A n c i e n t G r e e k s
The early Greeks considered music to be of mathematical and cosmic significance as well. Pythagoras of Samos (circa 500 B.C.) discovered the frequency proportions that define the intervals we hear today. For example, two notes whose frequencies are in a ratio of 2 to 1, sound one octave apart. A ratio of 3 to 2 produces a fifth, a ratio of 4 to 3 produces a fourth, and a ratio of 9 to 8 produces a major second. Greek musicians and philosophers used a single-string instrument, known as the monochord, to produce the various intervals. Pythagorean philosophers believed that these ratios also governed the movement of celestial bodies and other cosmic matters. Thus, music came to be revered as the highest of intellectual and artistic pursuits. Music theorists of the second century A.D. such as Nicomachus of Gerasa and Claudius Ptolemy wrote extensively about the mathematical, moral, and cosmic significance of music. Ptolemy's treatise, Harmonics, is the most useful extant reference on ancient Greek music theory. Interpretations of ancient treatises have yielded common ground on the matter of rhythmic notation but much disagreement and speculation on the interpretation of pitch. The Greeks used a system of modes known as tonoi which may or may not be similar in concept to the scales we use today.
Precise music notation as known today did not exist in ancient Greece. The ancient Greeks developed a system using Greek letters to notate melodic contour and rhythmic proportions. About 15 examples of ancient Greek music notation exist today. Scholars have tried to realize these pieces by gathering all available information from literary sources of the time about the tonal and rhythmic systems in use together with what is known about the construction of early Greek instruments. As a result, scholars have made educated guesses about the sound of ancient Greek music. It is widely believed that ancient Greek music was monophonic (melody only) or heterophonic (many instruments simultaneously playing different versions of the same melody).
Many literary references, however, exist to describe the role of music in Greek culture and the effects of music on human behavior. Unlike modern music, ancient Greek music was an integrated part of many other art forms, particularly dance, drama, and poetry. The Iliad and Odyssey by Homer, for example, are lengthy poems that are intended to be sung as odes with the accompaniment of plucked string instruments like the lyre or kithara. It is perhaps because of this integration that Greek philosophers considered music to have great psychological and even supernatural powers. The Doctrine of ethos maintained that different types of music could affect human behavior. For example, music in the Dorian mode would cause persons to become reasonable and contemplative. Conversely, music in the Phrygian mode would cause persons to become passionate and belligerent. Orpheus, one of the great mythic men of Greece, was said to have the power to move objects and influence the gods with his music. The sound of a given instrument was also very powerful. For example, the lyre and the kithara were said to evoke reason and were linked to the worship of Apollo, the god of reason. Similarly, a double-reed instrument known as the aulos was said to evoke passion and was linked to the worship of Dionysus, the god of ecstasy. The perceived influence of music on behavior was so common that extensive discussions of the topic appear in many of the dialogues of Plato, especially The Republic.
Precise music notation as known today did not exist in ancient Greece. The ancient Greeks developed a system using Greek letters to notate melodic contour and rhythmic proportions. About 15 examples of ancient Greek music notation exist today. Scholars have tried to realize these pieces by gathering all available information from literary sources of the time about the tonal and rhythmic systems in use together with what is known about the construction of early Greek instruments. As a result, scholars have made educated guesses about the sound of ancient Greek music. It is widely believed that ancient Greek music was monophonic (melody only) or heterophonic (many instruments simultaneously playing different versions of the same melody).
Many literary references, however, exist to describe the role of music in Greek culture and the effects of music on human behavior. Unlike modern music, ancient Greek music was an integrated part of many other art forms, particularly dance, drama, and poetry. The Iliad and Odyssey by Homer, for example, are lengthy poems that are intended to be sung as odes with the accompaniment of plucked string instruments like the lyre or kithara. It is perhaps because of this integration that Greek philosophers considered music to have great psychological and even supernatural powers. The Doctrine of ethos maintained that different types of music could affect human behavior. For example, music in the Dorian mode would cause persons to become reasonable and contemplative. Conversely, music in the Phrygian mode would cause persons to become passionate and belligerent. Orpheus, one of the great mythic men of Greece, was said to have the power to move objects and influence the gods with his music. The sound of a given instrument was also very powerful. For example, the lyre and the kithara were said to evoke reason and were linked to the worship of Apollo, the god of reason. Similarly, a double-reed instrument known as the aulos was said to evoke passion and was linked to the worship of Dionysus, the god of ecstasy. The perceived influence of music on behavior was so common that extensive discussions of the topic appear in many of the dialogues of Plato, especially The Republic.
Reference
Ancient Greek Music.................M.L.West..................ISBN: 0-19-814975-1