Ancient Greek Music Lecture Notes

Introduction

• Presentation of Ancient Greek music as it was sung around 400 BC.
• Conducted by an Associate Professor of Classics at Oxford University.
• Aim: To reconstruct the sounds of Ancient Greek music.

Concert Preparation

• Rehearsals held at Jesus College Chapel.
• Concert at Ashmolean Museum.
• Choir composed of scholars of ancient music.
• Accompanied by replicas of original instruments from Ancient Greece.

Greek Poetry and Music

• Greek poetry was intended to be sung with instrumental accompaniment.
• The belief that Ancient Greek music is lost is challenged; rhythms, instruments, and melodies can be reconstructed.

Rhythmic Structure

• Ancient Greek metrical systems based on long and short syllables.
• Dactylic hexameter as an example:
  • Pattern: daa, da-da, repeated.
• Knowledge of rhythms crucial for reconstructing music.

Melodic Sources

• 60 ancient documents serve as sources for melodies.
• Example: Delphic Paean by Athenaios (80-90 bars of melodic notation).

Instrument Reconstruction

Aulos (Double Pipe)

• Made of deer bone with reeds from Mediterranean cane.
• Characteristics:
  • Wide bore compared to later double pipes.
  • Designed for outdoor performance with large groups.
• Unique sound and tuning support reconstructions of notations.

Cithara (Stringed Instrument)

• Concert version of the lyre.
• Replicas created based on ancient vase depictions.
• Played by Stefan Hagel during the concert.

Performance Aspects

• Conducting aimed at expressing contrasting moods of the pieces.
• Anticipation of recording by BBC Radio 3.

Historical Context of Music

• Poetry, such as Homer's works, originally composed with music.
• Reconstruction of Homeric music dating back to around 700 BC.
  • Simple and repetitive melodies based on metrical rhythms.

Instrumental Techniques

• Use of circular breathing technique by pipers for continuous sound production.
• Improvisation demonstrated by Callum Armstrong on the aulos.

Melodic Reconstruction Challenges

• Melodic notation from around the fifth century BC exists.
• Stone from Delphi with the text of a paean dedicated to Apollo shows vocal notation symbols.
• Gaps in notation filled using available notes from other sources.

Conclusion

• Finale of the concert features the reconstructed chorus from Euripides' "Orestes."
• Emphasis on the excitement of reviving ancient music for modern audiences.