music lectures
Exploring ancient civilizations from their musical traditions, Douglas Irvine conducts adult-level multi-media lectures, offering historical and cultural perspective in an engaging, musical format. With demonstrations on a variety of string, wind, and percussion instruments, Doug's programs explore the vital role that music and musicians played in ancient Middle Eastern civilizations thousands of years ago. Specializing in ancient Egypt, Doug address the general public's growing fascination with music of world cultures while tracing the sources of music and musical instruments in civilization.

Utilizing reconstructed instruments, audio recordings and images, lectures examine a range of topics that include:

  • Music in daily life including festivals, banquets, work scenes and religious ceremonies.
  • The close association between music and the deities.
  • The evolution of musical instruments through Egypt's 3000 year history.
  • Hieroglyphic records documenting musical information.
  • Ethnomusicology of Egypt: Arabic instruments today
Doug performing with an shoulder harp replica at the Honolulu Academy of Arts.
Selected music lectures have included:
  • The Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL
  • The Glenbow Museum, Calgary, Canada
  • The Honolulu Academy of Arts
  • University of California at Santa Barbara

Demonstrating the ancient Egyptian
long-necked lute