Ethiopian Art, Part 3 of 3

Similar to that of other cultures, Ethiopian music reflects aspects of religion, culture, and daily life. For example, Ethiopian Orthodox Christian spirituality involves music performed with various traditional instruments. The main folk instruments of Ethiopia are the begena, the kirar, the masinko, the washint, the sistrum and the kebero.

The begena, a large instrument with ten strings, is the earliest recorded Ethiopian musical instrument. Throughout history, the begena was performed primarily as an accompanying instrument during meditation and prayer. Its high vibrational timbre and unique buzzing sound inspire feelings of peace and calm. The Ethiopian masinko, a single-stringed instrument played with a bow, is used in many parts of the country by ethnic groups such as the Amhara, the Tigreans and the Oromo. As one of Ethiopia’s most popular traditional instruments, the masinko is an icon of Ethiopian musical culture. The krar is a six-stringed lyre played with the fingers or with a plectrum. The Ethiopian krar, which is also a core instrument of cultural bands, has many variations and playing techniques. Another traditional Ethiopian instrument is the sistrum, which originated in ancient Egypt. The sistrum is a sacred percussion instrument that has a U-shaped metal frame with horizontal crossing bars and bronze rings. Today, the Sistrum has remained in use in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church as a religious musical instrument, and is generally played in the dance performances of cantors at important church festivals. The folk drums of Ethiopia such as the kebero and atamo are used in many traditional music and dance performances. In Ethiopia, traditional dance and music are closely related.

As we know, Ethiopia is comprised of various tribes and ethnic groups with distinctive cultural dances. The Tigrayan dance and Eskista dance are considered to be the most popular dances in the country. Thank you to all of Ethiopia’s traditional artists, musicians, and dancers, for preserving the beautiful Ethiopian art forms and giving such beautiful performances. May God bless the artistic Ethiopian people with abundant life and great wisdom.