Rise of Music in the Ancient World

Curt Sachs was a German-born but American-domiciled musicologist. He was one of the founders of modern study of musical instruments.

In 1913, Sachs saw the publication of his book Real-Lexicon der Musikinstrumente, probably the most comprehensive survey of musical instruments in 200 years. The following year, he and Erich Moritz von Hornbostel published the work for which they are probably now best known in Zeitschrift für Ethnologie, a new system of musical instrument classification. It is today known as the Sachs-Hornbostel system. It has been much revised over the years, and has been the subject of some criticism, but it remains the most widely used system of classification by ethnomusicologists and organologists.

His numerous books include works on rhythm, dance and musical instruments, with his The History of Musical Instruments (1940), a comprehensive survey of musical instruments worldwide throughout history, seen as one of the most important. The Rise of Music in the Ancient World (1943).. still seen as essential texts in the field.

“Curt Sachs has written a book which is tremendous in scope. He seems to have seen and heard the ancient world at its music, and presents us with a verbal picture which is not only overwhelming in its scholarship, but which is also lively and challenging.. destroys the glib generalizations of music historians at every turn of the page.” Judith K. Eisenstein, Jewish Social Studies, New York

Other recent books published on Music:
A History of Arabian Music. To the XIIth Century
Farmer, H. G.

Indian Music.
With a Preface by F. Gilbert Webb
Shahinda (Begum Fyzee-Rahmin)

The Music and Musical Instruments of the Arab
Introduction on How to Appreciate Arab Music
Salvador-Daniel, F.
Director of the Paris Conservatoire of Music

Musical Instruments
Historic, Rare and Unique.
The Selection, Introduction and Descriptive Notes
“‘Hipkins & Gibb’ has, over the last hundred years, had a considerable influence, arousing an interest in, and love for, fine musical instruments and setting a standard for book illustrations of instruments.”— The Galpin Society Journal

The World’s Earliest Music.
Traced to its beginnings in Ancient Lands.
By Collected Evidence of Relics, Records, History and Musical Instruments
Smith, H.