Ancient Greece was permeated by music, and the literature teems with musical allusions. Here at last is a clear, comprehensive, and authoritative account that presupposes no special knowledge of music. Topics covered include the place of music in Greek life, instruments, rhythm, tempo, modes and scales, melodic construction, form, ancient theory and notation, and historical development. Thirty surviving examples of Greek music are presented in modern transcription with analysis, and the book is fully illustrated. Besides being considered on its own terms, Greek music is here further illuminated by being considered in ethnological perspective, and a brief Epilogue sets it in its place in a border zone between Afro-Asiatic and European culture. The book will be of value both to classicists and historians of music.
Author(s): M. L. West
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Year: 1994
Language: English
Pages: 422
Contents......Page 6
List of Plates......Page 7
List of Figures......Page 10
Abbreviations......Page 11
Introduction......Page 14
Source material......Page 17
Musical preliminaries......Page 21
1. Music in Greek Life......Page 26
Public festivals......Page 27
Private ceremonial......Page 34
Domestic and personal music-making......Page 37
Music teaching......Page 49
Conclusion......Page 51
2. The Voice......Page 52
3. Stringed Instruments......Page 61
Lyres......Page 62
Box lyres (kitharas)......Page 64
Bowl lyres (lyra and barbitos)......Page 69
Lyres of unknown type......Page 72
Stringing and tuning......Page 74
Number of strings......Page 75
Playing technique......Page 77
Harps......Page 83
The sambyke......Page 88
Harps(?) of unknown type......Page 90
Zithers......Page 91
Lutes......Page 92
Auloi......Page 94
Organological classification......Page 95
Parts and accessories......Page 98
Sizes and species......Page 102
Aulos scales......Page 107
Overblowing......Page 114
The relation of the two pipes......Page 116
Auloi in performance......Page 118
The bagpipe......Page 120
The panpipe......Page 122
The flute......Page 125
The pitch pipe......Page 126
The organ......Page 127
The trumpet......Page 131
Conchs and horns......Page 134
Clappers......Page 135
Drums, cymbals, and cymbal-clappers......Page 137
Rattles and jingles......Page 139
Tuned percussion arrays......Page 141
Rhythm......Page 142
Beating time: 'Bars'......Page 146
Dactylic and anapaestic......Page 148
Iambic, choriambic, trochaic......Page 150
Paeonic......Page 153
Dochmiac......Page 155
Aeolic......Page 160
Juxtaposition of different rhythms......Page 164
Tempo......Page 166
Spondaic tempo......Page 168
Expanded beats......Page 169
The ethos of different rhythms......Page 170
The anatomy of the octave......Page 173
The anatomy of the fourth......Page 174
The advance of diatonicism......Page 177
Fine tuning......Page 179
Ambitus......Page 185
The Damonian scales......Page 187
Heptachord tunings......Page 188
Mode......Page 190
Mode in the post-Classical era......Page 197
General features of melody......Page 203
Tonal stability and modulation......Page 207
Chromaticism......Page 209
Words and music......Page 210
Voice and instrument. Heterophony......Page 218
Stichic form......Page 221
Strophic form......Page 222
Free form......Page 240
Nomos......Page 243
8. Theory......Page 246
The naming of notes......Page 247
Systematization of the modes......Page 251
Keys......Page 256
Calculation of harmonic ratios......Page 261
Rhythm......Page 270
Ethos......Page 274
Notation......Page 282
Pitch notation......Page 283
Origins of the pitch notation......Page 287
Rival systems......Page 291
Solmization......Page 293
Development and diffusion of notation......Page 297
Absolute Pitch......Page 301
Classical period......Page 305
Late Classical or Hellenistic period......Page 306
Later Hellenistic period......Page 307
Roman period......Page 308
Transcriptions......Page 311
3 Euripides, Oresres 338-44......Page 312
4 Euripides, Iphigeneia in Aulis 784-92......Page 314
11 Hymn To Asclepius, SEG 30.390......Page 315
12 Athenaeus, Paean......Page 316
13 Limenius, Paean and Processional......Page 321
15 Song of Seikilos......Page 329
16 Invocation of the Muse......Page 330
17 Mesomedes, Invocation of Calliope and Apollo......Page 331
18 Mesomedes, Hymn to the Sun......Page 332
19 Mesomedes, Hymn to Nemesis......Page 334
23-28 Instrumental exercises, Anon. Bellerm. 97-104......Page 337
29 Satyric drama (?), POxy. 2436 (col. ii 2-8)......Page 338
30 Oslo papyrus 1413, lines 1-15......Page 339
31 Same papyrus, lines 15-19......Page 341
32 Michigan papyrus 2958, lines 1-18......Page 342
34 POxy. 3704......Page 344
40 Berlin papyrus 6870, lines 1-12: paean......Page 345
41 Same papyrus, 13-15: first instrumental piece......Page 347
42 Same papyrus, 16-19: dramatic lament......Page 348
43 Same papyrus, 20-2: second instrumental piece......Page 349
45 POxy. 3161 recto......Page 350
46(C) Same papyrus, fr. 3 verso......Page 351
51 POxy. 1786: christian hymn......Page 352
The Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age......Page 355
The Early Archaic Period......Page 357
The Later Archaic Period......Page 364
Epigonus, Lasus, Simonides......Page 369
Pindar......Page 372
Regional traditions: Athens......Page 375
Tragedy......Page 378
Comedy......Page 383
The 'New Music'......Page 384
Melanippides......Page 385
Cinesias and Crexus......Page 387
Phrynis......Page 388
Timotheus......Page 389
Philoxenus......Page 392
Star Performers......Page 394
Resistance To the New Music......Page 397
The Later Centuries......Page 400
Artists' Guilds......Page 402
Varieties of Public Music......Page 404
Development of Instruments......Page 407
Musical Style......Page 409
Epilogue: Greece between Europe and Asia......Page 414
Music in Antiquity......Page 419
Individual Authors......Page 421
Stringed instruments......Page 423
Rhythm......Page 424
Ancient Theory......Page 425
Down to the Seventh Century......Page 426
Hellenistic......Page 427
Index......Page 428
