Music In Ancient Greece

Gabby Schwartz

There were "staff cant notation" with four lines, similar to our staff lines today.

The Music in Ancient Greece was written differently than today.

These staff chant notations had a line that was clef, either middle C or the F below middle C. This is like our modern C clefs and bass clefs.

Notes and note groups were called neumes. A neume may carry only one syllable of text.

The Ancient Greeks played a variety of different instruments.

These are images of some of the many Ancient Greek musical instruments.

1) Harpsichord 2) Sackbut or Trombone 3) Tenor Shawn 4) Bass

As you can see, many of these instruments still exist today.

This image is titled “Three Musicians” or “The Concert” by the Master of Female Half-Lengths.

The painting illustrates the many ways in which music in Ancient Greece could be performed.

There is a flutist who reads the superius part (similar to soprano), a singer who sings the tenor part, and a lutenist who improvises the other voices from memory.

These are steps that indicate which tone to play or sing. This is an excerpt from a manuscript Musica enchiriadias.

This period of music, as you may be able to see, had music that featured remarkable rhythmic completion.

This is a page from the Squarcialupi Codex. As displayed in the image, much of the music in Ancient Greece was heavily illustrated.

This is the first portion of the superius part for the motet Laudate Dominium by Pierre de Manchicourt. This piece of music is using a type in which each note, rest, clef, or other sign includes the staff on which it sits. The notes written in Ancient Greece were usually in a diamond shape.

Many Historians found paintings, sculptures, and vases with pictures from ancient Greece that related to

music, often including various different forms of instruments on them and

many people singing.

Music is a very important aspect of Ancient Greek culture.

Music was played as entertainment, during feasts, and it often portrayed different emotions.

In the beginning, Penelope has to come down from her room and tell the suitors to stop the song that is playing because it makes her think of Odysseus and she starts weeping. Also, at Alkinoos Palace, they talk about how beautiful the instrument is that is playing.

In The Odyssey by Homer, music was played by a band during feasts, and invoked the characters emotions.

The Odyssey contains many areas where music is incorporated into the story and it is a significant part, even if it may not seem like it. The music often causes other things

to happen in the epic.

Music was a major part of Ancient Greek culture and

history and still holds a major aspect of their culture today.

♫ Thank You! ♪

Citations

• http://www.desy.de/gna/interpedia/greek_myth/olympian.html

• http://www.mythweb.com/gods/index.html• http://www.flutetunes.com/tunes.php?id=32

9• http://www.gods-and-monsters.com/hermes-

greek-god.html• http://www.gods-and-monsters.com/hermes-

greek-god.html• http://www.tapartoche.com/en/sheet-music.

php?name=naruto-heaven-shaking-event&partition=3368

• http://www.free-scores.com/download-sheet-music.php?pdf=20263