Patience, brothers. Soon we will reveal the secrets of this painting.
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Attend the Odeon and learn more about ancient Greek music.
Aspasia:Welcome to Athens, wanderer. More specifically, welcome to the musical hub of the city: the Odeon.
("Who are you?")
Aspasia:My name is Aspasia. Though I am not original from Athens, I have climbed to the top of its social ladder using my wit and intellect. I've even earned the love of Perikles, one of the most powerful men in the city. The mind truly is a beautiful thing.
("What do you think of this place?")
Apasia:Sometimes, when the burdens of life begin to weigh heavy on my shoulders, I come here, close my eyes, and surrender myself to the music. It makes me feel like I'm a child again, my mother singing me to sleep with a gentle lullaby.
("Let's begin the tour.")
Apasia:The Odeon was where musicians came to share their songs with the public. The melodies played here caught the wind and drifted through the air, soothing the souls of Athenians across the city. Come find me when your visit is complete, and we will talk about the things you've learned. See you soon, wanderer.
Attic red-figure cup with scene of a young musician with his music teacher / 480 BCE (Classical Greece)
Music played an important part in almost every aspect of Ancient Greek life.
Whether attending a public gathering, rubbing elbows at a dinner party, laying out offerings in a temple, or marching into battle, there was a song for everything.
Aristotle even wrote that music increased the efficiency of laborers, and it was often played for rowers and field-pickers to keep them working at a steady rhythm.
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For Greeks, the word "music" had a very broad definition. Mousikè technè, or "musical art", technically included what we today consider to be music, but it also encompassed any art thought to be inspired by the Muses, including poetry, dance, comedy, tragedy, and epics. In fact, it was rare for things like poetry and plays to be performed without accompanying songs and dances.
When it came to instruments, musicians favored a flute called the autos, the guitar-like kithara and its smaller cousin the lyre, and the tympanon, a hand-drum that helped set and keep the music's tempo.
Female dancers were also known to use an instrument called the krotala, or "clackers". Clackers were almost always played in pairs, and as their name implies, made percussive clacking noises.
Tetradrachm of Antiochos IV Epiphanes struck in Antioch on the Orontes for the panhellenic festival at Daphne in 166 BCE. The reverse depicts Apollo holding a kithara / 170 - 164 BCE (Hellenistic Greece)
Musical contests, or agones, were originally only held during religious festivals.
Over time they became cultural events in their own right, and attracted musicians and spectators from all over the Greek world.
For example, the Athenian Panathenaia festival featured competitions for instrument-playing and poetry recitation.
The Dionysia festival included contests between groups of male singers to see who could best perform a dithyramb - a merry hymn in honor of the god Dionysos.
While these contests could be attended by all, women weren't allowed to compete in them.
In the early days of the competitions, winners only received a crown and an ego boost for their talents.
But from the Hellenistic period onward, the rewards were upgraded to cash prizes.
These prizes were large enough for musicians to make a fortune, especially if they moved from festival to festival.
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Music played a large role in ancient education. Children were taught to play instruments by either public or private tutors, and could choose to learn the lyre, the autos, or how to sing poetry. Those who sought careers as professional musicians received even more specialized training.
The importance of music in education was a point of contention between two of the most famous philosophers of Ancient Greece: Plato, and Aristotle. Plato encouraged the teaching of the kithara in his "Protagoras", where he said that by learning the instrument, boys could become "efficient in speech and action".
Meanwhile, Aristotle said in Politics that children should be forbidden from learning the autos as part of their schooling, as the flute was too exciting an instrument.
Attic red-figure lekythos depicting a rhapsode holding a lyra and a walking staff / 480 BCE (Classical Greece)
The Odeon of Perikles was built sometime between the 440s and 430s BCE.
The building was commissioned by Perikles for use in the Panathenaia festival.
The Odeon was also a venue for poetry readings, political rallies, and philosophical performances.
According to ancient sources, the original design of the Odeon was inspired by the tent of the Persian King Xerxes a spoil of war the Athenians salvaged after their decisive victory at Salamis in 480 BCE.
The building's roof was made of timber from captured Persian ships.
In this sense, the Odeon was both a triumphant symbol of Athens, and an insult to their Persian enemies.
This structure was considered one of the grandest architectural accomplishments of ancient Athens.
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In ancient Greece, poem recitations were always accompanied by music, and sometimes even dancing. These sung poems were performed by aoidos (singers) or rhapsodes, who specialized in epic poems. Rhapsodes especially were held in high esteem, particularly if they were part of the Homeridae ("sons of Homer...), a group that hailed from the island of Chios who claimed to be descendants of the Legendary Greek poet.
Aoidos and rhapsodes were entrusted with maintaining the Greek tradition of oral storytelling, and in Athens they were required by law to perform Homeric poems at every Panathenaic festival. However, art on Greek vases depicts rhapsodes clad in cloaks and holding staffs characteristic of travelers, implying that the singers toured the countryside as well.
Red-figure bell-krater with representation of musicians in a symposium / Mid-5th cent. BCE (Classical Greece)
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Hymns are metric compositions addressed to a god. They generally contain numerous lines praising the god and describing their deeds and benevolence, then end with a prayer.
A paian is a specific type of hymn usually address. to Apollo, Artemis, Zeus, Dionysos, Asklepios, or Hygieia. According to Proklos, they were usually sung "for the cessation of plagues a. maladies".
Dithyrambs, on the other hand, were passionate celebratory songs linked with Dionysos, the god of wine. Dithyrambs often kicked off the many religious festivals celebrated in places like Delos, Delphi, and Athens.
In addition to the different genres of music, there were also varied types of scales and intervals. These so-called harmoniai were named based on their ethnic origin: Dorian, Lydian, and Phrygian. They were designed to stir different types of emotions in the audience, as described in Aristotle's Politics:
"In the nature of the mere melodies there are differences. so that people when hearing them are affected differently and have not the same feelings in regard to each of them, but listen to some in a more mournful and restrained state, for instance the mode called Myxolydian, and to others in a softer state of mind, but in a midway state with the greatest composure to another, as the Dorian mode alone of tunes seems to act, while the Phrygian makes men enthusiastic."
Aspasia:Hello again. I trust your visit was worthwhile, and that learning of music was a feast for your mind. I know it was for mine. Is there anything else you'd like to do?
("I'm ready for the quiz.")
Aspasia:Fancy yourself an expert on music? Then let's put your knowledge to the test. Which of the following songs was played at weddings?
("Take on the next suggested tour.")
("Take me on a random tour.")
([LEAVE] "That's all for now.")
Aspasia:Farewell, wanderer. I hope you enjoyed the sweet sounds of the Odeon.
