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'{{Greekmusic}} This article concerns itself with the [[music theory]] and musical intervals used since Ancient Greece (see also [[musical tuning]]). For a discussion of the cultural aspects and history of ancient Greek music, see [[Music of ancient Greece]]. The '''musical system of ancient Greece''' evolved over a period of more than 500 years from simple [[musical scale|scales]] of [[tetrachord]]s, or divisions of the [[perfect fourth]], to ''The Perfect Immutable System'', encompassing a span of fifteen pitch keys (see ''tonoi'' below).<ref name="Chalmers-Divisions-6-99">Chapter 6, Page 99, John Chalmers, ''Divisions of the Tetrachord'' (Hanover, New Hampshire: Frog Peak Music, 1993) ISBN 0-945996-04-7. http://eamusic.dartmouth.edu/~larry/published_articles/divisions_of_the_tetrachord/index.html</ref> Any discussion of ancient Greek music, theoretical, philosophical or aesthetic, is fraught with two problems: there are few examples of written music, and there are many, sometimes fragmentary theoretical and philosophical accounts. This article provides an overview which includes examples of different kinds of classification while also trying to show the broader form evolving from the simple tetrachord to system as a whole. ==Systêma Ametabolon, an overview of the tone system== At about the turn of the 5th to 4th century [[BCE]] the tonal system, '''systema teleion,''' had been elaborated in its entirety. As an initial introduction to the principal names of the divisions of the system and the framing tetrachords, a depiction of notes and positional terms follows. Please note, this is an as yet not completely translated version of a German illustration, hence, ''b'' in the illustration is B{{Music|flat}} and ''h'', B{{Music|natural}}. [[Image:Systema teleion.PNG|center|Depiction of the ancient Greek Tone system]] Greek theorists conceived of scales from higher pitch to lower (the opposite of modern practice), and the largest intervals were always at the top of the tetrachord, with the smallest at the bottom. The 'characteristic interval' of a tetrachord is the largest one (or the 'tone' in the case of the 'tense/hard diatonic' genus). The image shows the descending two octaves of tones with corresponding modern note symbols and ancient Greek vocal, and instrumental, note symbols in the central columns. The modern note names are merely there for an orientation as to the intervals. They do not correspond to ancient Greek pitches or note names. The section delimited by a blue brace is the range of the central octave. The range is approximately that which we today depict as follows: [[Image:ancient-greek-middle-octave.png|thumb|center|600px|The central octave of the ancient Greek system]] The Greek note symbols originate from the work of [[:de:Egert Pöhlmann|Egert Pöhlmann]] (in German), "Denkmäler altgriechischer Musik" = Erlanger Beiträge zur Sprach- und Kunstwissenschaft Bd.31, Nürnberg 1970. The '''Greater Perfect System''' (systêma teleion meizon) was composed of four stacked tetrachords called the (from bottom to top) Hypatôn, Mesôn, Diezeugmenôn and Hyperbolaiôn tetrachords (see the right hand side of the diagram). Each of these tetrachords contains the two fixed notes that bound it. The octaves are each composed of two like tetrachords (1 – 1 - ½) connected by one common tone, the ''''Synaphé''. At the position of the ''Paramése'' which should be the connecting (''Synaphé'') tone, the continuation of the system encounters a boundary (at b-flat, b). In order to retain the logic of the internal divisions of the tetrachords (see below for more detail) such that ''méson'' not consist of three whole tone steps (b-a-g-f), an interstitial note, the ''diázeuxis'' ('dividing') was introduced between ''Paramése'' and ''Mése''. The tetrachord ''diezeugménon'' is the 'divided'. To bridge this inconsistency, the system allowed moving the ''Néte'' one step up permitting the construction of the ''synemmenón'' ('connecting') tetrachord (see the far left of the diagram). The use of the synemmenón tetrachord effected a modulation of the system, hence the name ''systema metabolon'', the modulating system also the '''Lesser Perfect System'''. It was considered apart, built of three stacked tetrachords - the Hypatôn, Mesôn and Synêmmenôn. The first two of these are the same as the first two tetrachords of the Greater Perfect (right side diagram), with a third tetrachord placed above the Mesôn (left side diagram). When viewed together, with the Synêmmenôn tetrachord placed between the Mesôn and Diezeugmenôn tetrachords, they make up the '''Immutable''' (or Unmodulating) '''System''' (systêma ametabolon). In sum it is clear that the ancient Greeks conceived of a unified system within which the octave acted as the unifying structure (interval). The very last (deepest) tone no longer belongs to the system of tetrachords which is reflected in its name, the ''Proslambanomenós'', the adjoined. Below is elaborated the mathematics which led to the logic of the system of tetrachords just described. <!-- Die Einschaltung des Tetrachordes synemmenón erinnert an die ab dem Mittelalter bekannte Vermeidung von Viertongruppen aus drei Ganztonschritten ([[Tritonus]]), welche eine übermäßige [[Quarte]] bilden. Die mittelalterliche Musiktheorie verlangte in der praktischen Musikausübung die Vermeidung des Tritonus – schloss denselben jedoch ins Tonsystem mit ein. Bei den alten Griechen war es umgekehrt. Die Musikpraxis erlaubte einen großen Toleranzbereich – auch wenn sich das Musizieren damit vom pythagoräischen Ideal entfernte. --> ==The Pythagoreans== {{Main|Pythagorean interval}} After the discovery of the fundamental intervals (octave, fourth and fifth), the first systematic divisions of the octave we know of were those of [[Pythagoras]] to whom was often attributed the discovery that the frequency of a vibrating string is inversely proportional to its length. [[Pythagoras]] construed the intervals arithmetically, allowing for 1:1 = Unison, 2:1 = Octave, 3:2 = Fifth, 4:3 = Fourth within the octave. Pythagoras's scale consists of a stack of perfect fifths, the ratio 3:2 ( see also [[Pythagorean interval|Pythagorean Interval]] and [[Pythagorean tuning|Pythagorean Tuning]]). {{quote | The earliest such description of a scale is found in Philolaus fr. B6. [[Philolaus]] recognizes that, if we go up the interval of a fourth from any given note, and then up the interval of a fifth, the final note will be an octave above the first note. Thus, the octave is made up of a fourth and a fifth. ... Philolaus's scale thus consisted of the following intervals: 9:8, 9:8, 256:243 [these three intervals take us up a fourth], 9:8, 9:8, 9:8, 256:243 [these four intervals make up a fifth and complete the octave from our starting note]. This scale is known as the Pythagorean diatonic and is the scale that Plato adopted in the construction of the world soul in the ''Timaeus'' (36a-b).<ref name="SEPArchytas">''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'': http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/archytas</ref>}} The next notable Pythagorean theorist we know of is [[Archytas]], contemporary and friend of Plato, who explained the use of arithmetic, geometric and harmonic means in tuning musical instruments. Archytas is the first ancient Greek theorist to provide ratios for all 3 [[Genus (music)|genera]].<ref name="Chalmers-Divisions-6-99" /> Archytas provided a rigorous proof that the basic musical intervals cannot be divided in half, or in other words, that there is no mean proportional between numbers in super-particular ratio ( Octave 2:1, Fourth 4:3, Fifth 3:2, 9:8).<ref name="SEPArchytas" /><ref name="Barker-Musical-Writings-2-46-52">Barker, Andrew (ed.) (1984–89). Vol. 2, pp. 46-52''Greek Musical Writings''. 2 vols (Cambridge & New York: Cambridge University Press). ISBN 0-521-23593-6 (v. 1) ISBN 0-521-30220-X (v. 2).</ref> [[Euclid]] in his ''The Division of the Canon'' (''Katatomē kanonos'', the Latin ''Sectio Canonis'') further developed Archytas's theory, elaborating the acoustics with reference to the frequency of vibrations (or movements).<ref name="Levin-Unity">Unity in Euclid's 'Sectio Canonis', by Flora R. Levin © 1990 Franz Steiner Verlag.</ref> The three divisions of the [[tetrachord]]s of Archytas were: the enharmonic 5:4, 36:35, and 28:27; the chromatic 32:27, 243:224, and 28:27; and the diatonic 9:8, 8:7, and 28:27.<ref name="SEPArchytas" /> The three tunings of Archytas appear to have corresponded to the actual musical practice of his day.<ref name="Barker-Musical-Writings-2-46-52"/> Tetrachords were classified in ancient Greek theory into [[Genus (music)|genera]] depending on the position of the third note ''lichanos'' (the indicator) from the bottom of the lower tetrachord (in the upper tetrachord, referred to as the ''paranete''). The interval between this note and the uppermost define the genus. A ''lichanos'' a [[minor third]] from the bottom and one whole ([[major second]]) from the top, genus [[Diatonic genus|diatonic]]. If the interval was a minor third, about one whole tone from the bottom, genus [[Chromatic genus|chromatic]]. If the interval was a major third with the 4/3 (or a semitone from the bottom), genus [[Enharmonic genus|enharmonic]].<ref name="Chalmers-Divisions-5-47">''Divisions of the Tetrachord'', Chapter 5, Page 47</ref> In Archytas's case, only the ''lichanos'' varies. More generally, depending on the positioning of the interposed tones in the [[tetrachord]]s, three ''genera'' of all seven octave species can be recognized. The diatonic genus is composed of tones and semitones. The chromatic genus is composed of semitones and a minor third. The enharmonic genus consists of a major third and two quarter-tones or diesis.<ref name="Strunk-Readings-I-35-36">Cleonides, "Harmonic Introduction", translated by Oliver Strunk. In ''Source Readings in Music History'', vol. 1 (Antiquity and the Middle Ages), edited by Oliver Strunk, 35–46 (New York: W. W. Norton, 1965). The reference is on pp. 35–36.</ref> After the introduction of the Aristoxenos system (see below), the framing interval of the fourth is fixed, while the two internal (''lichanoi'' and ''parhypate'') pitches are movable. Within the basic forms the intervals of the chromatic and diatonic genera were varied further by three and two "shades" (''chroai''), respectively.<ref name="Strunk-Readings-I-34-46">''Source Readings in Music History'', vol. 1, pp. 39–40</ref><ref name="Mathiesen2001a">Thomas J. Mathiesen, "Greece, §I: Ancient". ''[[The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians]]'', edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell (London: Macmillan), 6(iii)(e).</ref> The elaboration of the tetrachords was also accompanied by penta- and hexachords. As stated above, the union of tetra- and pentachords yields the octachord, or the complete heptatonic scale. However, there is sufficient evidence that two tetrachords where initially conjoined with an intermediary or shared note. The final evolution of the system did not end with the octave as such but with ''Systema teleion'' (above), a set of five tetrachords linked by conjunction and disjunction<!--define --> into arrays of tones spanning two octaves.<ref name="Chalmers-Divisions-6-99" /> After elaborating the ''Systema teleion'' in light of empirical studies of the division of the tetrachord (arithmetical, geometrical and harmonious means) and composition of ''tonoi''/''harmoniai'', we examine the most significant individual system, that of [[Aristoxenos]], which influenced much classification well into the Middle Ages. The empirical research of scholars like Richard Crocker (1963, 1964, 1966), C. Andre Barbera (1978, 1984), and John Chalmers (1990) has made it possible to look at the ancient Greek systems as a whole without regard to the tastes of any one ancient theorist. The primary genera they examine are those of Pythagoras (school), Archytas, Aristoxenos, and Ptolemy (including his versions of the Didymos and Eratosthenes genera).<ref name="Chalmers-Divisions-5-48-51">''Divisions of the Tetrachord'', Chapter 5, pp 48–51</ref> The following reproduces tables from Chalmer which show the common ancient ''harmoniai'', the octave species (''tonoi'') in all genera and the system as a whole with all tones of the gamut. <!-- symbols {{music|♯}}{{music|♭}} --> ==The octave species in all genera== {{Main|Octave species}} The order of the [[octave species]] names in the following table are the traditional Greek, followed by later alternates, Greek and other. The species and notation are built around the E mode (Dorian). {{quote | Although the Dorian, Phrygian, and Lydian modes have distinctive tetrachordal forms, these forms were never named after their parent modes by any of the Greek theorists. In the chromatic and enharmonic genera the tonics of the species are transformed.<ref name="Chalmers-Divisions-6-103">''Divisions of the Tetrachord'', Chapter 6, p. 103</ref>}} <!-- symbols {{music|♯}}{{music|♭}} --> ===Diatonic=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Tonic ! Name ! Mese |- | (A | Hypermixolydian, Hyperphrygian, Locrian | D) |- | B | Mixolydian, Hyperdorian | E |- | C | Lydian | F |- | D | Phrygian | G |- | E | Dorian | A |- | F | Hypolydian | b |- | G | Hypophrygian, Ionian | c |- | a | Hypodorian, Aeolian | d |- |} ===Chromatic=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Tonic ! Name ! Mese |- | (A | Hypermixolydian, Hyperphrygian, Locrian | D{{music|♭}}) |- | B | Mixolydian, Hyperdorian | E |- | C | Lydian | F |- | D{{music|♭}} | Phrygian | G{{music|♭}} |- | E | Dorian | a |- | F | Hypolydian | b |- | G{{music|♭}} | Hypophrygian, Ionian | c |- | a | Hypodorian, Aeolian | D{{music|♭}} |- |} ===Enharmonic=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Tonic ! Name ! Mese |- | (A | Hypermixolydian, Hyperphrygian, Locrian | D{{music|♭}}{{music|♭}}) |- | B | Mixolydian, Hyperdorian | E |- | C- | Lydian | F- |- | D{{music|♭}}{{music|♭}} | Phrygian | G{{music|♭}}{{music|♭}} |- | E | Dorian | a |- | F- | Hypolydian | b |- | G{{music|♭}}{{music|♭}} | Hypophrygian, Ionian | c- |- | a | Hypodorian, Aeolian | d{{music|♭}}{{music|♭}} |} ==The oldest ''harmoniai'' in three genera== The ''-'' sign indicates a somewhat flattened version of the named note, the exact degree of flattening depending on the tuning involved. The (d) listed first for the Dorian is the ''Proslambanómenos'' which was appended as it were and falls out of the tetrachord scheme. These tables are a depiction of [[Aristides Quintilianus]]'s enharmonic harmoniai, Henderson's (1942) diatonic and John Chalmers (1936) chromatic versions. Chalmers, from whom they originate, states {{quote|In the enharmonic and chromatic forms of some of the harmoniai, it has been necessary to use both a d and either a d{{music|♭}} or d{{music|♭}}{{music|♭}} because of the non-heptatonic nature of these scales. C and F are synonyms for d{{music|♭}}{{music|♭}} a g{{music|♭}}{{music|♭}}. The appropriate tunings for these scales are those of Archytas (Mountform 1923) and Pytharogras.}}<ref name="Chalmers-Divisions-6-109">''Divisions of the Tetrachord'', Chapter 6, p. 109</ref> The superficial resemblance of these octave species with the church [[Musical mode|modes]] is misleading. The conventional representation as a section (such as CDEF followed by DEFG) is incorrect. The species were re-tunings of the central octave such that the sequences of intervals (the cyclical modes divided by ratios defined by genus) corresponded to the notes of the Perfect Immutable System as depicted above.<ref name="Chalmers-Divisions-6-106">''Divisions of the Tetrachord'', Chapter 6, p. 106</ref> ===Dorian=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Genus ! Tones |- | Enharmonic | (d) e f- g{{music|♭}}{{music|♭}} a b c- d'{{music|♭}}{{music|♭}} e' |- | Chromatic | (d) e f g{{music|♭}} a b c d'{{music|♭}} e' |- | Diatonic | (d) e f g a b c d' e' |} ===Phrygian=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Genus ! Tones |- | Enharmonic | d e f- g{{music|♭}}{{music|♭}} a b c- d'{{music|♭}}{{music|♭}} d' |- | Chromatic | d e f g{{music|♭}} a b c d'{{music|♭}} d' |- | Diatonic | d e f g a b c d' |} ===Lydian=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Genus ! Tones |- | Enharmonic | f- g{{music|♭}}{{music|♭}} a b c- d'{{music|♭}}{{music|♭}} e' f-' |- | Chromatic | f g a b c d'{{music|♭}} e' f' |- | Diatonic | f g a b c d' e' f' |} ===Mixolydian=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Genus ! Tones |- | Enharmonic | B c- d{{music|♭}}{{music|♭}} d e f- g{{music|♭}}{{music|♭}} b |- | Chromatic | B c d{{music|♭}} d e f- g{{music|♭}} b |- | Diatonic | B c d e f(g) (a) b |} ===Syntonolydian=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Genus ! Tones |- | Enharmonic | B C- d{{music|♭}}{{music|♭}} e g |- | Chromatic | B C d{{music|♭}} e g |- | Diatonic | c d e f g |- | 2nd Diatonic | B C d e g |} ===Ionian (Iastian)=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Genus ! Tones |- | Enharmonic | B C- d{{music|♭}}{{music|♭}} e g a |- | Chromatic | B C d{{music|♭}} e g a |- | Diatonic | c e f g |- | 2nd Diatonic | B C d e g a |} ==Classification of Aristoxenus== The nature of Aristoxenus's scales and genera deviated sharply from his predecessors. Aristoxenus introduced a radically different model for creating scales. Instead of using discrete ratios to place intervals, he used continuously variable quantities. Hence the structuring of his tetrachords and the resulting scales have other qualities of consonance.<ref name="Chalmers-Divisions-3-17-22">''Divisions of the Tetrachord'', Chapter 3, pp 17–22</ref> In contrast to Archytas who distinguished his genera only by moving the ''lichanoi''<!--DEFINE -->, Aristoxenus varied both ''lichanoi'' and ''parhypate'' in considereable ranges.<ref name="Chalmers-Divisions-5-48">''Divisions of the Tetrachord'', Chapter 5, p. 48</ref> The Greek scales in the [[Aristoxenus|Aristoxenian]] tradition were (Barbera 1984, 240;<ref name="Barbera1984">Barbera, André (1984). "Octave Species". ''[[The Journal of Musicology]]'' 3, no. 3 (Summer): 229–41.</ref> Mathiesen 2001a, 6(iii)(d)):<ref name="Mathiesen2001a" /> * [[Mixolydian mode#Greek Mixolydian|Mixolydian]]: ''hypate hypaton – paramese'' (b – b′) * [[Lydian mode|Lydian]]: ''parhypate hypaton – trite diezeugmenon'' (c′ – c″) * [[Phrygian mode#Ancient Greek Phrygian mode|Phrygian]]: ''lichanos hypaton – paranete diezeugmenon'' (d′ – d″) * [[Dorian mode|Dorian]]: ''hypate meson – nete diezeugmenon'' (e′ – e″) * [[Hypolydian mode|Hypolydian]]: ''parhypate meson – trite hyperbolaion'' (f′ – f″) * [[Hypophrygian mode|Hypophrygian]]: ''lichanos meson – paranete hyperbolaion'' (g′ – g″) * Common, [[Locrian mode|Locrian]], or [[Hypodorian mode|Hypodorian]]: ''mese – nete hyperbolaion'' or ''proslambanomenos – mese'' (a′ – a″ or a – a′) These names are derived from Ancient Greek subgroups ([[Dorians]]), one small region in central Greece ([[Locris]]), and certain neighboring (non-Greek) peoples from [[Asia Minor]] ([[Lydia]], [[Phrygia]]). The association of these ethnic names with the [[octave species]] appears to precede Aristoxenus, who criticized their application to the ''tonoi'' by the earlier theorists whom he called the Harmonicists (Mathiesen 2001a, 6(iii)(d)).<ref name="Mathiesen2001a" /> ===Aristoxenus's ''tonoi''=== The term ''tonos'' (pl. ''tonoi'') was used in four senses: "as note, interval, region of the voice, and pitch. We use it of the region of the voice whenever we speak of Dorian, or Phrygian, or Lydian, or any of the other tones".<ref name="Strunk-Readings-I-44"> ''Source Readings in Music History'', p. 44.</ref> [[Cleonides]] attributes thirteen ''tonoi'' to Aristoxenus, which represent a progressive transposition of the entire system (or scale) by semitone over the range of an octave between the Hypodorian and the Hypermixolydian (Mathiesen 2001a, 6(iii)(e)).<ref name="Mathiesen2001a" /> Aristoxenus's transpositional ''tonoi'', according to [[Cleonides]],<ref name="Strunk-Readings-I-44" /> were named analogously to the octave species, supplemented with new terms to raise the number of degrees from seven to thirteen. However, according to the interpretation of at least two modern authorities, in these transpositional ''tonoi'' the Hypodorian is the lowest, and the Mixolydian next-to-highest—the reverse of the case of the octave species (Mathiesen 2001a, 6(iii)(e);<ref name="Mathiesen2001a" /><ref name="Solomon-Towards-242-251">Solomon, Jon (1984). "Towards a History of Tonoi". ''[[The Journal of Musicology]]'' 3, no. 3 (Summer): 242–51.</ref>), with nominal base pitches as follows (descending order): {| class="wikitable" |- | f: || Hypermixolydian || also called Hyperphrygian |- | e: || High Mixolydian || also called Hyperiastian |- | e♭: || Low Mixolydian || also called Hyperdorian |- | d: || High Lydian |- | c♯: || Low Lydian || also called Aeolian |- | c: || High Phrygian |- | B: || Low Phrygian || also called Iastian |- | B♭: || Dorian |- | A: || High Hypolydian |- | G♯: || Low Hypolydian || also called Hypoaeolian |- | G: || High Hypophrygian |- | F♯: || Low Hypophrygian || also called Hypoiastian |- | F: || Hypodorian |} ==Ptolemy and the Alexandrians== In marked contrast to his predecessors, Ptolemy's scales employed a division of the ''pyknon'' in the ratio of 1:2, melodic, in place of equal divisions.<ref name="Chalmers-Divisions-2-10">Chalmers, chapter 2, p. 10</ref> [[Ptolemy]], in his ''Harmonics'', ii.3–11, construed the ''tonoi'' differently, presenting all seven octave species within a fixed octave, through chromatic inflection of the scale degrees (comparable to the modern conception of building all seven modal scales on a single tonic). In Ptolemy's system, therefore there are only seven ''tonoi'' (Mathiesen 2001a, 6(iii)(e);<ref name="Mathiesen2001a" /> Mathiesen 2001c<ref name="Mathiesen2001c">* Mathiesen, Thomas J. (2001c). "Tonos". ''[[The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians]]'', edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell. London: Macmillan.</ref>). Ptolemy preserved Archytas's tunings in his ''Harmonics'' as well as transmitting the tunings of [[Eratosthenes]] and [[Didymos]] and providing his own ratios and scales.<ref name="Chalmers-Divisions-6-99" /> ==''Harmoniai''== In music theory the Greek word ''harmonia'' can signify the enharmonic genus of tetrachord, the seven octave species, or a style of music associated with one of the ethnic types or the ''tonoi'' named by them (Mathiesen 2001b<ref name="Mathiesen2001b">* Mathiesen, Thomas J. (2001b). "Harmonia (i)". ''[[The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians]]'', edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell. London: Macmillan.</ref>). Particularly in the earliest surviving writings, ''harmonia'' is regarded not as a scale, but as the epitome of the stylised singing of a particular district or people or occupation (Winnington-Ingram 1936, 3). When the late 6th-century poet [[Lasus of Hermione]] referred to the Aeolian ''harmonia'', for example, he was more likely thinking of a [[Melody type|melodic style]] characteristic of Greeks speaking the Aeolic dialect than of a scale pattern (Anderson and Mathiesen 2001). In the ''Republic'', [[Plato]] uses the term inclusively to encompass a particular type of scale, range and register, characteristic rhythmic pattern, textual subject, etc. (Mathiesen 2001a, 6(iii)(e)<ref name="Mathiesen2001a" />). He held that playing music in a particular ''harmonia'' would incline one towards specific behaviors associated with it, and suggested that soldiers should listen to music in Dorian or Phrygian ''harmoniai'' to help make them stronger, but avoid music in Lydian, Mixolydian or Ionian ''harmoniai'', for fear of being softened. Plato believed that a change in the musical modes of the state would cause a wide-scale social revolution.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}<!--Specific treatises, chapters, etc.--> The philosophical writings of [[Plato]] and [[Aristotle]] (c. 350 [[BCE]]) include sections that describe the effect of different ''harmoniai'' on mood and character formation. For example, Aristotle in the ''Politics'' (viii:1340a:40–1340b:5): {{quote|But melodies themselves do contain imitations of character. This is perfectly clear, for the ''harmoniai'' have quite distinct natures from one another, so that those who hear them are differently affected and do not respond in the same way to each. To some, such as the one called Mixolydian, they respond with more grief and anxiety, to others, such as the relaxed ''harmoniai'', with more mellowness of mind, and to one another with a special degree of moderation and firmness, Dorian being apparently the only one of the ''harmoniai'' to have this effect, while Phrygian creates ecstatic excitement. These points have been well expressed by those who have thought deeply about this kind of education; for they cull the evidence for what they say from the facts themselves. (Barker 1984–89, 1:175–76)}} In ''The Republic''{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}<!--The norms of Classical scholarship dictate that the book, chapter, and/or line of the original Greek text be cited, because these are linked in all reputable commentaries and translations. Someone needs to find this. Please leave this comment in place until such time as it is done.--> Plato describes the music to which a person listened as molding the person's character. {{quote | From what has been said it is evident what an influence music has over the disposition of the mind, and how variously it can fascinate it: and if it can do this, most certainly it is what youth ought to be instructed in. (Jowett 1937, {{Page needed|date=November 2009}}<!--a print version does exist, after all.-->)<ref name="EllisGutenberg1928">Plato: [http://www.gutenberg.org/files/6762/6762-h/6762-h.htm A TREATISE ON GOVERNMENT], Chapter 5, translated by William Ellis, A.M.</ref>}} ==Ethos== The word ethos in this context means "moral character", and Greek ethos theory concerns the ways in which music can convey, foster, and even generate ethical states (Anderson and Mathiesen 2001). ==Melos== Cleonides describes "melic" composition, "the employment of the materials subject to harmonic practice with due regard to the requirements of each of the subjects under consideration"<ref name="Strunk-Readings-I-35">''Source Readings in Music History'', vol. 1, p. 35.</ref>)—which, together with the scales, ''tonoi'', and ''harmoniai'' resemble elements found in medieval modal theory (Mathiesen 2001a, 6(iii)<ref name="Mathiesen2001a" />). According to Aristides Quintilianus (''On Music'', i.12), melic composition is subdivided into three classes: dithyrambic, nomic, and tragic. These parallel his three classes of rhythmic composition: systaltic, diastaltic and hesychastic. Each of these broad classes of melic composition may contain various subclasses, such as erotic, comic and panegyric, and any composition might be elevating (diastaltic), depressing (systaltic), or soothing (hesychastic) (Mathiesen 2001a, 4). The classification of the ''requirements'' we have from [[Proclus]] ''Useful Knowledge'' as preserved by [[Photios I of Constantinople|Photios]]{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}: * for the gods—hymn, prosodion, paean, dithyramb, nomos, adonidia, iobakchos, and hyporcheme; * for humans—encomion, epinikion, skolion, erotica, epithalamia, hymenaios, sillos, threnos, and epikedeion; * for the gods and humans—partheneion, daphnephorika, tripodephorika, oschophorika, and eutika According to Mathiesen: {{quote | Such pieces of music were called melos, which in its perfect form (teleion melos) comprised not only the melody and the text (including its elements of rhythm and diction) but also stylized dance movement. Melic and rhythmic composition (respectively, melopoiïa and rhuthmopoiïa) were the processes of selecting and applying the various components of melos and rhythm to create a complete work. (Mathiesen 1999,{{Page needed|date=November 2009}})<ref name="MathiesenApollosLyre">T. J. Mathiesen, ''Apollo's Lyre: Greek Music and Music Theory in Antiquity and the Middle Ages'' (Lincoln, NE, 1999)</ref><!-- I'm uncertain about this attribution. I don't have the original, though I read it in school many years ago. I sourced it here http://arts.jrank.org/pages/258/ancient-Greek-music.html.-->}} ==See also== * [[Alypius (music writer)]] which we have from Meibom -> Karl von Jan (17th, 19th century respectively) and then later in the 20th century in English from Strunk? ==References== <references /> ==Further reading== * Winnington-Ingram, R.P. (1932). Aristoxenus and the intervals of Greek music. ''The Classical Quarterly'' XXVI, Nos. 3–4, pp.&nbsp;195–208. * Winnington-Ingram, R.P. (1936). ''Mode in Ancient Greek Music''. Cambridge University Press, London, England. * Winnington-Ingram, R.P. (1954). "Greek Music (Ancient)." In ''Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', Volume 3, 5th ed., E. Blom, Editor. St. Martin's Press, Inc., New York, 1970. ==External links== * Booklet on the modes of ancient Greece with detailed examples of the construction of Aolus (reed pipe instruments) and monochord with which the intervals and modes of the Greeks might be reconstructed http://www.nakedlight.co.uk/pdf/articles/a-002.pdf * [http://lumma.org/tuning/chalmers/DivisionsOfTheTetrachord.pdf ''Divisions of the Tetrachord''] is a methodical overview of ancient Greek musical modes and contemporary use, including developments to Xenakis. And a backup link. [http://eamusic.dartmouth.edu/~larry/published_articles/divisions_of_the_tetrachord/index.html ''Divisions of the Tetrachord'']. The frogpeak page http://www.frogpeak.org/unbound/index.html points to the same resource. * Nikolaos Ioannidis musician, composer, has attempted to [http://homoecumenicus.com/ioannidis_music_ancient_greeks.htm reconstruct ancient Greek music] from a combination of the ancient texts (to be performed) and his knowledge of Greek music. * relatively concise [http://arts.jrank.org/pages/258/ancient-Greek-music.html overview of ancient Greek musical culture and philosophy] * mid-19th century, 1902 edition, Henry S. Macran, [http://www.archive.org/stream/aristoxenouharm00arisgoog ''The Harmonics of Aristoxenus'']. The Barbera translation cited above is more up to date. * [http://www.tonalsoft.com/monzo/aristoxenus/aristoxenus.aspx Analysis of Aristoxenus] from Joe Monzo. Full of interesting and insightful mathematical analysis. There are some original hypothesis outlined. * Robert Erickson, American composer and academic in California, [http://www.ex-tempore.org/ARCHYTAS/ARCHYTAS.html Analysis of Archytas], something of a complement to the above Aristoxenus but, dealing with the earlier and arithmetically precise Archytas:. An incidental note. Erickson is keen to demonstrate that Archytas tuning system not only corresponds with Platos Harmonia, but also with the practice of musicians. Erickson mentions the ease of tuning with the Lyre. * Austrian Academy of Sciences [http://www.oeaw.ac.at/kal/agm/ examples of instruments and compositions] *[http://www.kerylos.fr/index_en.php Ensemble Kérylos], a music group led by scholar Annie Bélis, dedicated to the recreation of ancient Greek and Roman music and playing scores written on inscriptions and papyri. {{Modes}} {{musical notation}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Musical Mode}} [[Category:Ancient Greek music]] [[Category:Melody types]] [[Category:Modes| ]] [[Category:Musical tuning]] [[de:Musiktheorie im antiken Griechenland]] [[ru:Полная система (музыка)]]'