Written for four players of varying instrumentation, Hymns for Ninkasi is dedicated to the Ninkasi Percussion Quartet – Gregory Lyons, Gustavo Miranda, Oliver Molina, and Joe W Moore III. Ninkasi was the Sumerian Goddess of Beer and Brewing. She was associated with both the positive and negative consequences of the consumption of beer. The original Hymn to Ninkasi was written down in c. 1800 BCE and is much older, as evidenced by the techniques it details which scholars have determined were in use long before the hymn was written. The eight hymns can be played separately, or in entirety.
