ers. On the sculptures hitherto discovered there seem
to be only three instances where this number was exceeded. A bas-relief
of Sennacherib's showed five players, of whom two had tambourines; two,
harps of the antique pattern; and one, cymbals. Another, belonging to
the time of his grandson, exhibited a band of seven, three of whom
played upon harps of the later fashion, two on the double pipe, one on
the guitar, and one on the long drum with the conical bottom. Finally,
we have the remarkable scene represented in the illustration, a work of
the sane date, where no fewer than twenty-six performers are seen
uniting their efforts. Of these, eleven are players on instruments,
while the remaining fifteen are vocalists. The instruments consist of
seven harps, two double pipes, a small drum or tubbel, and the curious
instrument which has been compared to the modern _santour_. The players
are all men, six out of the eleven being eunuchs. The singers consist of
six women and nine children of various ages, the latter of whom seem to
accompany their singing, as the Hebrews and Egyptians sometimes did,
with clapping of the hands. Three out of the first four musicians are
represented with one leg raised, as if dancing to the measure. [PLATE
CXXXII., Fig. I.]

[Illustration: PLATE 132]

Bands in Assyria had sometimes, though not always, time-keepers or
leaders, who took the direction of the performance. These were commonly
eunuchs, as indeed were the greater number of the musicians. They held
in one hand a double rod or wand, with which most probably they made
their signals, and stood side by side facing the performers. [PLATE
CXXXII., Fig. 2.]

The Assyrians seem to have employed music chiefly for festive and
religious purposes. The favorite instrument in the religious ceremonies
was the antique harp, which continued in use as a sacred instrument from
the earliest to the latest times. On festive occasions the lyre was
preferred, or a mixed band with a variety of instruments. In the quiet
of domestic life the monarch and his sultana were entertained with
concerted music played by a large number of performers: while in
processions and pageants, whether of a civil or of a military character,
bands were also very generally employed, consisting of two, three, four,
five, or possibly more, musicians. Cymbals, the tambourine, and the
instrument which has been above regarded as a sort of rattle, were
peculiar to these processional occa