What Music Sounded Like in the Time of Jesus

Psalms were the playlist

Psalms were sung at the Temple and in homes—memorized hymns more than sheet music. Most were call-and-response: someone led, the community replied.

Simple instruments, lively pulse

Levites used lyres, harps, cymbals and flutes; women often marked the beat with frame drums. No polyphonic choirs—single melodic lines with light variations.

Influences all around

Rooted in Jewish worship but set in a Mediterranean full of Greek and Roman sounds. Early Christians carried those chants into house gatherings long before any printed hymnals.