Chapter 1

Ancient Greece

There are basically six style periods that are covered through music history.
Middle ages (Medieval period) 450 to 1450: Standardized music notation. Starts
around the end of the Roman Empire.

Renaissance 1450 to 1600

Baroque 1600 to 1750

Classical 1750 to 1820

Romantic 1820 to 1900

Modern Era 1900 to present

Dates are generalized to the approximate time frames that the music styles became
well known.

Sources of Greek and Roman

Music
What are primary sources Sources that allow us to study actual examples of
music. For example notated scores, printed music or recorded music
Secondary Sources Sources that tell us about the nature of music. For example
iconography, surviving instruments, literature, treatises, journals, letters, etc.
Of the Greek era around only 50 primary sources survived and most were only
fragments.
From the Roman Era no primary sources survived.
Why so few primary sources of Greek and Roman Music? Due to the holy wars and
other various wars. Many fires destroyed the evidence.

Greek Philosophy of Music

Set down by 5th & 4th century (BC) philosophers Plato and Aristotle
Greeks viewed music in three ways:
-

As abstract mathematics (Plato Music of the Spheres)

As a power to affect human character (Doctrine of Ethos)
As an art (The least important way Greeks viewed music)

Legacy of the Greeks

The Greeks left us:
-

The acoustical basis of music (ratio of intervals, etc.)

The concept of scales, modes, tonalities
Laws of metrical and rhythmic art
A system of tuning based on ratios (Pythagorean, a type of just intonation)
Concept of notation (Completely different to what we see today)

Epitaph of Seikilos
Its a tombstone of a man named Seikilos found in 1883 in Turkey. It includes text
and musical notation. The song is an example of a skolion (Drinking song)
As long as you live, be happy
Do not grieve at all.
Lifes span is short;
Time exacts the final reckoning.

Rome
The Romans were fine politicians and soldiers, and spectacularly good engineers
and builders.
But most of their painting, sculpture, music, and religion was derived from the
practices of the ancient Greeks.

Boethius (ca. 480-524)

The most important Roman writer on music
Worked in the government of a barbarian king called Theodoric at Ravenna
Transmitted much of Greek music theory to medieval Europe through his treatise
De institutione musica (Foundations of music) This was his book. It became the
foundation of music education in the middle ages.

Romans and Religion

Romans religious practice
-

Worshiped many gods

Called a Pantheon

Romans actually very tolerant of different religions

But Christianity suppressed due to not accepting the Roman Emperor as a god
Thus Christians persecuted for 3 centuries
Emperor Constantine (Reigned fr. 306-337 AD)
He passed Edict of Milan (313 AD)

Decline of the Roman Empire &

Roman Culture
Roman Empire split into Eastern & Western halves in 5 th century due to the empire
growing too big.
Byzantine Empire flourished while Rome declined
Western Empire finally collapsed in late 5th century