Leisure Times
The Fine Arts: Music & Drama
The Dramatic Arts
Although to those of Earth, Goreans may seem barbaric, they follow a sense of high esteem on their culture as a whole, including the cultural arts and music. Consider these cultural events akin to those of the Renaissance era; recitations of poetry; the haughty, ribald humor in plays performed around the many cities by troupes of actors and side-show artists at fairs and such. It is common for a slave to be a part of this troupe, or many slaves; most plays often mocking the free woman. Of course, the free women that view these plays do so with much disdain, and at times, demand punishment for the slave girl that so humiliated her. Although the slave was performing as commanded by her master, the free woman is well within her rights to request the slave be whipped.
"Free women almost never appear on a Gorean stage. In certain higher forms of drama, such as the great tragedies, rather than let women on stage, either free or slave, female roles are played by men, wearing masks and costuming, to denote which roles are that of a female, as well as their dialogue in the play. Women, almost always slaves, however, may appear in mimings, farces and such." — Magicians of Gor, pages 255-256.
"Is there to be entertainment?" he asked.
"Czehar music," she said, "and, later, the recitation of poetry by Milo, the famed actor, to the music of the double flute." — Magicians of Gor, page 156.
Theatrical and carnival troupes must be licensed before they can perform in a city. These troupes must petition for such a license, generally a sort of audition before a council or committee. Often times, actresses are often privately "tested" by certain officials. The Master of Entertainment, (also known as the Master of Revels) is the city official responsible for obtaining and issuing of licenses for the entertainment troupes. Bribery is considered a "gratuity" or "fee" making such a respectable perquisite of the office.
Revels Office:
"A former office in the English royal household of which the master of the revels was head and which had charge of court entertainment." — Merriam-Webster Dictionary ©2003-2006.Perquisite:
Etymology: Middle English, from Medieval Latin perquisitum, from neuter of perquisitus, past participle of perquirere to obtain, acquire, from Latin, to ask about diligently, to make diligent search for, from per- thoroughly + -quirere (from quaerere to seek, gain, obtain, ask);
"Casual income or profits (as from heriots, escheats, reliefs) accruing to the lord of a feudal manor; a privilege, gain, or profit incidental to an employment in addition to regular salary or wages; especially: one expected or promised ; gratuity, tip; especially: one expected or claimed by custom for a service. — Merriam-Webster Dictionary ©2003-2006.
"The fact that it was now only two days to the Twelfth Passage Hand, explained the presence of the unusual number of theatrical and carnival troupes now in the city. Such troupes, incidentally, must petition for the right to perform within a city. Usually a sample performance, or a part of a performance, is required, staged before the high council, or a committee delegated by such a council. Sometimes the actresses are expected to perform privately, being 'tested,' so to speak, for selected officials. If the troupe is approved it may, for a fee, be licensed. … — Players of Gor, page 10.
"No troupe is permitted to perform within a city unless it has a license. These licenses usually run for the five days of a Gorean week. Sometimes they are for a specific night or a specific performance. Licenses are commonly renewable, within a given season, for a nominal fee. In connection with the fees for such matters, it is not uncommon that bribes are also involved. This is particularly the case when small committees are involved in the approvals or given individuals, such as a city's Entertainment Master or Master of Revels. There is little secret, incidentally, about the briberies involved. There are even fairly well understood bribery scales, indexed to the type of troupe, its supposed treasury, the number of days requested for the license, and so on. These things are so open, and so well acknowledged, that perhaps one should think of them more as gratuities or service fees than as bribes. More than one Master of Revels regards them as an honest perquisite of his office." — Players of Gor, page 11.
The Music
"The music of those of the caste of musicians was heady, like the wine." — Captive of Gor, page 324.
Goreans are extremely fond of music. Musicians regularly play at many festivals and even at races, at slave auctions and in the taverns. Musicians enjoy a bit of prestige, though only of low-caste. Dependent upon the instrument they play, establishes them in order of precedence. Music, incidentally, is learned by ear; music sheets hand-written has never been found on Gor.
"… also, I might mention, I have never on Gor seen any written music; I do not know if a notation exists; melodies are passed on from father to son, from master to apprentice." — Nomads of Gor, page 153.
"Among Gorean musicians, incidentally, czehar players have the most prestige…next follow the flutists and then the players of the kalika; the players of the drums come next; and the farthest fellow down the list is the man who keeps the bag of miscellaneous instruments, playing them and parceling them out to others as needed. Lastly it might be mentioned, thinking it is of some interest, musicians on Gor are never enslaved; they may, of course, be exiled, tortured, slain and such; it is said, perhaps truly, that he who makes music must, like the tarn and the Vosk gull, be free." — Nomads of Gor, page 154.
Block melodies, richly sensual melodies, are commonly used in the display of a slave girl.
"May the melody also be," said she, "one in which a slave may be well displayed."
"A block melody?" asked the flutist, addressing his question to Philebus.
"No," said Philebus, "nothing so sensuous. Rather, say, the 'Hope of Tina.'"
Approval from the crowd met this proposal. The reference to "block melodies" had to do with certain melodies which are commonly used in slave markets, in the display of the merchandise. Some were apparently developed for the purpose, and others simply utilized for it. Such melodies tend to be sexually stimulating, and powerfully so, both for the merchandise being vended, who must dance to them, and for the buyers. It is a joke of young Goreans to sometimes whistle, or hum, such melodies, apparently innocently, in the presence of free women who, of course, are not familiar with them, and do not understand their origins or significance, and then to watch them become restless, and, usually, after a time, disturbed and apprehensive, hurry away. Such women, of course, will doubtless recall such melodies. and at last understand the joke, if they find themselves naked on the sales block, in house collars, dancing to them. Some women. free women, interestingly, even when they do not fully understand such melodies, are fascinated with them and try to learn them. Such melodies, in a sense, call out to them. They hum them to themselves. They sing them in private, and so on. Too, not unoften, on one level or another, they begin to grow careless of their security and safety; they begin, in one way or another, to court the collar. — Vagabonds of Gor, page 37.
Often, a master will have his slave learn to play a musical instrument, thus increasing her value.
"He had finished his gruel but he was sitting there listening to a slave girl, sitting on furs between the tables, playing a kalika… Sura, I knew, played the instrument. Elizabeth, Virginia and Phyllis had been shown its rudiments, as well as something about the lyre, but they had not been expected to become proficient, nor were they given the time to become so; if their master, at a later date, after their sale, wished his girls to possess these particular attributes, which are seldom involved in the training of slave girls, he himself could pay for their instruction…" — Assassin of Gor, page 207.
The Songs
Song titles are not mentioned often, but here are a few that are:
• Blue Sky Song
A song of the Tuchuk warrior.
"I looked to the left and right over the torn, bloody barricade of wagons, at the remains of my men, wounded and exhausted, many of them lying on the barricade or on the ground behind it, trying to gain but a moment's respite. Free women, and even some Turian slave girls, went to and fro, bringing water and, here and there, where there was point in it, binding wounds. Some of the Tuchuks began to sing the Blue Sky Song, the refrain of which is that 'though I die, yet there will be the bosk, the grass and sky.'" — Nomads of Gor, page 263.
• Hope of Tina
The sweet song from Cos, of a young girl expressing her hope that she will be found beautiful and marvelous enough to be a slave girl.
The "Hope of Tina," a melody of Cos which would surely be popular with most of the fellows present, on the other hand, was an excellent choice. It was supposedly the expression of the yearning, or hope, of a young girl that she may be so beautiful, and so feminine, and marvelous, that she will prove acceptable as a slave. — Vagabonds of Gor, pages 37-38.
The Instruments
Many of the instruments found on Gor are those common to more ancient times on Earth.
• Cymbals
There are various sorts similar to the ones found on Earth.
This percussion instrument consists of a circular flat or concave metal plate that is used in pairs struck glancingly together.
I could hear from a tent nearby the sound of a flute, some soft drums, and the rhythmic jangle of some tiny cymbals. — Tarnsman of Gor, page 134.
"… cymbals of various sorts…" — Nomads of Gor, pages 153-154.
• Czehar
This lyre-type instrument consists of a flat, oblong box, having 8 strings, it is held across the lap when sitting cross-legged and is played with a horn pick. Czehar players generally are the leaders of the ensembles. See: "Lyre."
An instrument that most resembles the czehar is that of the koto, a Japanese instrument. 
The koto is a member of the zither family, since many people are not familiar with that instrument, it is usually referred to as a Japanese floor harp. It is approximately 6 feet long, 1 foot wide and 2 inches thick, with a slightly convex shape. Depicted here is the Japanese Koto.
"Now that the sport was done some Musicians filed in, taking up positions to one side. There was a czehar player, two players of the kalika, four flutists and a pair of kaska drummers." — Assassin of Gor, page 88.
"One of the instruments was an eight-stringed czehar, rather like a large flat oblong box; it is held across the lap when sitting cross-legged and is played with a horn pick…" — Nomads of Gor, page 153.
"A number of Musicians now filed-out from the door at the foot of the block and took their places about it, sitting cross-legged on the floor. Those with string instruments began to tune them; there was a czehar player, the group's leader, some kalika players, some flutists, players of the kaska, small drums, and others. Each of these, in his way, prepared himself for the evening, sketching out melodies or sound patterns, lost with himself." — Assassin of Gor, page 291.
• Double Flute
There are various sorts similar to the ones found on Earth; not actually a flute, more more related to an oboe. 
Pictured: Auloi player with phorbeia, and dancer with krotala, detail from a kylix found at Vulci, Italy, signed by Epictetus, c. 520-510 BC; in the British Museum, London.
"A Greek woodwind musical instrument that is commonly called a flute but is in fact a reed instrument similar to an oboe." —Merriam-Webster Dictionary ©2003-2006.
Flutes:
Flutes were ubiquitous in antiquity. In early depictions they are sometimes confused with reedpipes. Their most primitive forms have already been mentioned. In early historical periods they were known in Sumer and Egypt, and in the latter country specimens have been found in tombs, excellently preserved through the centuries by the arid climate.The Egyptian flute is vertical, about a yard long and a half-inch wide, and is easily end-blown because of its narrow embouchure. Near the lower end there are two to six finger holes. The instruments still exist today and are known by the Persian name nay. In Greece panpipes , undoubtedly derived from the more sophisticated Chinese instruments, were shepherds' instruments. A series of graduated closed-end tubes were bound like a raft and end-blown.
"The idea of the hydraulus , a water organ, may have stemmed from the multitubed panpipe. Its main development appears to have been around Alexandria from the 3rd century BC. Air under hydraulic pressure activated the pipes as controlled by an elementary keyboard. The tone was reported to be loud and penetrating. Despite the invention of pneumatic power, the hydraulus lasted at least through the 5th century AD."
Reedpipes:
" Egypt also made clarinets, instruments composed of two canes with three sides of a rectangle cut obliquely in the upper end of the two single reeds. The term idioglottic is used to describe a reed cut from the tube itself. From four to six equidistant finger holes are cut in each cane, and blowing with the entire reed engulfed in the mouth cavity produces a pungent, tremulous sound. The slight deviation of pitch between the two tubes creates the beats that cause the tremolo.(The device was rediscovered and copied in organ pipes late in the 15th century in Germany.) Sachs noted a double clarinet on a relief dated 2700 BC in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The same instrument is known today as zummarah wherever Islamic civilization flourished; and closely related instruments-the arghul of the Middle East, which has one long drone pipe and one short fingered pipe, and the launeddas of Sardinia, which consists of three pipes-also preserve the same shrill, reedy sound that must have been characteristic four centuries ago.
"The New Kingdom (1567-1085 BC) yields the Egyptian oboe, known only as mat, the generic name of pipes. Like the flute, the oboes were made of narrow cane but were about two feet long; and, like the clarinet, they were blown in pairs, the left playing a drone while the right fingered a melody. Such instruments with their rich, penetrating sound have been known through the ages under various names and shapes. Their effect has long been considered intoxicating. The Greek version of the double reed was the aulos. The two divergent narrow pipes activated by a large reed would create a loud, pungent sound highly prized by the Greeks. Probably no wind instrument has received as much praise over such an extended period of time."
Greek: Aulos: plural auloi;
Roman: Tibia: plural tibiae;
"In ancient Greek music, a single- or double-reed pipe played in pairs (auloi) during the Classical period. After the Classical period, it was played singly. Under a variety of names it was the principal wind instrument of most ancient Middle Eastern peoples and lasted in Europe up to the early Middle Ages. Each aulos was made of cane, wood, or metal and had three or four finger holes. The Greeks characteristically used double reeds made of cane that were held in the pipes by bulbous sockets. When played in pairs the pipes were held one in each hand and sounded simultaneously. Because of the powerful blowing necessary to sound the pipes, the Greeks often tied a phorbeia (Latin: capistrum), or leather strap, across the cheeks for additional support. During the Classical period auloi were equal in length, but this was not often true in later versions. Classical writers make few clear references to technical details for modern scholars to determine further how the instrument was played or the purpose for which it was designed. Among similar modern instruments are the Sardinian launeddas , a triple pipe sounded by single reeds, and many types of double clarinets, including the arghul, mizmar, and zamar, all of which are played along the Mediterranean coast and in the Middle East." — Encyclopaedia Britannica ©2003-2006
"My master had a double flute slung on his back. He was Gordon, an itinerant musician." — Dancer of Gor, page 281.
"My master removed his long double flute from his back. I braced myself for an instant. I think that anyone in the square must have heard those sounds. He then, for two or three minutes, played soft, full, melodious tunes, sensuous, inviting tunes. Men began to gather around, in greater numbers. There was soon a small crowd there." — Dancer of Gor, pages 283-284.
"On the wall, in the trough of the breach, we saw four men rolling a heavy stone toward the field side of the wall. A flute girl was parodying, or accompanying, their efforts on the flute, the instrument seeming to strain with them, and then, when they rolled the stone down, she played a skirl of descending notes on the flute, and, spinning about, danced away. The men laughed. "I have seen enough," said Marcus. There was suddenly near us, startling us, another skirl of notes on a flute, the common double flute. A flute girl, come apparently from the wall side of the Wall Road, danced tauntingly near us, to our right, and, with the flute, while playing, gestured toward the wall, as though encouraging us to join the others in their labor." — Magicians of Gor, page 120.
"Is there to be entertainment?" he asked.
"Czehar music," she said, "and, later, the recitation of poetry by Milo, the famed actor, to the music of the double flute." The instrument which is played by the flute girls is a double flute, too, but I had little doubt that the player involved would not be a flute girl but someone associated with one or another of the theaters of Ar. Similarly the instrument would undoubtedly be far superior, in both range and tone, to those likely to be at the disposal of flute girls. — Magicians of Gor, page 156.
• Finger Cymbals
Musical instruments used by dancers, known as the Gorean word zills. See: "Zills."
"As I mused, Talena stepped forth from behind the silk curtain. I had thought she had retired. Instead, she stood before me in the diaphanous, scarlet dancing silks of Gor. She had rouged her lips. My head swam at the sudden intoxicating scent of a wild perfume. Her olive ankles bore dancing bangles with tiny bells. Attached to the thumb and index finger of each hand were tiny finger cymbals. She bent her knees ever so slightly and raised her arms gracefully above her head. There was a sudden bright clash of the finger cymbals, and, to the music of the nearby tent, Talena, daughter of the Ubar of Ar, began to dance for me." — Tarnsman of Gor, page 134.
• Flute
Considered one of the most important instruments on Gor. The Double Flute, or Aulos, is also common on Gor, but has been erroneously reported as being a type of flute. Refer to "Double Flute." Refer also to the Heteira page.
"I could hear from a tent nearby the sound of a flute, some soft drums, and the rhythmic jangle of some tiny cymbals." — Tarnsman of Gor, page 134.
"Now that the sport was done some Musicians filed in, taking up positions to one side. There was a czehar player, two players of the kalika, four flutists and a pair of kaska drummers." — Assassin of Gor, page 88.
"The three flutists were polishing their instruments and talking together…" — Nomads of Gor, page 153.
"Flute music is apparently extremely important in Gorean theater. Indeed we learn… that the name of the flute player usually occurs on theatrical advertisements immediately after that of the major performer or performers. It seems the flute player is often on stage and accompanies performers about, pointing up speeches, supply background music and such." — Magicians of Gor, page 378.
"A number of Musicians now filed-out from the door at the foot of the block and took their places about it, sitting cross-legged on the floor. Those with string instruments began to tune them; there was a czehar player, the group's leader, some kalika players, some flautists, players of the kaska, small drums, and others. Each of these, in his way, prepared himself for the evening, sketching out melodies or sound patterns, lost with himself." — Assassin of Gor, page 291.
• Kalika
This lyre-type instrument is six-stringed instrument; like the czehar, it is flat-bridged and its strings are adjusted by means of small wooden cranks; on the other hand, it less resembles a low, flat box and suggests affinities to the banjo or guitar, though the sound box is hemispheric and the neck rather long; it, too, of course, like the czehar, is plucked. See: "Lyre."
It is highly probable that the kalika of Gor is fashioned after the Kalitha of ancient Greece (Calitha, in ancient Rome). Even the name is quite similar. 
The kithara, an instrument of the lyre family, had seven strings of equal length and a solidly built, wooden body, usually with a flat base. Strings of gut or sinew were stretched from a holder at the base of the instrument over a bridge to the crossbar that joined the two sidepieces. While generally this instrument was played with the musician standing up, as with most lyre-type instruments, it could also be played seated. though the instrument itself is slightly lifted, as depicted here (from Room H of the Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale, ca. 40–30 B.C.; Late Republican). Many instrument names derive from the word kithara — among them guitar, cittern, and zither
"The kithara (Roman: "cithara">is a stringed musical instrument, one of the two principal types of ancient Greek lyres. It had a wooden soundboard and a box-shaped body, or resonator, from which extended two hollow arms connected by a crossbar. Three, originally, but later as many as 12 strings ran from the crossbar to the lower end of the instrument, passing over a bridge on the soundboard. The strings were usually played with a plectrum, the left-hand fingers damping unwanted strings and at times apparently stopping the strings or producing harmonics. In solos, the fingers of both hands sometimes plucked the strings. The kithara was held upright or inclined toward the player, its weight often supported by an over-the-shoulder or wrist-to-yoke armband. In early Greek times the rhapsodoi, or epic singers, accompanied themselves on the kithara, and the phorminx of Homer was probably a form of that instrument. Later the kithara was the lyre of the kitharodoi, or professional player-singers. Latinized, it became the principal stringed instrument of the Romans. In Latin writings of early Christian Europe, "cithara" often referred to the harp as well as to surviving forms of the lyre. Many instrument names derive from the word kithara-among them guitar, cittern, and zither." — Encyclopaedia Britannica 2006.
"Now that the sport was done some Musicians filed in, taking up positions to one side. There was a czehar player, two players of the kalika, four flutists and a pair of kaska drummers." — Assassin of Gor, page 88.
"… the kalika, a six-stringed instrument; it, like the czehar, is flat-bridged and its strings are adjusted by means of small wooden cranks; on the other hand, it less resembles a low, flat box and suggests affinities to the banjo or guitar, though the sound box is hemispheric and the neck rather long; it, too, of course, like the czehar, is plucked; I have never seen a bowed instrument on Gor…" — Nomads of Gor, page 153.
"He had finished his gruel but he was sitting there listening to a slave girl, sitting on furs between the tables, playing a kalika… Ho-Tu was fond of the music of the kalika, a six-stringed, plucked instrument, with a hemispheric sound box and long neck… The slave girl sitting on the furs, for the kalika is played either sitting or standing, bent over her instrument, her hair falling over the neck of it, lost in her music, a gentle, slow melody, rather sad." — Assassin of Gor, page 207.
"A number of Musicians now filed-out from the door at the foot of the block and took their places about it, sitting cross-legged on the floor. Those with string instruments began to tune them; there was a czehar player, the group's leader, some kalika players, some flutists, players of the kaska, small drums, and others. Each of these, in his way, prepared himself for the evening, sketching out melodies or sound patterns, lost with himself." — Assassin of Gor, page 291.
• Kaska
A small hand drum.
"Now that the sport was done some Musicians filed in, taking up positions to one side. There was a czehar player, two players of the kalika, four flutists and a pair of kaska drummers." — Assassin of Gor, page 88.
"A number of Musicians now filed-out from the door at the foot of the block and took their places about it, sitting cross-legged on the floor. Those with string instruments began to tune them; there was a czehar player, the group's leader, some kalika players, some flutists, players of the kaska, small drums, and others. Each of these, in his way, prepared himself for the evening, sketching out melodies or sound patterns, lost with himself." — Assassin of Gor, page 291.
"To one side… was a group of nine musicians. They were not as yet playing, though one of them was absently tapping a rhythm on a small hand drum, the kaska…" — Nomads of Gor, page 153.
"The drumhead is usually made of verrskin, as most often are wineskins." — Vagabonds of Gor, page 36.
• Lute
A stringed instrument that is plucked. Often a master will have his slave learn to play such an instrument to entertain him. 
Pictured here is a Renaissance-era lute.
"The first surviving evidence of the existence of the lute comes from Mesopotamia and Egypt. One of the earliest Babylonian delineations (c. 2500 BC) shows a shepherd with a long-necked, small-bodied lute; this instrument, which was doubtless skin-bellied, had a rounded back that might well have been made from a turtle carapace (as in modern North Africa) or a gourd (as in Puerto Rico). A similar instrument is also found in Egypt, and from specimens surviving from ancient times it is known that the stick forming the neck passed through the body of the instrument, ending at the sound hole, where it served as a fastener for the ends of the strings. This instrument, like the harp, survives in West Africa and in North Africa (as the gunbri or halam).
The Greeks of old seem to have made rather sparing use of the lute, but it was commonly encountered in Rome. Though the skin-bellied lute predominated in the ancient Mediterranean, the wood-bellied lute has been more typical of Europe; indeed (with the exception of the African-derived banjo), all currently used European lutes and fiddles have wood bellies. The model for the European lute was the classical Arab lute, al-'ud ("the wood"), which has been the most important instrument of classical Arab music for 1,000 years. The instrument, with its characteristically curved back, probably entered Europe through a number of different gateways, including Sicily, Andalusia, and Palestine with the crusaders. Though European and Arab lutes are very similar in general construction, the Arab lute is not fretted as is the European lute, and the European lute little by little acquired additional courses of strings during the Renaissance, when it became a standard instrument for solo playing and the accompaniment of singers." — Encyclopaedia Britannica ©2003-2006
"I could now see the girl playing the lute… I listened to the music of the lute, and was disturbed." — Assassin of Gor, pages 115-116.
• Lyre
A stringed instrument, which is either plucked or bowed. 
East African bowl lyre depicted
Etymology: Middle English lire, from Old French, from Latin lyra, from Greek; Date: 13th century
"A stringed instrument of the harp class used by the ancient Greeks especially to accompany song and recitation." — Merriam-Webster Dictionary ©2002-2006."A stringed musical instrument having a yoke, or two arms and a crossbar, projecting out from and level with the body. The strings run from a tailpiece on the bottom or front of the instrument to the crossbar. Most lyres are plucked, but a few are bowed. Box lyres are instruments having a boxlike wooden body with a wooden soundboard; in some instances the arms are hollow extensions of the body, as in the ancient Greek kithara. Bowl lyres have a rounded body with a curved back-often of tortoiseshell-and a skin belly; the arms are invariably constructed separately, as in the Greek lyra.
"Box lyres were widespread in the ancient Middle East. Giant lyres placed on the ground and played by seated musicians appear in Sumerian reliefs (3rd millennium BC); some exceeded 40 inches (100 cm) in height, although smaller lyres were also used. Typically ornamented with a carved bull on one side, the Sumerian lyres were played in upright position with the fingers of both hands. They were asymmetrical, having one longer arm.
"Small asymmetrical lyres predominated after Sumerian times. Most were held vertically or at an angle and were played with a plectrum; Babylonia also had a small horizontally held lyre. Egyptian lyres included (from c. 2000 BC) an asymmetrical, plectrum-plucked instrument held horizontally and (from c. 1000 BC) a smaller symmetrical lyre played upright. The Hebrew kinnor was also a box lyre. Except for the Sumerian instruments, the Middle Eastern and Greek lyres were tuned by thong or cloth bulges into which the ends of the strings were wound and which could be shifted or tightened to increase string tension. Sumerian lyres were tuned by wooden wedges inserted into the winding bulges.
"As an attribute of Apollo, the god of prophecy and music, the lyre to the ancient Greeks symbolized wisdom and moderation. Greek lyres fell into two types, exemplified by the lyra and kithara. The kithara was apparently of Asiatic origin, the lyra either indigenous or of Syrian provenance. Both shared the same playing technique, tuning, and stringing, the number of strings varying from 3 or 4 in Homer's time to as many as 12 by the 5th century BC; the classical number was 7. Normally used to accompany singing, they were played by a plectrum held in the right hand, the left-hand fingers damping unwanted notes and occasionally plucking or stopping a string to produce a higher note. In solo playing, both hands apparently plucked with the fingers. The lyra was the instrument of the amateur, the kithara, of the professional singer. Latinized to "cithara," it was adopted by the Romans.
"In medieval Europe new varieties of lyre emerged that, like the kithara, were box lyres, although their precise relation to the lyres of classical antiquity is not known. The European lyres, often called rotta, varied from straight-sided to gently waisted. In most cases the body and yoke were cut from a single piece of wood. Tuning pegs replaced the wound thongs of the ancient lyres. Around the 12th century bowed lyres appeared; they are still played in Finland and Estonia under the name bowed harp. One bowed lyre was the Welsh crwth, which by the 13th century had gained a fingerboard running from the crossbar to the soundbox. Plucked lyres in which rattling pebbles are placed survive among the Ostyak and Vogul, Finno-Ugric peoples of Siberia.
"The lyres of modern East Africa probably reflect ancient diffusion of the instrument via Egypt. Box lyres survive only in Ethiopia and among the Sebei, a Nilo-Hamitic people of Uganda. The Ethiopian begenna is a plectrum-plucked instrument normally used to accompany singing. Like the Sumerian lyres, it is tuned by wooden wedges. African bowl lyres vary from the Ethiopian masonquo and krar to the ndongo and odi of Uganda and similar instruments in the Congo region. In some cases the sound is made to buzz either by running the strings close to the skin or by placing a rattling object on the skin under the strings. Observation of the playing techniques and tuning of the African lyres affords insight into the probable tuning and playing techniques of the ancient Greek lyres, notably because in significant instances such observation corresponds with pictorial evidence and with some interpretations of Greek technical terminology.
"Greek legend credits the invention of the lyre to Hermes, who had stolen Apollo's cows and, in order to atone for his transgression, presented the god with the lyre, which he had accidentally discovered when he had brushed against a turtle carapace that lay on the ground and, as he did so, heard its sinews begin to vibrate. The tale is interesting for two reasons: first, the turtle shell was, in fact, frequently used as the resonator of the Greek lyra, and, second, the tale makes an explicit relationship between the lyre and cattle. Similarly, in Mesopotamia the lyre was surmounted with a carved bull's head, and in modern East Africa the lyre is most frequently encountered in cattle cultures.
"A famous lyre from Ur (now at the University Museum, Philadelphia) is one of nine dug up at the burial ground; these and similar instruments seem to have been used both to accompany bardic recitations and for religious purposes. The "harp" that the Hebrews hung in the tree in their Babylonian captivity was actually a lyre, as was the instrument used by Homer (phorminx). In view of the importance of the bull in the worship ceremonies of Crete and Mycenae, it is not surprising to find lyres among the stringed instruments of these peoples. In Celtic society depictions of lyres are found on the coins of pre-Christian Gaul. These instruments, which were U-shaped, may have come to western Europe from southwestern Asia with groups of Indo-European peoples who spread across Europe. Other types of lyres were found in Europe, too, and it is possible that these variously shaped but still related instruments might be analogous to the various Indo-European languages in that they are basically closely related but quite different in detail.
"In medieval Germany and Scandinavia long, narrow lyres with four to seven strings were played, and similar lyres (the Finnish jouhikantele, the Swedish talharpa, the Welsh crwth) were played with a bow in parts of Europe until the early 20th century. Today the lyre flourishes only in Ethiopia, in The Sudan, among the fishermen of the Persian Gulf, and in restricted areas of East Africa." — Encyclopaedia Britannica ©2006.
"Sura, I knew, played the instrument. Elizabeth, Virginia and Phyllis had been shown its rudiments, as well as something about the lyre, but they had not been expected to become proficient, nor were they given the time to become so…" — Assassin of Gor, page 207.
• Notched Stick
Played by sliding a polished tem-wood stick across its surface or other such objects as a wooden spoon.
"To one side… was a group of nine musicians… among them was a notched stick, played by sliding a polished tem-wood stick across its surface…" — Nomads of Gor, page 153.
"Then the man with the drum of hollow rence root began to drum, and one fellow had bits of metal, strung in a circular wire, and another a notched stick, played by scraping it with a flat spoon of rence root." — Raiders of Gor, page 45.
• Percussion Instruments (Un-named Varieties)
A variety of instruments in the percussion class.
Date: 1872:
"A musical instrument (as a drum, xylophone, or maraca) sounded by striking, shaking, or scraping." — Merriam-Webster ©2003-2006.
"… and several other instruments of a percussion variety, bits of metal on wires, gourds filled with pebbles, slave bells mounted on hand rings, and such." — Nomads of Gor, pages 153-154.
• Rence Drum
A drum made of the rence plant; common instrument of both music and in signaling alarms among the rence growers. It is played with drumsticks made of rence-root.
"Then there came a drumming sound, growing louder and louder, a man pounding on a hollowed drum of rence root with two sticks, and then, as suddenly as the singing and clapping, the drum, too, stopped. — Raiders of Gor, pages 44-45.
Then the man with the drum of hollow rence root began to drum, and one fellow had bits of metal, strung in a circular wire, and another a notched stick, played by scraping it with a flat spoon of rence root." — Raiders of Gor, page 45.
• Sistrum
A percussion instrument played akin to a rattle.
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin,
from Greek seistron, from seiein to shake;
"An ancient Egyptian percussion instrument consisting of a thin metal frame with numerous metal rods or loops that jingle when shaken; any of various musical instruments played like a rattle." — Merriam-Webster Dictionary ©2004-2006Greek Seistron, percussion instrument, a rattle consisting of a wood, metal, or clay frame set loosely with crossbars (often hung with jingles) that sound when the instrument is shaken. A handle is attached to the frame.
In ancient Egypt, sistrums were either temple-shaped or had a closed-horseshoe shape. The sistrum was used in the cult of the goddess Hathor and later, as Hathor merged with the maternal and life-giving goddess Isis, use of the sistrum spread with the cult of Isis throughout the Roman Empire. Open-topped, U-shaped sistrums existed by 2500 BC in Sumer and have been excavated near Tbilisi, Georgia. Similar sistrums are played today in the liturgy of the Coptic and Ethiopian churches. They also exist in western Africa, among two American Indian tribes, and as the bamboo shark rattle of Malaysia and Melanesia. "Sistrum" sometimes also refers to a bell glockenspiel. — Encyclopaedia Britannica ©2006
"The litany and responses of the congregation were now completed and the initiates, some twenty within the rail, began to sing in archaic Gorean. I could make out little of the wording. There was an accompaniment by sistrums." — Marauders of Gor, page 33.
"And yet still he sat upon his throne, in the gilded temple, amid the incense, the ringing of the sistrum, the singing of boys." — Marauders of Gor, page 36.
• Tabor
A small drum.
"… a sudden pounding on twin tabors, small, hand drums…" — Explorers of Gor, page 133.
• Tambourine
A percussion instrument. 
The tambourine is generally held in the hand and can be played in numerous ways, such as stroking or shaking the jingles, striking it sharply with a hand, or using the tambourine to strike the leg or hip.
"… what was obviously a tambourine…" — Nomads of Gor, pages 153-154.
• Trumpet
Often used to alert in times of danger or war.
"Over the faint music coming from the distant ships, now approaching, I could hear her war trumpets and, with the glass, observe her flags. Whereas I did not know exactly the codes employed by the treasure fleet, I had little doubt that our hesitation was being signaled about the fleet, and then I heard other trumpets, and saw the round ships drawing apart, and tarn ships streaking between them, fanning out in our direction." — Raiders of Gor, page 198.
• Un-Named Instrument
A primitive instrument of the rence growers, in which metal is strung in a circular wire. No mention of exactly how it is played or what this instrument is called.
"Then the man with the drum of hollow rence root began to drum, and one fellow had bits of metal, strung in a circular wire, and another a notched stick, played by scraping it with a flat spoon of rence root." — Raiders of Gor, page 45.
• Zills
Finger cymbals, small metal disks, worn on fingers and played by kajirae while performing a dance.
In Turkey, zils (also zills) (finger cymbals) are tiny cymbals used in belly dancing and similar performances. The word zil in Turkish means "cymbal". These small metal disks are an absolute accourtement for belly dancing. A set of zils consists of four cymbals, two for each hand; one is worn on each thumb, and one on the middle finger of each hand. In Morocco, there is a style of playing the finger cymbals that employs only three finger cymbals: two on one hand, and one on the other hand.
Zils commonly have a diameter of about 5 cm (2 in). Accomplished dancers will often have a second — slightly larger — set for use in noisy situations. Dancers speak of silver tone and gold tone, and may have several sets with different tones for different dances, or of different colours to match different costumes.
Zils belong to the standard instruments used in Ottoman military bands and also occasionally appear as part of Western orchestral or other musical performances. In these cases musicians usually just call them finger cymbals and use them to obtain a ringing sound with "Middle Eastern" associations. Percussionists playing finger cymbals sometimes use a less complicated technique than the traditional one used by dancers. The musician holds one cymbal in each hand by gripping the strap between the thumb and the index finger, and plays them by striking the rims together. They use this technique for occasional flourishes in the music rather than for complex rhythms and sounds.
"… I heard from within the clash of slave bells and the bright sound of zills, or finger cymbals." — Explorers of Gor, page 21.
Special Note
Because of the differences in publishing the books, depending upon whether published in the U.S. or Europe, depending upon whether a first publishing or a Masquerade Books release, page numbers will often vary. All of my quotes are from original, first-printing U.S. publications (see The Books page for a listing of publishers and dates) with the exception of the following books:
- Tarnsman of Gor (2nd Printing, Balantine)
- Outlaw of Gor (11th Printing, Balantine)
- Priest-Kings of Gor (2nd Printing, Balantine)
- Assassin of Gor (10th Printing, Balantine)
- Raiders of Gor (15th Printing, Balantine)
- Captive of Gor (3rd Printing, Balantine)
Disclaimer
These pages are not written for any specific home, but rather as informational pages for those not able to get ahold of the books and read them yourself. Opinions and commentaries are strictly my own personal views, therefore, if you don't like what you are reading — then don't. The information in these pages is realistic to what is found within the books. Many sites have added information, assuming the existences of certain products and practices, such as willowbark and agrimony for healing, and travel to earth and back for the collection of goods. I've explored the books, the flora, the fauna, and the beasts, and have compiled from those mentioned, the probabilities of certain practices, and what vegetation mentioned in the books is suitable for healing purposes, as well as given practicalities to other sorts of roleplaying assumptions.