Plato & Aristotle on Music
-Plato “our songs are our laws”, each mode has a certain effect on people
-Aristotle: Music immitates emotion, not vice versa
Pythagorus & Ptolmey in Music
Pythagorus: Discovered relationships of ratios to intervals
Ptolmey: Music of the spheres
3 Great Ages of Euro History
-Antiquity: c495BC(periclean age)- 476AD(Fall of Roman Empire)
-Middle Ages: 476AD-1517AD(Split of Church, Martin Luther)
-Rennaissance: c1350-c1600s
Greater Perfect System
-Pitches Organized around tetrachord
-Tetrachord: 1semitone 2 wholetones
-Pythagorean tuning: unequal distance between semi-tones
Rennaissance
Areas:
–Florence Italy 1350
–France c1500
–England c1550
Arts:
Painting c1330s
Humanism, writing 1350
Music 1420
Greek Instruments
1. Lyre
—Accompanied Vocalists, 7 strings tortoise shell resonator, with plectrum
2. Kithara
—A BIG lyre, used for paeans offered to Appollo
3. Aulos
—single/double reed tube with 5 holes
Middle Ages
Also “Dark Ages”
-Began with Fall of Rome 476AD
-Monasteries became center of learning
-Poor socio-political conditions
Music in Greek Life
1. Theater
–Chorus would accompany actors onstage by commenting on moral issues
2.Synoposium
–Socil Gathering of upper class, everyone talked, some recited music, poetry, etc.
Olympics
–contests in poetry, dancing, and music
Antiquity
–Time period when Greece and Rome Flourished
Greek Contributions:
–democratic thought
–Critical Thought
–Growth of Arts
c495BC(Periclean Age, centralization of Athens)-476AD
Skolion
A greek song, set to a brief lyrical poem
–was typically performed at the Synoposium
Paean
Hymn that celebrates the deeds of primary gods
Often accompanied by Kithara, which is what makes that instrument important
Tonos
Greek Scale, plural tonoi