first question, what is the earliest written piece of music that can be played?

second question, for which instrument?

The earliest form of musical notation can be found in a cuneiform tablet that was created at Nippur, in Sumer (today’s Iraq), in about 2000 BC. The tablet represents fragmentary instructions for performing music, that the music was composed in harmonies of thirds, and that it was written using a diatonic scale. A tablet from about 1250 BC shows a more developed form of notation. Although the interpretation of the notation system is still controversial, it is clear that the notation indicates the names of strings on a lyre, the tuning of which is described in other tablets. Although they are fragmentary, these tablets represent the earliest notated melodies found anywhere in the world.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_notation#Ancient_Near_East

Thanks for that Bubblecar

Re-post from yesterday’s chat:

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22329874.800-im-reverseengineering-mesopotamian-hit-songs.html#.VE1rfs8cSpo

The Rev Dodgson said:

Re-post from yesterday’s chat:

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22329874.800-im-reverseengineering-mesopotamian-hit-songs.html#.VE1rfs8cSpo

Thanks for that Rev

I wish they could have written down their music like the other example bubblecar posted

I am a fan of early and medieval music

> I am a fan of early and medieval music

Which pieces/songs?

BTW, I have the complete 20 volume set of Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians here any time you want me to look things up.