U.S.
Firstly, the wind instruments in Ancient Rome are both similar and
different from the instruments used in modern day music. One wind
instrument from Ancient Rome is the cornu. This instrument has a horn that
curves over the instrumentalist’s head in a G shape, and is held around the
user’s body. It was used in the Military and borrowed from the Etruscans.
This instrument is like the modern instrument the tuba, because both of these
blown instruments have the horn over the user’s head. They are also both
made of bronze. However, they are different in the aspect that the tuba is
much heavier, and is considerably larger than that of the Roman cornu. Also,
the tuba is held in front of the body of the instrumentalist. There was also a
tuba that originated in Rome. This Roman tuba was a long horn with no hand
pressing techniques. It was completely straight, and was around 4 feet long,
also borrowed from the Etruscans. The Roman tuba was used for mostly
military affairs, for signals like ‘charge’, ‘retreat’, and changing the guards in
battles. This tuba is like the modern instrument the trumpet, because they are
both held out in front of them, and made of bronze. But they differentiate
because the trumpet is not used for the military, while the Roman tuba was.
The trumpet was also shorter, and it had holes and keys to press to make
music. All in all, the Ancient Romans had wind instruments that were alike
and differing than the wind instruments used today.
Also, the Romans used string instruments that were alike and diverse
from the ones used in the U.S.A. A string instrument borrowed from the
Greeks called the lyre was played in Rome. This instrument was an early form
of the harp; it was built of wood or tortoise shell, with numerous strings
stretched from the bar to the body. The strings numbered from four to seven
to ten. A lyre is played by holding the instrument in one hand and plucking
the strings with a plectrum using the other hand. The strings and the sound
that the instrument makes are like the harp. The harp is much larger,
however, and stands on the ground, while the lyre was held in one hand. Also,
the harp is played using both hands. Another string instrument the Ancient
Romans used was the lute. This instrument is alike the guitar in many ways.
For one, it had a long neck with strings stretched across the neck. They were
also both strummed with the user’s right hand and supported with the left.
Yet, the lute had three strings while the guitar has six to twelve strings. And
the shape of the body is different. The lute’s body was rounded and the
guitar’s had an indent in the middle. So, the string instruments the Ancient
Romans used were quite comparable and yet different with the string
instruments used contemporarily.
Lastly, another type of instrument that the Romans used was
percussion, and these can be compared and contrasted with modern
percussion instruments. One percussion instrument used in Rome was the
sistra. This instrument was borrowed from the Egyptians, and the instrument
had a U shaped end with movable crossbars. It was an instrument with bars
including metal rings and hoops so when shaken, the sistra made a ringing
sound. This percussion instrument is like the rattle from modern times. They
are alike because they are both shaken to cause the sound, and they are
caused the same way, by using different materials to clang together and make
music. They are different because the rattle is shaped differently, and it
doesn’t have crossbars like the sistrum does. Also, the rattle uses beads and
shells to clang together. The tympani, another percussion instrument from
Rome, was a small drum held in one hand. This instrument is like a modern
tambourine, and the Romans played it by using a drumstick or with their
hands. This way of playing is just like the way modern people play the
tambourine. Interestingly enough, the Romans had percussion instruments as
well to compare and contrast with the instruments of present times.
In conclusion, the Romans had many different instruments that were
both homogeneous and heterogeneous from the instruments we use today.
They used wind instruments, string instruments, and percussion instruments,
and they all were both alike and unlike the instruments used today. So, as the
Roman girl’s mind slowly sank into the depths of slumber, she smiled,
knowing that the amazing music she was listening to now would never fade
away. Ever.