From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A sistrum on the reverse of this coin by Hadrian celebrating Aegyptus Province.

A sistrum is a musical instrument of the percussion family, chiefly associated with ancient Egypt. It consists of a handle and a U-shaped metal frame, made of brass or bronze and between 10 and 30 cm in width. When shaken the small rings or loops of thin metal on its moveable crossbars produce a sound that can range from a soft tinkling to a loud jangling. The name derives from the Greek verb σείω, seio, to shake, and σείστρον, seistron, is that which is being shaken.

The sistrum was a sacred instrument in ancient Egypt. It was used in dances and religious ceremonies, particularly in the worship of the goddess Hathor, with the U-shape of the sistrum's handle and frame seen as resembling the face and horns of the cow goddess. It was also shaken to avert the flooding of the Nile and to frighten away Set. Additionally, the goddess Bast is often depicted holding a sistrum, symbolizing her role as a goddess of dance, joy, and festivity.

Nefertari holding sistrum, from her Abu Simbel temple.

Sistrum in hieroglyphs

Sistra (pl.) are still used in the rites of the Coptic and Ethiopian churches. Besides the depiction in Egyptian art with dancing and expressions of joy, the sistrum was also used in Egyptian literature. The hieroglyph for the sistrum is shown, but there are other varieties (sistrum and castanets).

The sistrum was occasionally revived in 19th century western orchestral music, nowadays however it is replaced by its close modern equivalent, the tambourine. The effect produced by the sistrum in music when shaken in short, sharp, rhythmic pulses is to arouse movement and activity. The rhythmical shaking of the sistrum, like the tambourine, is associated with religious or ecstatic events, whether shaken as a sacred rattle in the worship of Hathor of ancient Egypt, in the strident jangling of the tambourine in modern-day Evangelism, Gypsy song and dance, on stage at a rock concert, or to heighten a large-scale orchestral tutti.

The "barcoo dog," a sheep herding tool used in Australian bush band music, is a type of sistrum.[1]

• Sistrum (Smith's Dictionary, 1875)