8/10/2019 Vocal Art in Antiquity
1/22
Vocal Art in AntiquityAuthor(s): Philip A. DueySource: The Musical Quarterly, Vol. 32, No. 3 (Jul., 1946), pp. 390-410Published by: Oxford University PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/739198.
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Vocal Art
in
Antiquity
ocal Art
in
Antiquity
ocal Art
in
Antiquity
ments of
the
Tragedy ;4
its
meaning
is obvious
to
him,
which
fact
indicates that
the actual vocal
practices
in connection with
tragedy
were so
well
understood as
to
require
no further
explanation
on
his
part.
The
above
quotation
from
the
Poetics
reveals the
typical
atti-
tude of
the ancients
towards
practical
music. The theoretical
trea-
tises
from
Euclid
to
St.
Augustine
have
enabled
scholars
to
recon-
struct
the
hypothetical
side of Greek
music,
but
they
are not
so
helpful
when it
comes to the
pragmatical.
However
this
quotation
does
reveal two
things,
first,
that music was
very
popular,
and
sec-
ond,
that
its
uses were
generally
well understood.
The bard was not considered of high estate among the early
Greeks,
a
circumstance that is more
or less
common to
all
ages
including
even our
own.
He was honored
only
to the
extent
that
he
could entertain
the rich and
mighty by recounting
and
praising
their
deeds
and
virtues;
and
the
fact that
the
well-being
of the
entertainer
depended
upon
the
pleasure
and
good
will of his
hearers
explains
the
flattering
and
equivocal
nature
of
these
Homeric
epics.
The
eighth
book of
the
Odyssey
throws
considerable
light
on
the
ancient Greek
performer.
Demodocus was called
in
during
the
feast, ... for surely God has granted him exceeding skill in song to
cheer us
in
whatever
way
his
soul
is
moved to
sing
.
.
. 5
He
was
invited to
sit
with them
and
join
in
the
feasting
and
drinking,
a
patronizing
and
condescending
gesture
on
their
part.
Then,
the
muse
impelled
the
bard
to
sing
men's
glorious
deeds ,
and
he
was
cheered on to
sing
by
the
Phaeacian
chiefs
for
they
enjoyed
the
story .
Later
at
the contests
a
page
brought
his tuneful
lyre
to
Demodocus ,
who
stepped
to the
center
of a
ring,
...
and
round him stood
young
men in
the first
bloom of
years,
skillful at danc-
ing
they
struck the
splendid
dance
ground
with their
feet;
Odysseus
watched
their
twinkling
feet and was
astonished.And
now
the
bard,
touching
his
lyre,
began
a
beautiful
song
about
the
loves
of Ares and
crowned
Aphrodite.6
And
at
the
opening
of Book
IX,
Odysseus
says,
. .
.
surely
it
is
a
pleasant
thing
to hear a
bard like
this
[Demodocus],
one
who
is
even like
the
gods
in
voice. For
more
complete
delight I think
there cannot
be
than when
good
cheer
possesses
whole
people,
and
feasting
through
the
houses
they
listen
to a
bard,
seated in
proper
order,
while beside
them stand
the
tables
4Ibid. See also
below,
definition of
melopoeia by
Cleonides,
p.
396.
5
Homer,
The
Odyssey,
transl.
by
G.
H.
Palmer,
Cambridge,
Mass.,
1929,
Book
VIII,
P.
91
[43-45]-
6Ibid.,
p.
96
[262-67].
ments of
the
Tragedy ;4
its
meaning
is obvious
to
him,
which
fact
indicates that
the actual vocal
practices
in connection with
tragedy
were so
well
understood as
to
require
no further
explanation
on
his
part.
The
above
quotation
from
the
Poetics
reveals the
typical
atti-
tude of
the ancients
towards
practical
music. The theoretical
trea-
tises
from
Euclid
to
St.
Augustine
have
enabled
scholars
to
recon-
struct
the
hypothetical
side of Greek
music,
but
they
are not
so
helpful
when it
comes to the
pragmatical.
However
this
quotation
does
reveal two
things,
first,
that music was
very
popular,
and
sec-
ond,
that
its
uses were
generally
well understood.
The bard was not considered of high estate among the early
Greeks,
a
circumstance that is more
or less
common to
all
ages
including
even our
own.
He was honored
only
to the
extent
that
he
could entertain
the rich and
mighty by recounting
and
praising
their
deeds
and
virtues;
and
the
fact that
the
well-being
of the
entertainer
depended
upon
the
pleasure
and
good
will of his
hearers
explains
the
flattering
and
equivocal
nature
of
these
Homeric
epics.
The
eighth
book of
the
Odyssey
throws
considerable
light
on
the
ancient Greek
performer.
Demodocus was called
in
during
the
feast, ... for surely God has granted him exceeding skill in song to
cheer us
in
whatever
way
his
soul
is
moved to
sing
.
.
. 5
He
was
invited to
sit
with them
and
join
in
the
feasting
and
drinking,
a
patronizing
and
condescending
gesture
on
their
part.
Then,
the
muse
impelled
the
bard
to
sing
men's
glorious
deeds ,
and
he
was
cheered on to
sing
by
the
Phaeacian
chiefs
for
they
enjoyed
the
story .
Later
at
the contests
a
page
brought
his tuneful
lyre
to
Demodocus ,
who
stepped
to the
center
of a
ring,
...
and
round him stood
young
men in
the first
bloom of
years,
skillful at danc-
ing
they
struck the
splendid
dance
ground
with their
feet;
Odysseus
watched
their
twinkling
feet and was
astonished.And
now
the
bard,
touching
his
lyre,
began
a
beautiful
song
about
the
loves
of Ares and
crowned
Aphrodite.6
And
at
the
opening
of Book
IX,
Odysseus
says,
. .
.
surely
it
is
a
pleasant
thing
to hear a
bard like
this
[Demodocus],
one
who
is
even like
the
gods
in
voice. For
more
complete
delight I think
there cannot
be
than when
good
cheer
possesses
whole
people,
and
feasting
through
the
houses
they
listen
to a
bard,
seated in
proper
order,
while beside
them stand
the
tables
4Ibid. See also
below,
definition of
melopoeia by
Cleonides,
p.
396.
5
Homer,
The
Odyssey,
transl.
by
G.
H.
Palmer,
Cambridge,
Mass.,
1929,
Book
VIII,
P.
91
[43-45]-
6Ibid.,
p.
96
[262-67].
ments of
the
Tragedy ;4
its
meaning
is obvious
to
him,
which
fact
indicates that
the actual vocal
practices
in connection with
tragedy
were so
well
understood as
to
require
no further
explanation
on
his
part.
The
above
quotation
from
the
Poetics
reveals the
typical
atti-
tude of
the ancients
towards
practical
music. The theoretical
trea-
tises
from
Euclid
to
St.
Augustine
have
enabled
scholars
to
recon-
struct
the
hypothetical
side of Greek
music,
but
they
are not
so
helpful
when it
comes to the
pragmatical.
However
this
quotation
does
reveal two
things,
first,
that music was
very
popular,
and
sec-
ond,
that
its
uses were
generally
well understood.
The bard was not considered of high estate among the early
Greeks,
a
circumstance that is more
or less
common to
all
ages
including
even our
own.
He was honored
only
to the
extent
that
he
could entertain
the rich and
mighty by recounting
and
praising
their
deeds
and
virtues;
and
the
fact that
the
well-being
of the
entertainer
depended
upon
the
pleasure
and
good
will of his
hearers
explains
the
flattering
and
equivocal
nature
of
these
Homeric
epics.
The
eighth
book of
the
Odyssey
throws
considerable
light
on
the
ancient Greek
performer.
Demodocus was called
in
during
the
feast, ... for surely God has granted him exceeding skill in song to
cheer us
in
whatever
way
his
soul
is
moved to
sing
.
.
. 5
He
was
invited to
sit
with them
and
join
in
the
feasting
and
drinking,
a
patronizing
and
condescending
gesture
on
their
part.
Then,
the
muse
impelled
the
bard
to
sing
men's
glorious
deeds ,
and
he
was
cheered on to
sing
by
the
Phaeacian
chiefs
for
they
enjoyed
the
story .
Later
at
the contests
a
page
brought
his tuneful
lyre
to
Demodocus ,
who
stepped
to the
center
of a
ring,
...
and
round him stood
young
men in
the first
bloom of
years,
skillful at danc-
ing
they
struck the
splendid
dance
ground
with their
feet;
Odysseus
watched
their
twinkling
feet and was
astonished.And
now
the
bard,
touching
his
lyre,
began
a
beautiful
song
about
the
loves
of Ares and
crowned
Aphrodite.6
And
at
the
opening
of Book
IX,
Odysseus
says,
. .
.
surely
it
is
a
pleasant
thing
to hear a
bard like
this
[Demodocus],
one
who
is
even like
the
gods
in
voice. For
more
complete
delight I think
there cannot
be
than when
good
cheer
possesses
whole
people,
and
feasting
through
the
houses
they
listen
to a
bard,
seated in
proper
order,
while beside
them stand
the
tables
4Ibid. See also
below,
definition of
melopoeia by
Cleonides,
p.
396.
5
Homer,
The
Odyssey,
transl.
by
G.
H.
Palmer,
Cambridge,
Mass.,
1929,
Book
VIII,
P.
91
[43-45]-
6Ibid.,
p.
96
[262-67].
3919191
This content downloaded from 161.116.100.129 on Thu, 2 Oct 2014 17:03:22 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp8/10/2019 Vocal Art in Antiquity
4/22
The Musical
Quarterly
he Musical
Quarterly
he Musical
Quarterly
supplied
with
bread
and
meat,
and
dipping
wine
from out the mixer the
pourer
bears
it
round
and fills
the
cups.
This is a
sight
most
pleasing.7
All
of
which shows
these
things-first,
that
the
singing
was
of
an
improvisatory
nature; second, that the
singer accompanied
himself
on the
lyre;
third,
that
his
subject
matter
not
only
included
the
valorous
deeds of
gods
and men
but
their
amours
as
well;
fourth,
that
the bard
provided
the
accompaniment
for
dancing
with
his
lyre
and
that
this music must
have had a
definite
rhythm;
and
last,
it offers an
idea of
the
social
standing
of
the
bards themselves.
Respect
and
honor came to
them
only
as
they
could
delight
their
audiences,
and
their art
was
rated with food and drink as
making
the occasion a merry one. Only after winning the favor of the
chieftain
and
his
household
was the bard
given lodging
and food.
The
extant
fragments
of
the
Margites, dating
after
700
B.
C.,
afford
an
interesting
early commentary
on the
impractical
nature
of
the
artist.
There came to
Colophon
an old man and
divine
singer,
a
servant of
the
Muses
and
of
far-shooting Apollo.
In
his dear hands he held a sweet-toned
lyre.
He knew
many
things
but knew all
badly....
The
gods
had
taught
him
neither
to
dig
nor
to
plough,
nor
any
other
skill;
he
failed in
every
craft.8
The improvisatory character of Homeric chant is
very strongly
indicated
by
the
opening
lines from The Battle
of
the
Frogs
and
Mice,
popularly
attributed to
Homer:9
Here
I
begin:
and
first
I
pray
the
choir of Muses
to come down
from
Helicon
into
my
heart
to
aid
the
lay
which I
have
newly
written
in
tablets
upon
my
knee. 10 This is stout evidence
that
the text
was
composed
before-
hand
but that the
melody
was the
inspiration
of
the
moment.
Perhaps
the
ex
tempore
nature
of this
music is best
illustrated
by
the
famous
Contest
of
Homer and
Hesiod.1'
Quite likely
no
such
contest
ever
took
place,
since the
probable
dates of their
lives
do
not even
overlap,
but
the
convention of
poets
and
minstrels
con-
tending
for
prizes
was
of
great antiquity,
the
first recorded
instance
in
Greek
literature
being
found in
the
Iliad12,
where
Thamyris
the
Thracian
singer
boasts that he
can
triumph
over
the Muses
them-
selves.
Because
of the
universal
popularity
of such
contests,
it
is no
wonder
that
legend
would
have the two
greatest
of the
early
Greek
7
Ibid.,
IX,
1-11.
s
Homeric
Hymns,
transl.
by
H.
G.
Evelyn-White
(Loeb),
London,
1914, p. 537.
9
It
may
have been written as late
as
480
B.
C.
10
Homeric
Hymns,
p.
541.
1
Ibid.,
pp.
567-97.
12
Homer,
The
Iliad,
transl.
by
A. T.
Murray (Loeb),
N.
Y.,
1924,
Bk.
II,
594
if.
supplied
with
bread
and
meat,
and
dipping
wine
from out the mixer the
pourer
bears
it
round
and fills
the
cups.
This is a
sight
most
pleasing.7
All
of
which shows
these
things-first,
that
the
singing
was
of
an
improvisatory
nature; second, that the
singer accompanied
himself
on the
lyre;
third,
that
his
subject
matter
not
only
included
the
valorous
deeds of
gods
and men
but
their
amours
as
well;
fourth,
that
the bard
provided
the
accompaniment
for
dancing
with
his
lyre
and
that
this music must
have had a
definite
rhythm;
and
last,
it offers an
idea of
the
social
standing
of
the
bards themselves.
Respect
and
honor came to
them
only
as
they
could
delight
their
audiences,
and
their art
was
rated with food and drink as
making
the occasion a merry one. Only after winning the favor of the
chieftain
and
his
household
was the bard
given lodging
and food.
The
extant
fragments
of
the
Margites, dating
after
700
B.
C.,
afford
an
interesting
early commentary
on the
impractical
nature
of
the
artist.
There came to
Colophon
an old man and
divine
singer,
a
servant of
the
Muses
and
of
far-shooting Apollo.
In
his dear hands he held a sweet-toned
lyre.
He knew
many
things
but knew all
badly....
The
gods
had
taught
him
neither
to
dig
nor
to
plough,
nor
any
other
skill;
he
failed in
every
craft.8
The improvisatory character of Homeric chant is
very strongly
indicated
by
the
opening
lines from The Battle
of
the
Frogs
and
Mice,
popularly
attributed to
Homer:9
Here
I
begin:
and
first
I
pray
the
choir of Muses
to come down
from
Helicon
into
my
heart
to
aid
the
lay
which I
have
newly
written
in
tablets
upon
my
knee. 10 This is stout evidence
that
the text
was
composed
before-
hand
but that the
melody
was the
inspiration
of
the
moment.
Perhaps
the
ex
tempore
nature
of this
music is best
illustrated
by
the
famous
Contest
of
Homer and
Hesiod.1'
Quite likely
no
such
contest
ever
took
place,
since the
probable
dates of their
lives
do
not even
overlap,
but
the
convention of
poets
and
minstrels
con-
tending
for
prizes
was
of
great antiquity,
the
first recorded
instance
in
Greek
literature
being
found in
the
Iliad12,
where
Thamyris
the
Thracian
singer
boasts that he
can
triumph
over
the Muses
them-
selves.
Because
of the
universal
popularity
of such
contests,
it
is no
wonder
that
legend
would
have the two
greatest
of the
early
Greek
7
Ibid.,
IX,
1-11.
s
Homeric
Hymns,
transl.
by
H.
G.
Evelyn-White
(Loeb),
London,
1914, p. 537.
9
It
may
have been written as late
as
480
B.
C.
10
Homeric
Hymns,
p.
541.
1
Ibid.,
pp.
567-97.
12
Homer,
The
Iliad,
transl.
by
A. T.
Murray (Loeb),
N.
Y.,
1924,
Bk.
II,
594
if.
supplied
with
bread
and
meat,
and
dipping
wine
from out the mixer the
pourer
bears
it
round
and fills
the
cups.
This is a
sight
most
pleasing.7
All
of
which shows
these
things-first,
that
the
singing
was
of
an
improvisatory
nature; second, that the
singer accompanied
himself
on the
lyre;
third,
that
his
subject
matter
not
only
included
the
valorous
deeds of
gods
and men
but
their
amours
as
well;
fourth,
that
the bard
provided
the
accompaniment
for
dancing
with
his
lyre
and
that
this music must
have had a
definite
rhythm;
and
last,
it offers an
idea of
the
social
standing
of
the
bards themselves.
Respect
and
honor came to
them
only
as
they
could
delight
their
audiences,
and
their art
was
rated with food and drink as
making
the occasion a merry one. Only after winning the favor of the
chieftain
and
his
household
was the bard
given lodging
and food.
The
extant
fragments
of
the
Margites, dating
after
700
B.
C.,
afford
an
interesting
early commentary
on the
impractical
nature
of
the
artist.
There came to
Colophon
an old man and
divine
singer,
a
servant of
the
Muses
and
of
far-shooting Apollo.
In
his dear hands he held a sweet-toned
lyre.
He knew
many
things
but knew all
badly....
The
gods
had
taught
him
neither
to
dig
nor
to
plough,
nor
any
other
skill;
he
failed in
every
craft.8
The improvisatory character of Homeric chant is
very strongly
indicated
by
the
opening
lines from The Battle
of
the
Frogs
and
Mice,
popularly
attributed to
Homer:9
Here
I
begin:
and
first
I
pray
the
choir of Muses
to come down
from
Helicon
into
my
heart
to
aid
the
lay
which I
have
newly
written
in
tablets
upon
my
knee. 10 This is stout evidence
that
the text
was
composed
before-
hand
but that the
melody
was the
inspiration
of
the
moment.
Perhaps
the
ex
tempore
nature
of this
music is best
illustrated
by
the
famous
Contest
of
Homer and
Hesiod.1'
Quite likely
no
such
contest
ever
took
place,
since the
probable
dates of their
lives
do
not even
overlap,
but
the
convention of
poets
and
minstrels
con-
tending
for
prizes
was
of
great antiquity,
the
first recorded
instance
in
Greek
literature
being
found in
the
Iliad12,
where
Thamyris
the
Thracian
singer
boasts that he
can
triumph
over
the Muses
them-
selves.
Because
of the
universal
popularity
of such
contests,
it
is no
wonder
that
legend
would
have the two
greatest
of the
early
Greek
7
Ibid.,
IX,
1-11.
s
Homeric
Hymns,
transl.
by
H.
G.
Evelyn-White
(Loeb),
London,
1914, p. 537.
9
It
may
have been written as late
as
480
B.
C.
10
Homeric
Hymns,
p.
541.
1
Ibid.,
pp.
567-97.
12
Homer,
The
Iliad,
transl.
by
A. T.
Murray (Loeb),
N.
Y.,
1924,
Bk.
II,
594
if.
3929292
This content downloaded from 161.116.100.129 on Thu, 2 Oct 2014 17:03:22 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp8/10/2019 Vocal Art in Antiquity
5/22
Vocal
Art in
Antiquity
ocal
Art in
Antiquity
ocal
Art in
Antiquity
poets pitted
against
one another
in
a
traditional
test
of
performing
skill.
The
evidence
of
spontaneous
inspiration
on
the
part
of
the
performers
in
this
engaging
tale
can
be
compared
with
that afforded
by
the
extemporization
contests
participated
in
by
Bach, Mozart,
Beethoven,
and
others
in
modern
times.
By
Plato's
day many
changes
had taken
place
and
many
musi-
cian-poets
had
made their mark.
Elegiac,
iambic,
and
lyric
poetry
had
followed
upon
the
epics
of
mythological
chieftains
and
kings.
These new and
more
polished
modes
of
expression
gave greater
depth
and
variety
to
the
poetic
utterances
of
the
singers
and
had
as
a
concomitant
a
broadening
of
subject
matter from
what
was
a
more
or less elevated treatment of the deeds of gods and ancestors to the
problems
of
everyday
life-politics,
war,
bucolic
love,
philosophy,
etc.
The
drama,
both
tragedy
and
comedy,
came
into
being
as
a
result of
these
changed
means
of
expression
and
subject
matter
fructified
by
the
Apollonian
and
the
Dionysian
religious
festivals.
We
cannot examine
the
important part
taken
by
music
in
this
lyrico-dramatic
development
except
to
say
that
it was
essential,
that
it
forsook the
temples
and
took
up
its
abode
in
the
theaters,
that
there it was
subjected
to
and
influenced
by
popular
tastes,
and
that
while there it deteriorated, at least so the
philosophers
say,
in the
hands
of the
performers
and
professional
musicians. Plato
says,
Novelties
are
always
being
introduced
owing
to
disorderly
tastes .l3
And
from
here on
the
philosophers
and
later
the
ecclesi-
astics
always
inveigh
against
secular
influence in
general
and
per-
forming
musicians
in
particular.
After
paying
his
respects
to
the
skill and
aptitude
of
the
professional
musical
artist,
Plato
sum-
marily
dismisses
him
from
his
perfect
state.l4
He reasons that to be
a successful and popular singer the artist must cater to the prevail-
ing vulgarities
of
the
multitude, which,
of
necessity,
must
cheapen
his
art,15
a
point
of
view that
is reflected
by
and
large
until
the
rise
of
Humanism,
and
to
some extent
to
our
present
day.
But
if Plato
would
have
nothing
to
do
with the
professional
musician-performer,
he
assigned
an
important
role to music and its
practice
in
the cultural
life of
the nation. In
the
Laws,
written
when
he
was advanced in
age
and
intended
as
a
summation
of his
life's
teachings,
he
stresses at
great
length
the
importance
of
music
in
the
training and education of the young. Says Plato: The well edu-
13
Plato,
Laws,
transl.
by
R. G.
Bury (Loeb),
N.
Y.,
1926,
66o.
14
The
Republic,
transl.
by
Paul
Shorey (Loeb),
N.
Y.,
1930, 568B,
595A, 607-o8.
15
Laws,
659.
poets pitted
against
one another
in
a
traditional
test
of
performing
skill.
The
evidence
of
spontaneous
inspiration
on
the
part
of
the
performers
in
this
engaging
tale
can
be
compared
with
that afforded
by
the
extemporization
contests
participated
in
by
Bach, Mozart,
Beethoven,
and
others
in
modern
times.
By
Plato's
day many
changes
had taken
place
and
many
musi-
cian-poets
had
made their mark.
Elegiac,
iambic,
and
lyric
poetry
had
followed
upon
the
epics
of
mythological
chieftains
and
kings.
These new and
more
polished
modes
of
expression
gave greater
depth
and
variety
to
the
poetic
utterances
of
the
singers
and
had
as
a
concomitant
a
broadening
of
subject
matter from
what
was
a
more
or less elevated treatment of the deeds of gods and ancestors to the
problems
of
everyday
life-politics,
war,
bucolic
love,
philosophy,
etc.
The
drama,
both
tragedy
and
comedy,
came
into
being
as
a
result of
these
changed
means
of
expression
and
subject
matter
fructified
by
the
Apollonian
and
the
Dionysian
religious
festivals.
We
cannot examine
the
important part
taken
by
music
in
this
lyrico-dramatic
development
except
to
say
that
it was
essential,
that
it
forsook the
temples
and
took
up
its
abode
in
the
theaters,
that
there it was
subjected
to
and
influenced
by
popular
tastes,
and
that
while there it deteriorated, at least so the
philosophers
say,
in the
hands
of the
performers
and
professional
musicians. Plato
says,
Novelties
are
always
being
introduced
owing
to
disorderly
tastes .l3
And
from
here on
the
philosophers
and
later
the
ecclesi-
astics
always
inveigh
against
secular
influence in
general
and
per-
forming
musicians
in
particular.
After
paying
his
respects
to
the
skill and
aptitude
of
the
professional
musical
artist,
Plato
sum-
marily
dismisses
him
from
his
perfect
state.l4
He reasons that to be
a successful and popular singer the artist must cater to the prevail-
ing vulgarities
of
the
multitude, which,
of
necessity,
must
cheapen
his
art,15
a
point
of
view that
is reflected
by
and
large
until
the
rise
of
Humanism,
and
to
some extent
to
our
present
day.
But
if Plato
would
have
nothing
to
do
with the
professional
musician-performer,
he
assigned
an
important
role to music and its
practice
in
the cultural
life of
the nation. In
the
Laws,
written
when
he
was advanced in
age
and
intended
as
a
summation
of his
life's
teachings,
he
stresses at
great
length
the
importance
of
music
in
the
training and education of the young. Says Plato: The well edu-
13
Plato,
Laws,
transl.
by
R. G.
Bury (Loeb),
N.
Y.,
1926,
66o.
14
The
Republic,
transl.
by
Paul
Shorey (Loeb),
N.
Y.,
1930, 568B,
595A, 607-o8.
15
Laws,
659.
poets pitted
against
one another
in
a
traditional
test
of
performing
skill.
The
evidence
of
spontaneous
inspiration
on
the
part
of
the
performers
in
this
engaging
tale
can
be
compared
with
that afforded
by
the
extemporization
contests
participated
in
by
Bach, Mozart,
Beethoven,
and
others
in
modern
times.
By
Plato's
day many
changes
had taken
place
and
many
musi-
cian-poets
had
made their mark.
Elegiac,
iambic,
and
lyric
poetry
had
followed
upon
the
epics
of
mythological
chieftains
and
kings.
These new and
more
polished
modes
of
expression
gave greater
depth
and
variety
to
the
poetic
utterances
of
the
singers
and
had
as
a
concomitant
a
broadening
of
subject
matter from
what
was
a
more
or less elevated treatment of the deeds of gods and ancestors to the
problems
of
everyday
life-politics,
war,
bucolic
love,
philosophy,
etc.
The
drama,
both
tragedy
and
comedy,
came
into
being
as
a
result of
these
changed
means
of
expression
and
subject
matter
fructified
by
the
Apollonian
and
the
Dionysian
religious
festivals.
We
cannot examine
the
important part
taken
by
music
in
this
lyrico-dramatic
development
except
to
say
that
it was
essential,
that
it
forsook the
temples
and
took
up
its
abode
in
the
theaters,
that
there it was
subjected
to
and
influenced
by
popular
tastes,
and
that
while there it deteriorated, at least so the
philosophers
say,
in the
hands
of the
performers
and
professional
musicians. Plato
says,
Novelties
are
always
being
introduced
owing
to
disorderly
tastes .l3
And
from
here on
the
philosophers
and
later
the
ecclesi-
astics
always
inveigh
against
secular
influence in
general
and
per-
forming
musicians
in
particular.
After
paying
his
respects
to
the
skill and
aptitude
of
the
professional
musical
artist,
Plato
sum-
marily
dismisses
him
from
his
perfect
state.l4
He reasons that to be
a successful and popular singer the artist must cater to the prevail-
ing vulgarities
of
the
multitude, which,
of
necessity,
must
cheapen
his
art,15
a
point
of
view that
is reflected
by
and
large
until
the
rise
of
Humanism,
and
to
some extent
to
our
present
day.
But
if Plato
would
have
nothing
to
do
with the
professional
musician-performer,
he
assigned
an
important
role to music and its
practice
in
the cultural
life of
the nation. In
the
Laws,
written
when
he
was advanced in
age
and
intended
as
a
summation
of his
life's
teachings,
he
stresses at
great
length
the
importance
of
music
in
the
training and education of the young. Says Plato: The well edu-
13
Plato,
Laws,
transl.
by
R. G.
Bury (Loeb),
N.
Y.,
1926,
66o.
14
The
Republic,
transl.
by
Paul
Shorey (Loeb),
N.
Y.,
1930, 568B,
595A, 607-o8.
15
Laws,
659.
3939393
This content downloaded from 161.116.100.129 on Thu, 2 Oct 2014 17:03:22 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp8/10/2019 Vocal Art in Antiquity
6/22
The
Musical
Quarterly
he
Musical
Quarterly
he
Musical
Quarterly
cated man
will
be able both
to
sing
and
dance
well ,'6
but he
should
sing
good
songs
and dance
good
dances.
Music should
not
be
used
merely
to
pander
to
the
low tastes
of
the
populace
but should
be
treated rather
as an
educational
medium
for
the
elevation
of
public
morals.
He recommends
the
choric
art ,
which embraces
both dance and
song,
as
being
the best for the
training
and
develop-
ment
of
the
body
and soul
of the
young,
although great
care
must
be taken
that the dances and
songs
are of
the
proper
sort. Those
taking
part
should
be divided
into three
groups:
first,
the
young
boys;
second,
the
young
men
up
to
thirty;
and
third,
the
older men
from
thirty
to
sixty.
This
last
group
is rated the
most
important,
so that by singing its noblest songs it can do the most good .
As
has
already
been
mentioned,
the
theory
of Greek
music
was
highly
developed
and
is
revealed
in
a
large
number
of
treatises. On
the other
hand,
performance
practices
do
not fare so
well.
Pytha-
goras,
who
deeply
influenced
the
ancients,
and
through
St.
Augus-
tine
and
Boethius the Middle
Ages,
as well as our
own
era,
is
thus
spoken
of
by
Plutarch:
Pythagoras,
that
grave
philosopher,
rejected
the
judging
of
music
by
the
senses,
affirming
that the virtue
of
music could
be
appreciated
only
by
the in-
tellect. And therefore he did not
judge
of music
by
the ear, but
by
the har-
monical
proportion,
and
thought
it
sufficient to
fix
the
knowledge
of
music
within
the
compass
of
the
diapason.17
This
might
well be said of
most of
the ancient
theorists,
and we
seek
but
do not find
any
mention of how
to
become
a
skilled
singer.
Not
all
of
the
ancient
musicographers,
however,
limited
them-
selves
to science
and
pure
reason.
There were those who
considered
music
from its
practical
and
functional
aspects,
where
it
tended
to
degenerate
into
empiricism ,
whereas
with
the
Pythagoreans
it
lost
itself in Mathematical
Physics .'8
The
scientific
approach
to
music
represented
by
Pythagoras,
Euclid,
Ptolemy,
Porphyry,
Nicho-
machus,
and
Alypius,
is almost
wholly
lacking
in clues to
vocal
practices.
The
first
and most
important
of those
who
explain
and
define the
materials
used in
music
is Aristoxenus.
In
the
first book of
the
Harmonics he
frequently
speaks
of
voice in connection with
interval
and
pitch.
The
primarily
vocal nature of Greek music is
attested
by
his
statements
concerning
these two:
16
Ibid.,
654.
17
Plutarch,
Moralia,
transl.
by
several
hands,
ed.
W. W.
Goodwin, Boston,
1870,
5
vols.
(Vol.
I,
pp.
102-35,
De
Musica,
Ch.
37.)
18
Henry
S.
Macran,
The
Harmonics
of
Aristoxenus,
Oxford,
1902,
pp.
87
if.
cated man
will
be able both
to
sing
and
dance
well ,'6
but he
should
sing
good
songs
and dance
good
dances.
Music should
not
be
used
merely
to
pander
to
the
low tastes
of
the
populace
but should
be
treated rather
as an
educational
medium
for
the
elevation
of
public
morals.
He recommends
the
choric
art ,
which embraces
both dance and
song,
as
being
the best for the
training
and
develop-
ment
of
the
body
and soul
of the
young,
although great
care
must
be taken
that the dances and
songs
are of
the
proper
sort. Those
taking
part
should
be divided
into three
groups:
first,
the
young
boys;
second,
the
young
men
up
to
thirty;
and
third,
the
older men
from
thirty
to
sixty.
This
last
group
is rated the
most
important,
so that by singing its noblest songs it can do the most good .
As
has
already
been
mentioned,
the
theory
of Greek
music
was
highly
developed
and
is
revealed
in
a
large
number
of
treatises. On
the other
hand,
performance
practices
do
not fare so
well.
Pytha-
goras,
who
deeply
influenced
the
ancients,
and
through
St.
Augus-
tine
and
Boethius the Middle
Ages,
as well as our
own
era,
is
thus
spoken
of
by
Plutarch:
Pythagoras,
that
grave
philosopher,
rejected
the
judging
of
music
by
the
senses,
affirming
that the virtue
of
music could
be
appreciated
only
by
the in-
tellect. And therefore he did not
judge
of music
by
the ear, but
by
the har-
monical
proportion,
and
thought
it
sufficient to
fix
the
knowledge
of
music
within
the
compass
of
the
diapason.17
This
might
well be said of
most of
the ancient
theorists,
and we
seek
but
do not find
any
mention of how
to
become
a
skilled
singer.
Not
all
of
the
ancient
musicographers,
however,
limited
them-
selves
to science
and
pure
reason.
There were those who
considered
music
from its
practical
and
functional
aspects,
where
it
tended
to
degenerate
into
empiricism ,
whereas
with
the
Pythagoreans
it
lost
itself in Mathematical
Physics .'8
The
scientific
approach
to
music
represented
by
Pythagoras,
Euclid,
Ptolemy,
Porphyry,
Nicho-
machus,
and
Alypius,
is almost
wholly
lacking
in clues to
vocal
practices.
The
first
and most
important
of those
who
explain
and
define the
materials
used in
music
is Aristoxenus.
In
the
first book of
the
Harmonics he
frequently
speaks
of
voice in connection with
interval
and
pitch.
The
primarily
vocal nature of Greek music is
attested
by
his
statements
concerning
these two:
16
Ibid.,
654.
17
Plutarch,
Moralia,
transl.
by
several
hands,
ed.
W. W.
Goodwin, Boston,
1870,
5
vols.
(Vol.
I,
pp.
102-35,
De
Musica,
Ch.
37.)
18
Henry
S.
Macran,
The
Harmonics
of
Aristoxenus,
Oxford,
1902,
pp.
87
if.
cated man
will
be able both
to
sing
and
dance
well ,'6
but he
should
sing
good
songs
and dance
good
dances.
Music should
not
be
used
merely
to
pander
to
the
low tastes
of
the
populace
but should
be
treated rather
as an
educational
medium
for
the
elevation
of
public
morals.
He recommends
the
choric
art ,
which embraces
both dance and
song,
as
being
the best for the
training
and
develop-
ment
of
the
body
and soul
of the
young,
although great
care
must
be taken
that the dances and
songs
are of
the
proper
sort. Those
taking
part
should
be divided
into three
groups:
first,
the
young
boys;
second,
the
young
men
up
to
thirty;
and
third,
the
older men
from
thirty
to
sixty.
This
last
group
is rated the
most
important,
so that by singing its noblest songs it can do the most good .
As
has
already
been
mentioned,
the
theory
of Greek
music
was
highly
developed
and
is
revealed
in
a
large
number
of
treatises. On
the other
hand,
performance
practices
do
not fare so
well.
Pytha-
goras,
who
deeply
influenced
the
ancients,
and
through
St.
Augus-
tine
and
Boethius the Middle
Ages,
as well as our
own
era,
is
thus
spoken
of
by
Plutarch:
Pythagoras,
that
grave
philosopher,
rejected
the
judging
of
music
by
the
senses,
affirming
that the virtue
of
music could
be
appreciated
only
by
the in-
tellect. And therefore he did not
judge
of music
by
the ear, but
by
the har-
monical
proportion,
and
thought
it
sufficient to
fix
the
knowledge
of
music
within
the
compass
of
the
diapason.17
This
might
well be said of
most of
the ancient
theorists,
and we
seek
but
do not find
any
mention of how
to
become
a
skilled
singer.
Not
all
of
the
ancient
musicographers,
however,
limited
them-
selves
to science
and
pure
reason.
There were those who
considered
music
from its
practical
and
functional
aspects,
where
it
tended
to
degenerate
into
empiricism ,
whereas
with
the
Pythagoreans
it
lost
itself in Mathematical
Physics .'8
The
scientific
approach
to
music
represented
by
Pythagoras,
Euclid,
Ptolemy,
Porphyry,
Nicho-
machus,
and
Alypius,
is almost
wholly
lacking
in clues to
vocal
practices.
The
first
and most
important
of those
who
explain
and
define the
materials
used in
music
is Aristoxenus.
In
the
first book of
the
Harmonics he
frequently
speaks
of
voice in connection with
interval
and
pitch.
The
primarily
vocal nature of Greek music is
attested
by
his
statements
concerning
these two:
16
Ibid.,
654.
17
Plutarch,
Moralia,
transl.
by
several
hands,
ed.
W. W.
Goodwin, Boston,
1870,
5
vols.
(Vol.
I,
pp.
102-35,
De
Musica,
Ch.
37.)
18
Henry
S.
Macran,
The
Harmonics
of
Aristoxenus,
Oxford,
1902,
pp.
87
if.
3949494
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7/22
Vocal
Art
in
Antiquity
ocal
Art
in
Antiquity
ocal
Art
in
Antiquity
For
every
musical instrument
and
for
every
human
voice
there
is
a
maximum
compass
which
they
cannot
exceed,
and a
minimum
interval,
less
than
which
they
cannot
produce.
No
organ
of
sound can
indefinitely
enlarge
its
range
or
indefinitely
reduce its
intervals: in
both cases
it
reaches
a
limit. Each
of
these
limits must be
determined
by
a
reference to that
which
produces
the
sound
and
to
that
which
discriminates it-the
voice,
namely,
and
the ear.
What the
voice
cannot
produce
and
the
ear cannot
discriminate
must be
excluded
from
the
available and
practically
possible
range
of
musical
sound....
The
power
of
the
ear
may
perhaps
be
considered
to stretch
beyond
that of
the
voice,
though
to
no
great
distance.19
In
addition
to
the
delimiting
of
the
musical
scale to
the
compass
of
the
voice,
here is
a
comprehension
of vocal
range,
the considera-
tion of
which
has
always
been
of
great
importance
in
voice
training.
The only point of further interest for our particular purposes in
Aristoxenus
is his
differentiation
between
singing
and
speaking:
Continuous
motion
[of
the
voice]
we call
the
motion of
speech,
as
in
speaking
the
voice
moves
without
ever
seeming
to come
to
a
standstill.
The
reverse
is
the
case with
the
other
motion,
which
we designate
motion
by
intervals: in
that
the
voice
does
seem
to
become
stationary,
and
not
to
speak
but
to
sing.
Hence
in
ordinary
conversation
we
avoid
bringing
the
voice to a
standstill,
unless
occa-
sionally
forced
by
strong
feeling
to
resort
to such
a
motion;
whereas
in
singing
we act in
precisely
the
opposite
way,
avoiding
continuous
motion
and
making
the
voice
become,
as
far
as
possible,
absolutely
stationary.
The
more we
succeed
in rendering each of our voice utterances one, stationary, and identical, the more
correct
does
the
singing
appear
to the
ear.20
This
last
sentence is
of
particular
significance.
He
means
nothing
more than
to
say
that
correct
singing
is
singing
on
pitch,
still
one
of
the
most
difficult
obstacles
that
beset
even
seasoned
performers.
Many
a
singer
is
criticized
nowadays
for
faulty
intonation;
the
tones
are
not
one,
stationary,
and
identical .
In
conclusion
Aristoxenus
says:
Enough
has
been
said
to
show
that
there
are two
species
of the
voice's
motion,
and
that one is
continuous
and
employed
in
speak-
ing,
while
one
proceeds
by
intervals and
is
employed
in
singing. 21
In
his
explanation
of
his
conception
of
singing
Aristoxenus
shows
quite
clearly
that
he is
thinking
of the
actual
practice
of
singing
while
most
other
authors are
interested
only
in
definition.
Aristoxenus's
manual
was
followed
by
others such as
those
of
Philodemus
(fl. 75-50
B.
C.),
Cleonides
(2nd
century
A.
D.),
and
Gaudentius
(2nd
century
A.D.),
all
of
which
are
largely
based
on
the
work of
Aristoxenus.
Philodemus
says
in
discussing
whether
melody can be conducive to erotic excitement that it is not because
19
Macran,
op.
cit.,
p.
175.
20
Ibid.,
p.
170.
21
Ibid.,
p.
172.
For
every
musical instrument
and
for
every
human
voice
there
is
a
maximum
compass
which
they
cannot
exceed,
and a
minimum
interval,
less
than
which
they
cannot
produce.
No
organ
of
sound can
indefinitely
enlarge
its
range
or
indefinitely
reduce its
intervals: in
both cases
it
reaches
a
limit. Each
of
these
limits must be
determined
by
a
reference to that
which
produces
the
sound
and
to
that
which
discriminates it-the
voice,
namely,
and
the ear.
What the
voice
cannot
produce
and
the
ear cannot
discriminate
must be
excluded
from
the
available and
practically
possible
range
of
musical
sound....
The
power
of
the
ear
may
perhaps
be
considered
to stretch
beyond
that of
the
voice,
though
to
no
great
distance.19
In
addition
to
the
delimiting
of
the
musical
scale to
the
compass
of
the
voice,
here is
a
comprehension
of vocal
range,
the considera-
tion of
which
has
always
been
of
great
importance
in
voice
training.
The only point of further interest for our particular purposes in
Aristoxenus
is his
differentiation
between
singing
and
speaking:
Continuous
motion
[of
the
voice]
we call
the
motion of
speech,
as
in
speaking
the
voice
moves
without
ever
seeming
to come
to
a
standstill.
The
reverse
is
the
case with
the
other
motion,
which
we designate
motion
by
intervals: in
that
the
voice
does
seem
to
become
stationary,
and
not
to
speak
but
to
sing.
Hence
in
ordinary
conversation
we
avoid
bringing
the
voice to a
standstill,
unless
occa-
sionally
forced
by
strong
feeling
to
resort
to such
a
motion;
whereas
in
singing
we act in
precisely
the
opposite
way,
avoiding
continuous
motion
and
making
the
voice
become,
as
far
as
possible,
absolutely
stationary.
The
more we
succeed
in rendering each of our voice utterances one, stationary, and identical, the more
correct
does
the
singing
appear
to the
ear.20
This
last
sentence is
of
particular
significance.
He
means
nothing
more than
to
say
that
correct
singing
is
singing
on
pitch,
still
one
of
the
most
difficult
obstacles
that
beset
even
seasoned
performers.
Many
a
singer
is
criticized
nowadays
for
faulty
intonation;
the
tones
are
not
one,
stationary,
and
identical .
In
conclusion
Aristoxenus
says:
Enough
has
been
said
to
show
that
there
are two
species
of the
voice's
motion,
and
that one is
continuous
and
employed
in
speak-
ing,
while
one
proceeds
by
intervals and
is
employed
in
singing. 21
In
his
explanation
of
his
conception
of
singing
Aristoxenus
shows
quite
clearly
that
he is
thinking
of the
actual
practice
of
singing
while
most
other
authors are
interested
only
in
definition.
Aristoxenus's
manual
was
followed
by
others such as
those
of
Philodemus
(fl. 75-50
B.
C.),
Cleonides
(2nd
century
A.
D.),
and
Gaudentius
(2nd
century
A.D.),
all
of
which
are
largely
based
on
the
work of
Aristoxenus.
Philodemus
says
in
discussing
whether
melody can be conducive to erotic excitement that it is not because
19
Macran,
op.
cit.,
p.
175.
20
Ibid.,
p.
170.
21
Ibid.,
p.
172.
For
every
musical instrument
and
for
every
human
voice
there
is
a
maximum
compass
which
they
cannot
exceed,
and a
minimum
interval,
less
than
which
they
cannot
produce.
No
organ
of
sound can
indefinitely
enlarge
its
range
or
indefinitely
reduce its
intervals: in
both cases
it
reaches
a
limit. Each
of
these
limits must be
determined
by
a
reference to that
which
produces
the
sound
and
to
that
which
discriminates it-the
voice,
namely,
and
the ear.
What the
voice
cannot
produce
and
the
ear cannot
discriminate
must be
excluded
from
the
available and
practically
possible
range
of
musical
sound....
The
power
of
the
ear
may
perhaps
be
considered
to stretch
beyond
that of
the
voice,
though
to
no
great
distance.19
In
addition
to
the
delimiting
of
the
musical
scale to
the
compass
of
the
voice,
here is
a
comprehension
of vocal
range,
the considera-
tion of
which
has
always
been
of
great
importance
in
voice
training.
The only point of further interest for our particular purposes in
Aristoxenus
is his
differentiation
between
singing
and
speaking:
Continuous
motion
[of
the
voice]
we call
the
motion of
speech,
as
in
speaking
the
voice
moves
without
ever
seeming
to come
to
a
standstill.
The
reverse
is
the
case with
the
other
motion,
which
we designate
motion
by
intervals: in
that
the
voice
does
seem
to
become
stationary,
and
not
to
speak
but
to
sing.
Hence
in
ordinary
conversation
we
avoid
bringing
the
voice to a
standstill,
unless
occa-
sionally
forced
by
strong
feeling
to
resort
to such
a
motion;
whereas
in
singing
we act in
precisely
the
opposite
way,
avoiding
continuous
motion
and
making
the
voice
become,
as
far
as
possible,
absolutely
stationary.
The
more we
succeed
in rendering each of our voice utterances one, stationary, and identical, the more
correct
does
the
singing
appear
to the
ear.20
This
last
sentence is
of
particular
significance.
He
means
nothing
more than
to
say
that
correct
singing
is
singing
on
pitch,
still
one
of
the
most
difficult
obstacles
that
beset
even
seasoned
performers.
Many
a
singer
is
criticized
nowadays
for
faulty
intonation;
the
tones
are
not
one,
stationary,
and
identical .
In
conclusion
Aristoxenus
says:
Enough
has
been
said
to
show
that
there
are two
species
of the
voice's
motion,
and
that one is
continuous
and
employed
in
speak-
ing,
while
one
proceeds
by
intervals and
is
employed
in
singing. 21
In
his
explanation
of
his
conception
of
singing
Aristoxenus
shows
quite
clearly
that
he is
thinking
of the
actual
practice
of
singing
while
most
other
authors are
interested
only
in
definition.
Aristoxenus's
manual
was
followed
by
others such as
those
of
Philodemus
(fl. 75-50
B.
C.),
Cleonides
(2nd
century
A.
D.),
and
Gaudentius
(2nd
century
A.D.),
all
of
which
are
largely
based
on
the
work of
Aristoxenus.
Philodemus
says
in
discussing
whether
melody can be conducive to erotic excitement that it is not because
19
Macran,
op.
cit.,
p.
175.
20
Ibid.,
p.
170.
21
Ibid.,
p.
172.
3959595
This content downloaded from 161.116.100.129 on Thu, 2 Oct 2014 17:03:22 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp8/10/2019 Vocal Art in Antiquity
8/22
The Musical
Quarterly
he Musical
Quarterly
he Musical
Quarterly
of
physical
weakness that men
succumb,
but
because
of
thoughts
or
physical
suggestions.
Even
if
the
melody
conformed
with the
quality
of
the
voice it could
not
have been
[the
cause].
Therefore
we
shall
grant
if
they
wish that
lovers
are
beguiled not
by
melodies
but
by
words
and ideas. 22
Apparently
the
opposing
point
of view
had
also been
maintained.
Gaudentius
treats
of
notes, intervals,
tones,
etc.,
after
the
Aris-
toxenian
manner. He
says
that
what is to be
studied
about
these
must
first
be known
by
experience,
by
actually
perceiving
sounds:
It is
necessary
that the
hearing
shall
first have
been
trained
by experience,
and
that
it
shall
perceive
the notes
exactly,
and be alert
to
intervals,
consonant
and dissonant, so that one may add reason to sensitivity to the properties of
tones,
and
create
perfect
knowledge
[science]
derived
both
from
experience
and
reason.
But as
for the
person
who
comes
to
study
the
reasoning
without
listening
to
the note
or
exercising
his
ear,
let him
go
out
and
depend
on his
hearing.
For
he
blocks
up
his
ears,
and comes
without
first
knowing
through
sensation
the
subjects
with
which
the discourse
is concerned.23
This
hardly requires
explanation.
Of
course
he
is
talking
about
ear-
training,
a
required
subject
for
every
singer
in
all of
our
schools.
Cleonides
divides
his
treatise
into
the
following
sections:
the
Note, the Interval, the Harmonic Genus, Composition
of
Intervals,
Scales,
Transformation.
He
defines
melopoeia
as
...
the
use of
those
elements
which
underlie
the
business
of
music
in
an
appropriate
way
for
every
purpose .24
This
is a
practical
approach,
and would
seem
to
be
a
quite
adequate
explanation
of
the
term.
And his
discussion
of transformation
is
very
interesting
to
us. He
says:
Transformation
in
melopoeia
occurs
when
there
is
a
change
from
the
expan-
sive
mood
to
the
contracted
one
or
the
reposeful
one,
or from
the
reposeful
mood to
one
of the
others.
The
expansive
mood of
melopoeia
is
the
one
which
betokens magnificence and loftiness of soul, manly and heroic deeds, and the
emotions
proper
to
these.
Tragedy
especially
uses
these,
and the
others as
much
as
it
possesses
the
character
proper
to
them.
The
contracted
mood
is the one
that
reduces
the soul
to
lowliness
and
an
unmanly
state. Such
a condition
is
suited
to
the erotic
emotions
and
to
laments
and
expressions
of
pity
and similar
matters.
The
reposeful
mood of
melopoeia
is
that
which
brings quiet
to
the
soul,
and
a
free
and
peaceful
condition.
Triumphal
hymns,
songs
of
praise,
counsels,
and
forms
of
this
sort
are
suitable
for
the
reposeful
mood.25
22
Philodemus,
Treatise
on
Music,
in Herculanensium
voluminum
quae
supersunt,
Naples,
1793,
I,
col.
14.
The
same
work,
ed.
by
J.
Keinke,
Leipzig,
1884,
beginning
of
Bk. IV.
23
Karl von
Jan,
Musici
Scriptores
Graeci, Leipzig, 1895, p. 327. Cf. Plutarch, below,
p.
407.
24
Jan,
op.
cit.,
p.
180.
25
Ibid.,
p.
206.
of
physical
weakness that men
succumb,
but
because
of
thoughts
or
physical
suggestions.
Even
if
the
melody
conformed
with the
quality
of
the
voice it could
not
have been
[the
cause].
Therefore
we
shall
grant
if
they
wish that
lovers
are
beguiled not
by
melodies
but
by
words
and ideas. 22
Apparently
the
opposing
point
of view
had
also been
maintained.
Gaudentius
treats
of
notes, intervals,
tones,
etc.,
after
the
Aris-
toxenian
manner. He
says
that
what is to be
studied
about
these
must
first
be known
by
experience,
by
actually
perceiving
sounds:
It is
necessary
that the
hearing
shall
first have
been
trained
by experience,
and
that
it
shall
perceive
the notes
exactly,
and be alert
to
intervals,
consonant
and dissonant, so that one may add reason to sensitivity to the properties of
tones,
and
create
perfect
knowledge
[science]
derived
both
from
experience
and
reason.
But as
for the
person
who
comes
to
study
the
reasoning
without
listening
to
the note
or
exercising
his
ear,
let him
go
out
and
depend
on his
hearing.
For
he
blocks
up
his
ears,
and comes
without
first
knowing
through
sensation
the
subjects
with
which
the discourse
is concerned.23
This
hardly requires
explanation.
Of
course
he
is
talking
about
ear-
training,
a
required
subject
for
every
singer
in
all of
our
schools.
Cleonides
divides
his
treatise
into
the
following
sections:
the
Note, the Interval, the Harmonic Genus, Composition
of
Intervals,
Scales,
Transformation.
He
defines
melopoeia
as
...
the
use of
those
elements
which
underlie
the
business
of
music
in
an
appropriate
way
for
every
purpose .24
This
is a
practical
approach,
and would
seem
to
be
a
quite
adequate
explanation
of
the
term.
And his
discussion
of transformation
is
very
interesting
to
us. He
says:
Transformation
in
melopoeia
occurs
when
there
is
a
change
from
the
expan-
sive
mood
to
the
contracted
one
or
the
reposeful
one,
or from
the
reposeful
mood to
one
of the
others.
The
expansive
mood of
melopoeia
is
the
one
which
betokens magnificence and loftiness of soul, manly and heroic deeds, and the
emotions
proper
to
these.
Tragedy
especially
uses
these,
and the
others as
much
as
it
possesses
the
character
proper
to
them.
The
contracted
mood
is the one
that
reduces
the soul
to
lowliness
and
an
unmanly
state. Such
a condition
is
suited
to
the erotic
emotions
and
to
laments
and
expressions
of
pity
and similar
matters.
The
reposeful
mood of
melopoeia
is
that
which
brings quiet
to
the
soul,
and
a
free
and
peaceful
condition.
Triumphal
hymns,
songs
of
praise,
counsels,
and
forms
of
this
sort
are
suitable
for
the
reposeful
mood.25
22
Philodemus,
Treatise
on
Music,
in Herculanensium
voluminum
quae
supersunt,
Naples,
1793,
I,
col.
14.
The
same
work,
ed.
by
J.
Keinke,
Leipzig,
1884,
beginning
of
Bk. IV.
23
Karl von
Jan,
Musici
Scriptores
Graeci, Leipzig, 1895, p. 327. Cf. Plutarch, below,
p.
407.
24
Jan,
op.
cit.,
p.
180.
25
Ibid.,
p.
206.
of
physical
weakness that men
succumb,
but
because
of
thoughts
or
physical
suggestions.
Even
if
the
melody
conformed
with the
quality
of
the
voice it could
not
have been
[the
cause].
Therefore
we
shall
grant
if
they
wish that
lovers
are
beguiled not
by
melodies
but
by
words
and ideas. 22
Apparently
the
opposing
point
of view
had
also been
maintained.
Gaudentius
treats
of
notes, intervals,
tones,
etc.,
after
the
Aris-
toxenian
manner. He
says
that
what is to be
studied
about
these
must
first
be known
by
experience,
by
actually
perceiving
sounds:
It is
necessary
that the
hearing
shall
first have
been
trained
by experience,
and
that
it
shall
perceive
the notes
exactly,
and be alert
to
intervals,
consonant
and dissonant, so that one may add reason to sensitivity to the properties of
tones,
and
create
perfect
knowledge
[science]
derived
both
from
experience
and
reason.
But as
for the
person
who
comes
to
study
the
reasoning
without
listening
to
the note
or
exercising
his
ear,
let him
go
out
and
depend
on his
hearing.
For
he
blocks
up
his
ears,
and comes
without
first
knowing
through
sensation
the
subjects
with
which
the discourse
is concerned.23
This
hardly requires
explanation.
Of
course
he
is
talking
about
ear-
training,
a
required
subject
for
every
singer
in
all of
our
schools.
Cleonides
divides
his
treatise
into
the
following
sections:
the
Note, the Interval, the Harmonic Genus, Composition
of
Intervals,
Scales,
Transformation.
He
defines
melopoeia
as
...
the
use of
those
elements
which
underlie
the
busine