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    Vocal Art in AntiquityAuthor(s): Philip A. DueySource: The Musical Quarterly, Vol. 32, No. 3 (Jul., 1946), pp. 390-410Published by: Oxford University PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/739198.

    Accessed: 02/10/2014 17:03

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    Vocal Art

    in

    Antiquity

    ocal Art

    in

    Antiquity

    ocal Art

    in

    Antiquity

    ments of

    the

    Tragedy ;4

    its

    meaning

    is obvious

    to

    him,

    which

    fact

    indicates that

    the actual vocal

    practices

    in connection with

    tragedy

    were so

    well

    understood as

    to

    require

    no further

    explanation

    on

    his

    part.

    The

    above

    quotation

    from

    the

    Poetics

    reveals the

    typical

    atti-

    tude of

    the ancients

    towards

    practical

    music. The theoretical

    trea-

    tises

    from

    Euclid

    to

    St.

    Augustine

    have

    enabled

    scholars

    to

    recon-

    struct

    the

    hypothetical

    side of Greek

    music,

    but

    they

    are not

    so

    helpful

    when it

    comes to the

    pragmatical.

    However

    this

    quotation

    does

    reveal two

    things,

    first,

    that music was

    very

    popular,

    and

    sec-

    ond,

    that

    its

    uses were

    generally

    well understood.

    The bard was not considered of high estate among the early

    Greeks,

    a

    circumstance that is more

    or less

    common to

    all

    ages

    including

    even our

    own.

    He was honored

    only

    to the

    extent

    that

    he

    could entertain

    the rich and

    mighty by recounting

    and

    praising

    their

    deeds

    and

    virtues;

    and

    the

    fact that

    the

    well-being

    of the

    entertainer

    depended

    upon

    the

    pleasure

    and

    good

    will of his

    hearers

    explains

    the

    flattering

    and

    equivocal

    nature

    of

    these

    Homeric

    epics.

    The

    eighth

    book of

    the

    Odyssey

    throws

    considerable

    light

    on

    the

    ancient Greek

    performer.

    Demodocus was called

    in

    during

    the

    feast, ... for surely God has granted him exceeding skill in song to

    cheer us

    in

    whatever

    way

    his

    soul

    is

    moved to

    sing

    .

    .

    . 5

    He

    was

    invited to

    sit

    with them

    and

    join

    in

    the

    feasting

    and

    drinking,

    a

    patronizing

    and

    condescending

    gesture

    on

    their

    part.

    Then,

    the

    muse

    impelled

    the

    bard

    to

    sing

    men's

    glorious

    deeds ,

    and

    he

    was

    cheered on to

    sing

    by

    the

    Phaeacian

    chiefs

    for

    they

    enjoyed

    the

    story .

    Later

    at

    the contests

    a

    page

    brought

    his tuneful

    lyre

    to

    Demodocus ,

    who

    stepped

    to the

    center

    of a

    ring,

    ...

    and

    round him stood

    young

    men in

    the first

    bloom of

    years,

    skillful at danc-

    ing

    they

    struck the

    splendid

    dance

    ground

    with their

    feet;

    Odysseus

    watched

    their

    twinkling

    feet and was

    astonished.And

    now

    the

    bard,

    touching

    his

    lyre,

    began

    a

    beautiful

    song

    about

    the

    loves

    of Ares and

    crowned

    Aphrodite.6

    And

    at

    the

    opening

    of Book

    IX,

    Odysseus

    says,

    . .

    .

    surely

    it

    is

    a

    pleasant

    thing

    to hear a

    bard like

    this

    [Demodocus],

    one

    who

    is

    even like

    the

    gods

    in

    voice. For

    more

    complete

    delight I think

    there cannot

    be

    than when

    good

    cheer

    possesses

    whole

    people,

    and

    feasting

    through

    the

    houses

    they

    listen

    to a

    bard,

    seated in

    proper

    order,

    while beside

    them stand

    the

    tables

    4Ibid. See also

    below,

    definition of

    melopoeia by

    Cleonides,

    p.

    396.

    5

    Homer,

    The

    Odyssey,

    transl.

    by

    G.

    H.

    Palmer,

    Cambridge,

    Mass.,

    1929,

    Book

    VIII,

    P.

    91

    [43-45]-

    6Ibid.,

    p.

    96

    [262-67].

    ments of

    the

    Tragedy ;4

    its

    meaning

    is obvious

    to

    him,

    which

    fact

    indicates that

    the actual vocal

    practices

    in connection with

    tragedy

    were so

    well

    understood as

    to

    require

    no further

    explanation

    on

    his

    part.

    The

    above

    quotation

    from

    the

    Poetics

    reveals the

    typical

    atti-

    tude of

    the ancients

    towards

    practical

    music. The theoretical

    trea-

    tises

    from

    Euclid

    to

    St.

    Augustine

    have

    enabled

    scholars

    to

    recon-

    struct

    the

    hypothetical

    side of Greek

    music,

    but

    they

    are not

    so

    helpful

    when it

    comes to the

    pragmatical.

    However

    this

    quotation

    does

    reveal two

    things,

    first,

    that music was

    very

    popular,

    and

    sec-

    ond,

    that

    its

    uses were

    generally

    well understood.

    The bard was not considered of high estate among the early

    Greeks,

    a

    circumstance that is more

    or less

    common to

    all

    ages

    including

    even our

    own.

    He was honored

    only

    to the

    extent

    that

    he

    could entertain

    the rich and

    mighty by recounting

    and

    praising

    their

    deeds

    and

    virtues;

    and

    the

    fact that

    the

    well-being

    of the

    entertainer

    depended

    upon

    the

    pleasure

    and

    good

    will of his

    hearers

    explains

    the

    flattering

    and

    equivocal

    nature

    of

    these

    Homeric

    epics.

    The

    eighth

    book of

    the

    Odyssey

    throws

    considerable

    light

    on

    the

    ancient Greek

    performer.

    Demodocus was called

    in

    during

    the

    feast, ... for surely God has granted him exceeding skill in song to

    cheer us

    in

    whatever

    way

    his

    soul

    is

    moved to

    sing

    .

    .

    . 5

    He

    was

    invited to

    sit

    with them

    and

    join

    in

    the

    feasting

    and

    drinking,

    a

    patronizing

    and

    condescending

    gesture

    on

    their

    part.

    Then,

    the

    muse

    impelled

    the

    bard

    to

    sing

    men's

    glorious

    deeds ,

    and

    he

    was

    cheered on to

    sing

    by

    the

    Phaeacian

    chiefs

    for

    they

    enjoyed

    the

    story .

    Later

    at

    the contests

    a

    page

    brought

    his tuneful

    lyre

    to

    Demodocus ,

    who

    stepped

    to the

    center

    of a

    ring,

    ...

    and

    round him stood

    young

    men in

    the first

    bloom of

    years,

    skillful at danc-

    ing

    they

    struck the

    splendid

    dance

    ground

    with their

    feet;

    Odysseus

    watched

    their

    twinkling

    feet and was

    astonished.And

    now

    the

    bard,

    touching

    his

    lyre,

    began

    a

    beautiful

    song

    about

    the

    loves

    of Ares and

    crowned

    Aphrodite.6

    And

    at

    the

    opening

    of Book

    IX,

    Odysseus

    says,

    . .

    .

    surely

    it

    is

    a

    pleasant

    thing

    to hear a

    bard like

    this

    [Demodocus],

    one

    who

    is

    even like

    the

    gods

    in

    voice. For

    more

    complete

    delight I think

    there cannot

    be

    than when

    good

    cheer

    possesses

    whole

    people,

    and

    feasting

    through

    the

    houses

    they

    listen

    to a

    bard,

    seated in

    proper

    order,

    while beside

    them stand

    the

    tables

    4Ibid. See also

    below,

    definition of

    melopoeia by

    Cleonides,

    p.

    396.

    5

    Homer,

    The

    Odyssey,

    transl.

    by

    G.

    H.

    Palmer,

    Cambridge,

    Mass.,

    1929,

    Book

    VIII,

    P.

    91

    [43-45]-

    6Ibid.,

    p.

    96

    [262-67].

    ments of

    the

    Tragedy ;4

    its

    meaning

    is obvious

    to

    him,

    which

    fact

    indicates that

    the actual vocal

    practices

    in connection with

    tragedy

    were so

    well

    understood as

    to

    require

    no further

    explanation

    on

    his

    part.

    The

    above

    quotation

    from

    the

    Poetics

    reveals the

    typical

    atti-

    tude of

    the ancients

    towards

    practical

    music. The theoretical

    trea-

    tises

    from

    Euclid

    to

    St.

    Augustine

    have

    enabled

    scholars

    to

    recon-

    struct

    the

    hypothetical

    side of Greek

    music,

    but

    they

    are not

    so

    helpful

    when it

    comes to the

    pragmatical.

    However

    this

    quotation

    does

    reveal two

    things,

    first,

    that music was

    very

    popular,

    and

    sec-

    ond,

    that

    its

    uses were

    generally

    well understood.

    The bard was not considered of high estate among the early

    Greeks,

    a

    circumstance that is more

    or less

    common to

    all

    ages

    including

    even our

    own.

    He was honored

    only

    to the

    extent

    that

    he

    could entertain

    the rich and

    mighty by recounting

    and

    praising

    their

    deeds

    and

    virtues;

    and

    the

    fact that

    the

    well-being

    of the

    entertainer

    depended

    upon

    the

    pleasure

    and

    good

    will of his

    hearers

    explains

    the

    flattering

    and

    equivocal

    nature

    of

    these

    Homeric

    epics.

    The

    eighth

    book of

    the

    Odyssey

    throws

    considerable

    light

    on

    the

    ancient Greek

    performer.

    Demodocus was called

    in

    during

    the

    feast, ... for surely God has granted him exceeding skill in song to

    cheer us

    in

    whatever

    way

    his

    soul

    is

    moved to

    sing

    .

    .

    . 5

    He

    was

    invited to

    sit

    with them

    and

    join

    in

    the

    feasting

    and

    drinking,

    a

    patronizing

    and

    condescending

    gesture

    on

    their

    part.

    Then,

    the

    muse

    impelled

    the

    bard

    to

    sing

    men's

    glorious

    deeds ,

    and

    he

    was

    cheered on to

    sing

    by

    the

    Phaeacian

    chiefs

    for

    they

    enjoyed

    the

    story .

    Later

    at

    the contests

    a

    page

    brought

    his tuneful

    lyre

    to

    Demodocus ,

    who

    stepped

    to the

    center

    of a

    ring,

    ...

    and

    round him stood

    young

    men in

    the first

    bloom of

    years,

    skillful at danc-

    ing

    they

    struck the

    splendid

    dance

    ground

    with their

    feet;

    Odysseus

    watched

    their

    twinkling

    feet and was

    astonished.And

    now

    the

    bard,

    touching

    his

    lyre,

    began

    a

    beautiful

    song

    about

    the

    loves

    of Ares and

    crowned

    Aphrodite.6

    And

    at

    the

    opening

    of Book

    IX,

    Odysseus

    says,

    . .

    .

    surely

    it

    is

    a

    pleasant

    thing

    to hear a

    bard like

    this

    [Demodocus],

    one

    who

    is

    even like

    the

    gods

    in

    voice. For

    more

    complete

    delight I think

    there cannot

    be

    than when

    good

    cheer

    possesses

    whole

    people,

    and

    feasting

    through

    the

    houses

    they

    listen

    to a

    bard,

    seated in

    proper

    order,

    while beside

    them stand

    the

    tables

    4Ibid. See also

    below,

    definition of

    melopoeia by

    Cleonides,

    p.

    396.

    5

    Homer,

    The

    Odyssey,

    transl.

    by

    G.

    H.

    Palmer,

    Cambridge,

    Mass.,

    1929,

    Book

    VIII,

    P.

    91

    [43-45]-

    6Ibid.,

    p.

    96

    [262-67].

    3919191

    This content downloaded from 161.116.100.129 on Thu, 2 Oct 2014 17:03:22 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

    http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp
  • 8/10/2019 Vocal Art in Antiquity

    4/22

    The Musical

    Quarterly

    he Musical

    Quarterly

    he Musical

    Quarterly

    supplied

    with

    bread

    and

    meat,

    and

    dipping

    wine

    from out the mixer the

    pourer

    bears

    it

    round

    and fills

    the

    cups.

    This is a

    sight

    most

    pleasing.7

    All

    of

    which shows

    these

    things-first,

    that

    the

    singing

    was

    of

    an

    improvisatory

    nature; second, that the

    singer accompanied

    himself

    on the

    lyre;

    third,

    that

    his

    subject

    matter

    not

    only

    included

    the

    valorous

    deeds of

    gods

    and men

    but

    their

    amours

    as

    well;

    fourth,

    that

    the bard

    provided

    the

    accompaniment

    for

    dancing

    with

    his

    lyre

    and

    that

    this music must

    have had a

    definite

    rhythm;

    and

    last,

    it offers an

    idea of

    the

    social

    standing

    of

    the

    bards themselves.

    Respect

    and

    honor came to

    them

    only

    as

    they

    could

    delight

    their

    audiences,

    and

    their art

    was

    rated with food and drink as

    making

    the occasion a merry one. Only after winning the favor of the

    chieftain

    and

    his

    household

    was the bard

    given lodging

    and food.

    The

    extant

    fragments

    of

    the

    Margites, dating

    after

    700

    B.

    C.,

    afford

    an

    interesting

    early commentary

    on the

    impractical

    nature

    of

    the

    artist.

    There came to

    Colophon

    an old man and

    divine

    singer,

    a

    servant of

    the

    Muses

    and

    of

    far-shooting Apollo.

    In

    his dear hands he held a sweet-toned

    lyre.

    He knew

    many

    things

    but knew all

    badly....

    The

    gods

    had

    taught

    him

    neither

    to

    dig

    nor

    to

    plough,

    nor

    any

    other

    skill;

    he

    failed in

    every

    craft.8

    The improvisatory character of Homeric chant is

    very strongly

    indicated

    by

    the

    opening

    lines from The Battle

    of

    the

    Frogs

    and

    Mice,

    popularly

    attributed to

    Homer:9

    Here

    I

    begin:

    and

    first

    I

    pray

    the

    choir of Muses

    to come down

    from

    Helicon

    into

    my

    heart

    to

    aid

    the

    lay

    which I

    have

    newly

    written

    in

    tablets

    upon

    my

    knee. 10 This is stout evidence

    that

    the text

    was

    composed

    before-

    hand

    but that the

    melody

    was the

    inspiration

    of

    the

    moment.

    Perhaps

    the

    ex

    tempore

    nature

    of this

    music is best

    illustrated

    by

    the

    famous

    Contest

    of

    Homer and

    Hesiod.1'

    Quite likely

    no

    such

    contest

    ever

    took

    place,

    since the

    probable

    dates of their

    lives

    do

    not even

    overlap,

    but

    the

    convention of

    poets

    and

    minstrels

    con-

    tending

    for

    prizes

    was

    of

    great antiquity,

    the

    first recorded

    instance

    in

    Greek

    literature

    being

    found in

    the

    Iliad12,

    where

    Thamyris

    the

    Thracian

    singer

    boasts that he

    can

    triumph

    over

    the Muses

    them-

    selves.

    Because

    of the

    universal

    popularity

    of such

    contests,

    it

    is no

    wonder

    that

    legend

    would

    have the two

    greatest

    of the

    early

    Greek

    7

    Ibid.,

    IX,

    1-11.

    s

    Homeric

    Hymns,

    transl.

    by

    H.

    G.

    Evelyn-White

    (Loeb),

    London,

    1914, p. 537.

    9

    It

    may

    have been written as late

    as

    480

    B.

    C.

    10

    Homeric

    Hymns,

    p.

    541.

    1

    Ibid.,

    pp.

    567-97.

    12

    Homer,

    The

    Iliad,

    transl.

    by

    A. T.

    Murray (Loeb),

    N.

    Y.,

    1924,

    Bk.

    II,

    594

    if.

    supplied

    with

    bread

    and

    meat,

    and

    dipping

    wine

    from out the mixer the

    pourer

    bears

    it

    round

    and fills

    the

    cups.

    This is a

    sight

    most

    pleasing.7

    All

    of

    which shows

    these

    things-first,

    that

    the

    singing

    was

    of

    an

    improvisatory

    nature; second, that the

    singer accompanied

    himself

    on the

    lyre;

    third,

    that

    his

    subject

    matter

    not

    only

    included

    the

    valorous

    deeds of

    gods

    and men

    but

    their

    amours

    as

    well;

    fourth,

    that

    the bard

    provided

    the

    accompaniment

    for

    dancing

    with

    his

    lyre

    and

    that

    this music must

    have had a

    definite

    rhythm;

    and

    last,

    it offers an

    idea of

    the

    social

    standing

    of

    the

    bards themselves.

    Respect

    and

    honor came to

    them

    only

    as

    they

    could

    delight

    their

    audiences,

    and

    their art

    was

    rated with food and drink as

    making

    the occasion a merry one. Only after winning the favor of the

    chieftain

    and

    his

    household

    was the bard

    given lodging

    and food.

    The

    extant

    fragments

    of

    the

    Margites, dating

    after

    700

    B.

    C.,

    afford

    an

    interesting

    early commentary

    on the

    impractical

    nature

    of

    the

    artist.

    There came to

    Colophon

    an old man and

    divine

    singer,

    a

    servant of

    the

    Muses

    and

    of

    far-shooting Apollo.

    In

    his dear hands he held a sweet-toned

    lyre.

    He knew

    many

    things

    but knew all

    badly....

    The

    gods

    had

    taught

    him

    neither

    to

    dig

    nor

    to

    plough,

    nor

    any

    other

    skill;

    he

    failed in

    every

    craft.8

    The improvisatory character of Homeric chant is

    very strongly

    indicated

    by

    the

    opening

    lines from The Battle

    of

    the

    Frogs

    and

    Mice,

    popularly

    attributed to

    Homer:9

    Here

    I

    begin:

    and

    first

    I

    pray

    the

    choir of Muses

    to come down

    from

    Helicon

    into

    my

    heart

    to

    aid

    the

    lay

    which I

    have

    newly

    written

    in

    tablets

    upon

    my

    knee. 10 This is stout evidence

    that

    the text

    was

    composed

    before-

    hand

    but that the

    melody

    was the

    inspiration

    of

    the

    moment.

    Perhaps

    the

    ex

    tempore

    nature

    of this

    music is best

    illustrated

    by

    the

    famous

    Contest

    of

    Homer and

    Hesiod.1'

    Quite likely

    no

    such

    contest

    ever

    took

    place,

    since the

    probable

    dates of their

    lives

    do

    not even

    overlap,

    but

    the

    convention of

    poets

    and

    minstrels

    con-

    tending

    for

    prizes

    was

    of

    great antiquity,

    the

    first recorded

    instance

    in

    Greek

    literature

    being

    found in

    the

    Iliad12,

    where

    Thamyris

    the

    Thracian

    singer

    boasts that he

    can

    triumph

    over

    the Muses

    them-

    selves.

    Because

    of the

    universal

    popularity

    of such

    contests,

    it

    is no

    wonder

    that

    legend

    would

    have the two

    greatest

    of the

    early

    Greek

    7

    Ibid.,

    IX,

    1-11.

    s

    Homeric

    Hymns,

    transl.

    by

    H.

    G.

    Evelyn-White

    (Loeb),

    London,

    1914, p. 537.

    9

    It

    may

    have been written as late

    as

    480

    B.

    C.

    10

    Homeric

    Hymns,

    p.

    541.

    1

    Ibid.,

    pp.

    567-97.

    12

    Homer,

    The

    Iliad,

    transl.

    by

    A. T.

    Murray (Loeb),

    N.

    Y.,

    1924,

    Bk.

    II,

    594

    if.

    supplied

    with

    bread

    and

    meat,

    and

    dipping

    wine

    from out the mixer the

    pourer

    bears

    it

    round

    and fills

    the

    cups.

    This is a

    sight

    most

    pleasing.7

    All

    of

    which shows

    these

    things-first,

    that

    the

    singing

    was

    of

    an

    improvisatory

    nature; second, that the

    singer accompanied

    himself

    on the

    lyre;

    third,

    that

    his

    subject

    matter

    not

    only

    included

    the

    valorous

    deeds of

    gods

    and men

    but

    their

    amours

    as

    well;

    fourth,

    that

    the bard

    provided

    the

    accompaniment

    for

    dancing

    with

    his

    lyre

    and

    that

    this music must

    have had a

    definite

    rhythm;

    and

    last,

    it offers an

    idea of

    the

    social

    standing

    of

    the

    bards themselves.

    Respect

    and

    honor came to

    them

    only

    as

    they

    could

    delight

    their

    audiences,

    and

    their art

    was

    rated with food and drink as

    making

    the occasion a merry one. Only after winning the favor of the

    chieftain

    and

    his

    household

    was the bard

    given lodging

    and food.

    The

    extant

    fragments

    of

    the

    Margites, dating

    after

    700

    B.

    C.,

    afford

    an

    interesting

    early commentary

    on the

    impractical

    nature

    of

    the

    artist.

    There came to

    Colophon

    an old man and

    divine

    singer,

    a

    servant of

    the

    Muses

    and

    of

    far-shooting Apollo.

    In

    his dear hands he held a sweet-toned

    lyre.

    He knew

    many

    things

    but knew all

    badly....

    The

    gods

    had

    taught

    him

    neither

    to

    dig

    nor

    to

    plough,

    nor

    any

    other

    skill;

    he

    failed in

    every

    craft.8

    The improvisatory character of Homeric chant is

    very strongly

    indicated

    by

    the

    opening

    lines from The Battle

    of

    the

    Frogs

    and

    Mice,

    popularly

    attributed to

    Homer:9

    Here

    I

    begin:

    and

    first

    I

    pray

    the

    choir of Muses

    to come down

    from

    Helicon

    into

    my

    heart

    to

    aid

    the

    lay

    which I

    have

    newly

    written

    in

    tablets

    upon

    my

    knee. 10 This is stout evidence

    that

    the text

    was

    composed

    before-

    hand

    but that the

    melody

    was the

    inspiration

    of

    the

    moment.

    Perhaps

    the

    ex

    tempore

    nature

    of this

    music is best

    illustrated

    by

    the

    famous

    Contest

    of

    Homer and

    Hesiod.1'

    Quite likely

    no

    such

    contest

    ever

    took

    place,

    since the

    probable

    dates of their

    lives

    do

    not even

    overlap,

    but

    the

    convention of

    poets

    and

    minstrels

    con-

    tending

    for

    prizes

    was

    of

    great antiquity,

    the

    first recorded

    instance

    in

    Greek

    literature

    being

    found in

    the

    Iliad12,

    where

    Thamyris

    the

    Thracian

    singer

    boasts that he

    can

    triumph

    over

    the Muses

    them-

    selves.

    Because

    of the

    universal

    popularity

    of such

    contests,

    it

    is no

    wonder

    that

    legend

    would

    have the two

    greatest

    of the

    early

    Greek

    7

    Ibid.,

    IX,

    1-11.

    s

    Homeric

    Hymns,

    transl.

    by

    H.

    G.

    Evelyn-White

    (Loeb),

    London,

    1914, p. 537.

    9

    It

    may

    have been written as late

    as

    480

    B.

    C.

    10

    Homeric

    Hymns,

    p.

    541.

    1

    Ibid.,

    pp.

    567-97.

    12

    Homer,

    The

    Iliad,

    transl.

    by

    A. T.

    Murray (Loeb),

    N.

    Y.,

    1924,

    Bk.

    II,

    594

    if.

    3929292

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  • 8/10/2019 Vocal Art in Antiquity

    5/22

    Vocal

    Art in

    Antiquity

    ocal

    Art in

    Antiquity

    ocal

    Art in

    Antiquity

    poets pitted

    against

    one another

    in

    a

    traditional

    test

    of

    performing

    skill.

    The

    evidence

    of

    spontaneous

    inspiration

    on

    the

    part

    of

    the

    performers

    in

    this

    engaging

    tale

    can

    be

    compared

    with

    that afforded

    by

    the

    extemporization

    contests

    participated

    in

    by

    Bach, Mozart,

    Beethoven,

    and

    others

    in

    modern

    times.

    By

    Plato's

    day many

    changes

    had taken

    place

    and

    many

    musi-

    cian-poets

    had

    made their mark.

    Elegiac,

    iambic,

    and

    lyric

    poetry

    had

    followed

    upon

    the

    epics

    of

    mythological

    chieftains

    and

    kings.

    These new and

    more

    polished

    modes

    of

    expression

    gave greater

    depth

    and

    variety

    to

    the

    poetic

    utterances

    of

    the

    singers

    and

    had

    as

    a

    concomitant

    a

    broadening

    of

    subject

    matter from

    what

    was

    a

    more

    or less elevated treatment of the deeds of gods and ancestors to the

    problems

    of

    everyday

    life-politics,

    war,

    bucolic

    love,

    philosophy,

    etc.

    The

    drama,

    both

    tragedy

    and

    comedy,

    came

    into

    being

    as

    a

    result of

    these

    changed

    means

    of

    expression

    and

    subject

    matter

    fructified

    by

    the

    Apollonian

    and

    the

    Dionysian

    religious

    festivals.

    We

    cannot examine

    the

    important part

    taken

    by

    music

    in

    this

    lyrico-dramatic

    development

    except

    to

    say

    that

    it was

    essential,

    that

    it

    forsook the

    temples

    and

    took

    up

    its

    abode

    in

    the

    theaters,

    that

    there it was

    subjected

    to

    and

    influenced

    by

    popular

    tastes,

    and

    that

    while there it deteriorated, at least so the

    philosophers

    say,

    in the

    hands

    of the

    performers

    and

    professional

    musicians. Plato

    says,

    Novelties

    are

    always

    being

    introduced

    owing

    to

    disorderly

    tastes .l3

    And

    from

    here on

    the

    philosophers

    and

    later

    the

    ecclesi-

    astics

    always

    inveigh

    against

    secular

    influence in

    general

    and

    per-

    forming

    musicians

    in

    particular.

    After

    paying

    his

    respects

    to

    the

    skill and

    aptitude

    of

    the

    professional

    musical

    artist,

    Plato

    sum-

    marily

    dismisses

    him

    from

    his

    perfect

    state.l4

    He reasons that to be

    a successful and popular singer the artist must cater to the prevail-

    ing vulgarities

    of

    the

    multitude, which,

    of

    necessity,

    must

    cheapen

    his

    art,15

    a

    point

    of

    view that

    is reflected

    by

    and

    large

    until

    the

    rise

    of

    Humanism,

    and

    to

    some extent

    to

    our

    present

    day.

    But

    if Plato

    would

    have

    nothing

    to

    do

    with the

    professional

    musician-performer,

    he

    assigned

    an

    important

    role to music and its

    practice

    in

    the cultural

    life of

    the nation. In

    the

    Laws,

    written

    when

    he

    was advanced in

    age

    and

    intended

    as

    a

    summation

    of his

    life's

    teachings,

    he

    stresses at

    great

    length

    the

    importance

    of

    music

    in

    the

    training and education of the young. Says Plato: The well edu-

    13

    Plato,

    Laws,

    transl.

    by

    R. G.

    Bury (Loeb),

    N.

    Y.,

    1926,

    66o.

    14

    The

    Republic,

    transl.

    by

    Paul

    Shorey (Loeb),

    N.

    Y.,

    1930, 568B,

    595A, 607-o8.

    15

    Laws,

    659.

    poets pitted

    against

    one another

    in

    a

    traditional

    test

    of

    performing

    skill.

    The

    evidence

    of

    spontaneous

    inspiration

    on

    the

    part

    of

    the

    performers

    in

    this

    engaging

    tale

    can

    be

    compared

    with

    that afforded

    by

    the

    extemporization

    contests

    participated

    in

    by

    Bach, Mozart,

    Beethoven,

    and

    others

    in

    modern

    times.

    By

    Plato's

    day many

    changes

    had taken

    place

    and

    many

    musi-

    cian-poets

    had

    made their mark.

    Elegiac,

    iambic,

    and

    lyric

    poetry

    had

    followed

    upon

    the

    epics

    of

    mythological

    chieftains

    and

    kings.

    These new and

    more

    polished

    modes

    of

    expression

    gave greater

    depth

    and

    variety

    to

    the

    poetic

    utterances

    of

    the

    singers

    and

    had

    as

    a

    concomitant

    a

    broadening

    of

    subject

    matter from

    what

    was

    a

    more

    or less elevated treatment of the deeds of gods and ancestors to the

    problems

    of

    everyday

    life-politics,

    war,

    bucolic

    love,

    philosophy,

    etc.

    The

    drama,

    both

    tragedy

    and

    comedy,

    came

    into

    being

    as

    a

    result of

    these

    changed

    means

    of

    expression

    and

    subject

    matter

    fructified

    by

    the

    Apollonian

    and

    the

    Dionysian

    religious

    festivals.

    We

    cannot examine

    the

    important part

    taken

    by

    music

    in

    this

    lyrico-dramatic

    development

    except

    to

    say

    that

    it was

    essential,

    that

    it

    forsook the

    temples

    and

    took

    up

    its

    abode

    in

    the

    theaters,

    that

    there it was

    subjected

    to

    and

    influenced

    by

    popular

    tastes,

    and

    that

    while there it deteriorated, at least so the

    philosophers

    say,

    in the

    hands

    of the

    performers

    and

    professional

    musicians. Plato

    says,

    Novelties

    are

    always

    being

    introduced

    owing

    to

    disorderly

    tastes .l3

    And

    from

    here on

    the

    philosophers

    and

    later

    the

    ecclesi-

    astics

    always

    inveigh

    against

    secular

    influence in

    general

    and

    per-

    forming

    musicians

    in

    particular.

    After

    paying

    his

    respects

    to

    the

    skill and

    aptitude

    of

    the

    professional

    musical

    artist,

    Plato

    sum-

    marily

    dismisses

    him

    from

    his

    perfect

    state.l4

    He reasons that to be

    a successful and popular singer the artist must cater to the prevail-

    ing vulgarities

    of

    the

    multitude, which,

    of

    necessity,

    must

    cheapen

    his

    art,15

    a

    point

    of

    view that

    is reflected

    by

    and

    large

    until

    the

    rise

    of

    Humanism,

    and

    to

    some extent

    to

    our

    present

    day.

    But

    if Plato

    would

    have

    nothing

    to

    do

    with the

    professional

    musician-performer,

    he

    assigned

    an

    important

    role to music and its

    practice

    in

    the cultural

    life of

    the nation. In

    the

    Laws,

    written

    when

    he

    was advanced in

    age

    and

    intended

    as

    a

    summation

    of his

    life's

    teachings,

    he

    stresses at

    great

    length

    the

    importance

    of

    music

    in

    the

    training and education of the young. Says Plato: The well edu-

    13

    Plato,

    Laws,

    transl.

    by

    R. G.

    Bury (Loeb),

    N.

    Y.,

    1926,

    66o.

    14

    The

    Republic,

    transl.

    by

    Paul

    Shorey (Loeb),

    N.

    Y.,

    1930, 568B,

    595A, 607-o8.

    15

    Laws,

    659.

    poets pitted

    against

    one another

    in

    a

    traditional

    test

    of

    performing

    skill.

    The

    evidence

    of

    spontaneous

    inspiration

    on

    the

    part

    of

    the

    performers

    in

    this

    engaging

    tale

    can

    be

    compared

    with

    that afforded

    by

    the

    extemporization

    contests

    participated

    in

    by

    Bach, Mozart,

    Beethoven,

    and

    others

    in

    modern

    times.

    By

    Plato's

    day many

    changes

    had taken

    place

    and

    many

    musi-

    cian-poets

    had

    made their mark.

    Elegiac,

    iambic,

    and

    lyric

    poetry

    had

    followed

    upon

    the

    epics

    of

    mythological

    chieftains

    and

    kings.

    These new and

    more

    polished

    modes

    of

    expression

    gave greater

    depth

    and

    variety

    to

    the

    poetic

    utterances

    of

    the

    singers

    and

    had

    as

    a

    concomitant

    a

    broadening

    of

    subject

    matter from

    what

    was

    a

    more

    or less elevated treatment of the deeds of gods and ancestors to the

    problems

    of

    everyday

    life-politics,

    war,

    bucolic

    love,

    philosophy,

    etc.

    The

    drama,

    both

    tragedy

    and

    comedy,

    came

    into

    being

    as

    a

    result of

    these

    changed

    means

    of

    expression

    and

    subject

    matter

    fructified

    by

    the

    Apollonian

    and

    the

    Dionysian

    religious

    festivals.

    We

    cannot examine

    the

    important part

    taken

    by

    music

    in

    this

    lyrico-dramatic

    development

    except

    to

    say

    that

    it was

    essential,

    that

    it

    forsook the

    temples

    and

    took

    up

    its

    abode

    in

    the

    theaters,

    that

    there it was

    subjected

    to

    and

    influenced

    by

    popular

    tastes,

    and

    that

    while there it deteriorated, at least so the

    philosophers

    say,

    in the

    hands

    of the

    performers

    and

    professional

    musicians. Plato

    says,

    Novelties

    are

    always

    being

    introduced

    owing

    to

    disorderly

    tastes .l3

    And

    from

    here on

    the

    philosophers

    and

    later

    the

    ecclesi-

    astics

    always

    inveigh

    against

    secular

    influence in

    general

    and

    per-

    forming

    musicians

    in

    particular.

    After

    paying

    his

    respects

    to

    the

    skill and

    aptitude

    of

    the

    professional

    musical

    artist,

    Plato

    sum-

    marily

    dismisses

    him

    from

    his

    perfect

    state.l4

    He reasons that to be

    a successful and popular singer the artist must cater to the prevail-

    ing vulgarities

    of

    the

    multitude, which,

    of

    necessity,

    must

    cheapen

    his

    art,15

    a

    point

    of

    view that

    is reflected

    by

    and

    large

    until

    the

    rise

    of

    Humanism,

    and

    to

    some extent

    to

    our

    present

    day.

    But

    if Plato

    would

    have

    nothing

    to

    do

    with the

    professional

    musician-performer,

    he

    assigned

    an

    important

    role to music and its

    practice

    in

    the cultural

    life of

    the nation. In

    the

    Laws,

    written

    when

    he

    was advanced in

    age

    and

    intended

    as

    a

    summation

    of his

    life's

    teachings,

    he

    stresses at

    great

    length

    the

    importance

    of

    music

    in

    the

    training and education of the young. Says Plato: The well edu-

    13

    Plato,

    Laws,

    transl.

    by

    R. G.

    Bury (Loeb),

    N.

    Y.,

    1926,

    66o.

    14

    The

    Republic,

    transl.

    by

    Paul

    Shorey (Loeb),

    N.

    Y.,

    1930, 568B,

    595A, 607-o8.

    15

    Laws,

    659.

    3939393

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    http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp
  • 8/10/2019 Vocal Art in Antiquity

    6/22

    The

    Musical

    Quarterly

    he

    Musical

    Quarterly

    he

    Musical

    Quarterly

    cated man

    will

    be able both

    to

    sing

    and

    dance

    well ,'6

    but he

    should

    sing

    good

    songs

    and dance

    good

    dances.

    Music should

    not

    be

    used

    merely

    to

    pander

    to

    the

    low tastes

    of

    the

    populace

    but should

    be

    treated rather

    as an

    educational

    medium

    for

    the

    elevation

    of

    public

    morals.

    He recommends

    the

    choric

    art ,

    which embraces

    both dance and

    song,

    as

    being

    the best for the

    training

    and

    develop-

    ment

    of

    the

    body

    and soul

    of the

    young,

    although great

    care

    must

    be taken

    that the dances and

    songs

    are of

    the

    proper

    sort. Those

    taking

    part

    should

    be divided

    into three

    groups:

    first,

    the

    young

    boys;

    second,

    the

    young

    men

    up

    to

    thirty;

    and

    third,

    the

    older men

    from

    thirty

    to

    sixty.

    This

    last

    group

    is rated the

    most

    important,

    so that by singing its noblest songs it can do the most good .

    As

    has

    already

    been

    mentioned,

    the

    theory

    of Greek

    music

    was

    highly

    developed

    and

    is

    revealed

    in

    a

    large

    number

    of

    treatises. On

    the other

    hand,

    performance

    practices

    do

    not fare so

    well.

    Pytha-

    goras,

    who

    deeply

    influenced

    the

    ancients,

    and

    through

    St.

    Augus-

    tine

    and

    Boethius the Middle

    Ages,

    as well as our

    own

    era,

    is

    thus

    spoken

    of

    by

    Plutarch:

    Pythagoras,

    that

    grave

    philosopher,

    rejected

    the

    judging

    of

    music

    by

    the

    senses,

    affirming

    that the virtue

    of

    music could

    be

    appreciated

    only

    by

    the in-

    tellect. And therefore he did not

    judge

    of music

    by

    the ear, but

    by

    the har-

    monical

    proportion,

    and

    thought

    it

    sufficient to

    fix

    the

    knowledge

    of

    music

    within

    the

    compass

    of

    the

    diapason.17

    This

    might

    well be said of

    most of

    the ancient

    theorists,

    and we

    seek

    but

    do not find

    any

    mention of how

    to

    become

    a

    skilled

    singer.

    Not

    all

    of

    the

    ancient

    musicographers,

    however,

    limited

    them-

    selves

    to science

    and

    pure

    reason.

    There were those who

    considered

    music

    from its

    practical

    and

    functional

    aspects,

    where

    it

    tended

    to

    degenerate

    into

    empiricism ,

    whereas

    with

    the

    Pythagoreans

    it

    lost

    itself in Mathematical

    Physics .'8

    The

    scientific

    approach

    to

    music

    represented

    by

    Pythagoras,

    Euclid,

    Ptolemy,

    Porphyry,

    Nicho-

    machus,

    and

    Alypius,

    is almost

    wholly

    lacking

    in clues to

    vocal

    practices.

    The

    first

    and most

    important

    of those

    who

    explain

    and

    define the

    materials

    used in

    music

    is Aristoxenus.

    In

    the

    first book of

    the

    Harmonics he

    frequently

    speaks

    of

    voice in connection with

    interval

    and

    pitch.

    The

    primarily

    vocal nature of Greek music is

    attested

    by

    his

    statements

    concerning

    these two:

    16

    Ibid.,

    654.

    17

    Plutarch,

    Moralia,

    transl.

    by

    several

    hands,

    ed.

    W. W.

    Goodwin, Boston,

    1870,

    5

    vols.

    (Vol.

    I,

    pp.

    102-35,

    De

    Musica,

    Ch.

    37.)

    18

    Henry

    S.

    Macran,

    The

    Harmonics

    of

    Aristoxenus,

    Oxford,

    1902,

    pp.

    87

    if.

    cated man

    will

    be able both

    to

    sing

    and

    dance

    well ,'6

    but he

    should

    sing

    good

    songs

    and dance

    good

    dances.

    Music should

    not

    be

    used

    merely

    to

    pander

    to

    the

    low tastes

    of

    the

    populace

    but should

    be

    treated rather

    as an

    educational

    medium

    for

    the

    elevation

    of

    public

    morals.

    He recommends

    the

    choric

    art ,

    which embraces

    both dance and

    song,

    as

    being

    the best for the

    training

    and

    develop-

    ment

    of

    the

    body

    and soul

    of the

    young,

    although great

    care

    must

    be taken

    that the dances and

    songs

    are of

    the

    proper

    sort. Those

    taking

    part

    should

    be divided

    into three

    groups:

    first,

    the

    young

    boys;

    second,

    the

    young

    men

    up

    to

    thirty;

    and

    third,

    the

    older men

    from

    thirty

    to

    sixty.

    This

    last

    group

    is rated the

    most

    important,

    so that by singing its noblest songs it can do the most good .

    As

    has

    already

    been

    mentioned,

    the

    theory

    of Greek

    music

    was

    highly

    developed

    and

    is

    revealed

    in

    a

    large

    number

    of

    treatises. On

    the other

    hand,

    performance

    practices

    do

    not fare so

    well.

    Pytha-

    goras,

    who

    deeply

    influenced

    the

    ancients,

    and

    through

    St.

    Augus-

    tine

    and

    Boethius the Middle

    Ages,

    as well as our

    own

    era,

    is

    thus

    spoken

    of

    by

    Plutarch:

    Pythagoras,

    that

    grave

    philosopher,

    rejected

    the

    judging

    of

    music

    by

    the

    senses,

    affirming

    that the virtue

    of

    music could

    be

    appreciated

    only

    by

    the in-

    tellect. And therefore he did not

    judge

    of music

    by

    the ear, but

    by

    the har-

    monical

    proportion,

    and

    thought

    it

    sufficient to

    fix

    the

    knowledge

    of

    music

    within

    the

    compass

    of

    the

    diapason.17

    This

    might

    well be said of

    most of

    the ancient

    theorists,

    and we

    seek

    but

    do not find

    any

    mention of how

    to

    become

    a

    skilled

    singer.

    Not

    all

    of

    the

    ancient

    musicographers,

    however,

    limited

    them-

    selves

    to science

    and

    pure

    reason.

    There were those who

    considered

    music

    from its

    practical

    and

    functional

    aspects,

    where

    it

    tended

    to

    degenerate

    into

    empiricism ,

    whereas

    with

    the

    Pythagoreans

    it

    lost

    itself in Mathematical

    Physics .'8

    The

    scientific

    approach

    to

    music

    represented

    by

    Pythagoras,

    Euclid,

    Ptolemy,

    Porphyry,

    Nicho-

    machus,

    and

    Alypius,

    is almost

    wholly

    lacking

    in clues to

    vocal

    practices.

    The

    first

    and most

    important

    of those

    who

    explain

    and

    define the

    materials

    used in

    music

    is Aristoxenus.

    In

    the

    first book of

    the

    Harmonics he

    frequently

    speaks

    of

    voice in connection with

    interval

    and

    pitch.

    The

    primarily

    vocal nature of Greek music is

    attested

    by

    his

    statements

    concerning

    these two:

    16

    Ibid.,

    654.

    17

    Plutarch,

    Moralia,

    transl.

    by

    several

    hands,

    ed.

    W. W.

    Goodwin, Boston,

    1870,

    5

    vols.

    (Vol.

    I,

    pp.

    102-35,

    De

    Musica,

    Ch.

    37.)

    18

    Henry

    S.

    Macran,

    The

    Harmonics

    of

    Aristoxenus,

    Oxford,

    1902,

    pp.

    87

    if.

    cated man

    will

    be able both

    to

    sing

    and

    dance

    well ,'6

    but he

    should

    sing

    good

    songs

    and dance

    good

    dances.

    Music should

    not

    be

    used

    merely

    to

    pander

    to

    the

    low tastes

    of

    the

    populace

    but should

    be

    treated rather

    as an

    educational

    medium

    for

    the

    elevation

    of

    public

    morals.

    He recommends

    the

    choric

    art ,

    which embraces

    both dance and

    song,

    as

    being

    the best for the

    training

    and

    develop-

    ment

    of

    the

    body

    and soul

    of the

    young,

    although great

    care

    must

    be taken

    that the dances and

    songs

    are of

    the

    proper

    sort. Those

    taking

    part

    should

    be divided

    into three

    groups:

    first,

    the

    young

    boys;

    second,

    the

    young

    men

    up

    to

    thirty;

    and

    third,

    the

    older men

    from

    thirty

    to

    sixty.

    This

    last

    group

    is rated the

    most

    important,

    so that by singing its noblest songs it can do the most good .

    As

    has

    already

    been

    mentioned,

    the

    theory

    of Greek

    music

    was

    highly

    developed

    and

    is

    revealed

    in

    a

    large

    number

    of

    treatises. On

    the other

    hand,

    performance

    practices

    do

    not fare so

    well.

    Pytha-

    goras,

    who

    deeply

    influenced

    the

    ancients,

    and

    through

    St.

    Augus-

    tine

    and

    Boethius the Middle

    Ages,

    as well as our

    own

    era,

    is

    thus

    spoken

    of

    by

    Plutarch:

    Pythagoras,

    that

    grave

    philosopher,

    rejected

    the

    judging

    of

    music

    by

    the

    senses,

    affirming

    that the virtue

    of

    music could

    be

    appreciated

    only

    by

    the in-

    tellect. And therefore he did not

    judge

    of music

    by

    the ear, but

    by

    the har-

    monical

    proportion,

    and

    thought

    it

    sufficient to

    fix

    the

    knowledge

    of

    music

    within

    the

    compass

    of

    the

    diapason.17

    This

    might

    well be said of

    most of

    the ancient

    theorists,

    and we

    seek

    but

    do not find

    any

    mention of how

    to

    become

    a

    skilled

    singer.

    Not

    all

    of

    the

    ancient

    musicographers,

    however,

    limited

    them-

    selves

    to science

    and

    pure

    reason.

    There were those who

    considered

    music

    from its

    practical

    and

    functional

    aspects,

    where

    it

    tended

    to

    degenerate

    into

    empiricism ,

    whereas

    with

    the

    Pythagoreans

    it

    lost

    itself in Mathematical

    Physics .'8

    The

    scientific

    approach

    to

    music

    represented

    by

    Pythagoras,

    Euclid,

    Ptolemy,

    Porphyry,

    Nicho-

    machus,

    and

    Alypius,

    is almost

    wholly

    lacking

    in clues to

    vocal

    practices.

    The

    first

    and most

    important

    of those

    who

    explain

    and

    define the

    materials

    used in

    music

    is Aristoxenus.

    In

    the

    first book of

    the

    Harmonics he

    frequently

    speaks

    of

    voice in connection with

    interval

    and

    pitch.

    The

    primarily

    vocal nature of Greek music is

    attested

    by

    his

    statements

    concerning

    these two:

    16

    Ibid.,

    654.

    17

    Plutarch,

    Moralia,

    transl.

    by

    several

    hands,

    ed.

    W. W.

    Goodwin, Boston,

    1870,

    5

    vols.

    (Vol.

    I,

    pp.

    102-35,

    De

    Musica,

    Ch.

    37.)

    18

    Henry

    S.

    Macran,

    The

    Harmonics

    of

    Aristoxenus,

    Oxford,

    1902,

    pp.

    87

    if.

    3949494

    This content downloaded from 161.116.100.129 on Thu, 2 Oct 2014 17:03:22 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

    http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp
  • 8/10/2019 Vocal Art in Antiquity

    7/22

    Vocal

    Art

    in

    Antiquity

    ocal

    Art

    in

    Antiquity

    ocal

    Art

    in

    Antiquity

    For

    every

    musical instrument

    and

    for

    every

    human

    voice

    there

    is

    a

    maximum

    compass

    which

    they

    cannot

    exceed,

    and a

    minimum

    interval,

    less

    than

    which

    they

    cannot

    produce.

    No

    organ

    of

    sound can

    indefinitely

    enlarge

    its

    range

    or

    indefinitely

    reduce its

    intervals: in

    both cases

    it

    reaches

    a

    limit. Each

    of

    these

    limits must be

    determined

    by

    a

    reference to that

    which

    produces

    the

    sound

    and

    to

    that

    which

    discriminates it-the

    voice,

    namely,

    and

    the ear.

    What the

    voice

    cannot

    produce

    and

    the

    ear cannot

    discriminate

    must be

    excluded

    from

    the

    available and

    practically

    possible

    range

    of

    musical

    sound....

    The

    power

    of

    the

    ear

    may

    perhaps

    be

    considered

    to stretch

    beyond

    that of

    the

    voice,

    though

    to

    no

    great

    distance.19

    In

    addition

    to

    the

    delimiting

    of

    the

    musical

    scale to

    the

    compass

    of

    the

    voice,

    here is

    a

    comprehension

    of vocal

    range,

    the considera-

    tion of

    which

    has

    always

    been

    of

    great

    importance

    in

    voice

    training.

    The only point of further interest for our particular purposes in

    Aristoxenus

    is his

    differentiation

    between

    singing

    and

    speaking:

    Continuous

    motion

    [of

    the

    voice]

    we call

    the

    motion of

    speech,

    as

    in

    speaking

    the

    voice

    moves

    without

    ever

    seeming

    to come

    to

    a

    standstill.

    The

    reverse

    is

    the

    case with

    the

    other

    motion,

    which

    we designate

    motion

    by

    intervals: in

    that

    the

    voice

    does

    seem

    to

    become

    stationary,

    and

    not

    to

    speak

    but

    to

    sing.

    Hence

    in

    ordinary

    conversation

    we

    avoid

    bringing

    the

    voice to a

    standstill,

    unless

    occa-

    sionally

    forced

    by

    strong

    feeling

    to

    resort

    to such

    a

    motion;

    whereas

    in

    singing

    we act in

    precisely

    the

    opposite

    way,

    avoiding

    continuous

    motion

    and

    making

    the

    voice

    become,

    as

    far

    as

    possible,

    absolutely

    stationary.

    The

    more we

    succeed

    in rendering each of our voice utterances one, stationary, and identical, the more

    correct

    does

    the

    singing

    appear

    to the

    ear.20

    This

    last

    sentence is

    of

    particular

    significance.

    He

    means

    nothing

    more than

    to

    say

    that

    correct

    singing

    is

    singing

    on

    pitch,

    still

    one

    of

    the

    most

    difficult

    obstacles

    that

    beset

    even

    seasoned

    performers.

    Many

    a

    singer

    is

    criticized

    nowadays

    for

    faulty

    intonation;

    the

    tones

    are

    not

    one,

    stationary,

    and

    identical .

    In

    conclusion

    Aristoxenus

    says:

    Enough

    has

    been

    said

    to

    show

    that

    there

    are two

    species

    of the

    voice's

    motion,

    and

    that one is

    continuous

    and

    employed

    in

    speak-

    ing,

    while

    one

    proceeds

    by

    intervals and

    is

    employed

    in

    singing. 21

    In

    his

    explanation

    of

    his

    conception

    of

    singing

    Aristoxenus

    shows

    quite

    clearly

    that

    he is

    thinking

    of the

    actual

    practice

    of

    singing

    while

    most

    other

    authors are

    interested

    only

    in

    definition.

    Aristoxenus's

    manual

    was

    followed

    by

    others such as

    those

    of

    Philodemus

    (fl. 75-50

    B.

    C.),

    Cleonides

    (2nd

    century

    A.

    D.),

    and

    Gaudentius

    (2nd

    century

    A.D.),

    all

    of

    which

    are

    largely

    based

    on

    the

    work of

    Aristoxenus.

    Philodemus

    says

    in

    discussing

    whether

    melody can be conducive to erotic excitement that it is not because

    19

    Macran,

    op.

    cit.,

    p.

    175.

    20

    Ibid.,

    p.

    170.

    21

    Ibid.,

    p.

    172.

    For

    every

    musical instrument

    and

    for

    every

    human

    voice

    there

    is

    a

    maximum

    compass

    which

    they

    cannot

    exceed,

    and a

    minimum

    interval,

    less

    than

    which

    they

    cannot

    produce.

    No

    organ

    of

    sound can

    indefinitely

    enlarge

    its

    range

    or

    indefinitely

    reduce its

    intervals: in

    both cases

    it

    reaches

    a

    limit. Each

    of

    these

    limits must be

    determined

    by

    a

    reference to that

    which

    produces

    the

    sound

    and

    to

    that

    which

    discriminates it-the

    voice,

    namely,

    and

    the ear.

    What the

    voice

    cannot

    produce

    and

    the

    ear cannot

    discriminate

    must be

    excluded

    from

    the

    available and

    practically

    possible

    range

    of

    musical

    sound....

    The

    power

    of

    the

    ear

    may

    perhaps

    be

    considered

    to stretch

    beyond

    that of

    the

    voice,

    though

    to

    no

    great

    distance.19

    In

    addition

    to

    the

    delimiting

    of

    the

    musical

    scale to

    the

    compass

    of

    the

    voice,

    here is

    a

    comprehension

    of vocal

    range,

    the considera-

    tion of

    which

    has

    always

    been

    of

    great

    importance

    in

    voice

    training.

    The only point of further interest for our particular purposes in

    Aristoxenus

    is his

    differentiation

    between

    singing

    and

    speaking:

    Continuous

    motion

    [of

    the

    voice]

    we call

    the

    motion of

    speech,

    as

    in

    speaking

    the

    voice

    moves

    without

    ever

    seeming

    to come

    to

    a

    standstill.

    The

    reverse

    is

    the

    case with

    the

    other

    motion,

    which

    we designate

    motion

    by

    intervals: in

    that

    the

    voice

    does

    seem

    to

    become

    stationary,

    and

    not

    to

    speak

    but

    to

    sing.

    Hence

    in

    ordinary

    conversation

    we

    avoid

    bringing

    the

    voice to a

    standstill,

    unless

    occa-

    sionally

    forced

    by

    strong

    feeling

    to

    resort

    to such

    a

    motion;

    whereas

    in

    singing

    we act in

    precisely

    the

    opposite

    way,

    avoiding

    continuous

    motion

    and

    making

    the

    voice

    become,

    as

    far

    as

    possible,

    absolutely

    stationary.

    The

    more we

    succeed

    in rendering each of our voice utterances one, stationary, and identical, the more

    correct

    does

    the

    singing

    appear

    to the

    ear.20

    This

    last

    sentence is

    of

    particular

    significance.

    He

    means

    nothing

    more than

    to

    say

    that

    correct

    singing

    is

    singing

    on

    pitch,

    still

    one

    of

    the

    most

    difficult

    obstacles

    that

    beset

    even

    seasoned

    performers.

    Many

    a

    singer

    is

    criticized

    nowadays

    for

    faulty

    intonation;

    the

    tones

    are

    not

    one,

    stationary,

    and

    identical .

    In

    conclusion

    Aristoxenus

    says:

    Enough

    has

    been

    said

    to

    show

    that

    there

    are two

    species

    of the

    voice's

    motion,

    and

    that one is

    continuous

    and

    employed

    in

    speak-

    ing,

    while

    one

    proceeds

    by

    intervals and

    is

    employed

    in

    singing. 21

    In

    his

    explanation

    of

    his

    conception

    of

    singing

    Aristoxenus

    shows

    quite

    clearly

    that

    he is

    thinking

    of the

    actual

    practice

    of

    singing

    while

    most

    other

    authors are

    interested

    only

    in

    definition.

    Aristoxenus's

    manual

    was

    followed

    by

    others such as

    those

    of

    Philodemus

    (fl. 75-50

    B.

    C.),

    Cleonides

    (2nd

    century

    A.

    D.),

    and

    Gaudentius

    (2nd

    century

    A.D.),

    all

    of

    which

    are

    largely

    based

    on

    the

    work of

    Aristoxenus.

    Philodemus

    says

    in

    discussing

    whether

    melody can be conducive to erotic excitement that it is not because

    19

    Macran,

    op.

    cit.,

    p.

    175.

    20

    Ibid.,

    p.

    170.

    21

    Ibid.,

    p.

    172.

    For

    every

    musical instrument

    and

    for

    every

    human

    voice

    there

    is

    a

    maximum

    compass

    which

    they

    cannot

    exceed,

    and a

    minimum

    interval,

    less

    than

    which

    they

    cannot

    produce.

    No

    organ

    of

    sound can

    indefinitely

    enlarge

    its

    range

    or

    indefinitely

    reduce its

    intervals: in

    both cases

    it

    reaches

    a

    limit. Each

    of

    these

    limits must be

    determined

    by

    a

    reference to that

    which

    produces

    the

    sound

    and

    to

    that

    which

    discriminates it-the

    voice,

    namely,

    and

    the ear.

    What the

    voice

    cannot

    produce

    and

    the

    ear cannot

    discriminate

    must be

    excluded

    from

    the

    available and

    practically

    possible

    range

    of

    musical

    sound....

    The

    power

    of

    the

    ear

    may

    perhaps

    be

    considered

    to stretch

    beyond

    that of

    the

    voice,

    though

    to

    no

    great

    distance.19

    In

    addition

    to

    the

    delimiting

    of

    the

    musical

    scale to

    the

    compass

    of

    the

    voice,

    here is

    a

    comprehension

    of vocal

    range,

    the considera-

    tion of

    which

    has

    always

    been

    of

    great

    importance

    in

    voice

    training.

    The only point of further interest for our particular purposes in

    Aristoxenus

    is his

    differentiation

    between

    singing

    and

    speaking:

    Continuous

    motion

    [of

    the

    voice]

    we call

    the

    motion of

    speech,

    as

    in

    speaking

    the

    voice

    moves

    without

    ever

    seeming

    to come

    to

    a

    standstill.

    The

    reverse

    is

    the

    case with

    the

    other

    motion,

    which

    we designate

    motion

    by

    intervals: in

    that

    the

    voice

    does

    seem

    to

    become

    stationary,

    and

    not

    to

    speak

    but

    to

    sing.

    Hence

    in

    ordinary

    conversation

    we

    avoid

    bringing

    the

    voice to a

    standstill,

    unless

    occa-

    sionally

    forced

    by

    strong

    feeling

    to

    resort

    to such

    a

    motion;

    whereas

    in

    singing

    we act in

    precisely

    the

    opposite

    way,

    avoiding

    continuous

    motion

    and

    making

    the

    voice

    become,

    as

    far

    as

    possible,

    absolutely

    stationary.

    The

    more we

    succeed

    in rendering each of our voice utterances one, stationary, and identical, the more

    correct

    does

    the

    singing

    appear

    to the

    ear.20

    This

    last

    sentence is

    of

    particular

    significance.

    He

    means

    nothing

    more than

    to

    say

    that

    correct

    singing

    is

    singing

    on

    pitch,

    still

    one

    of

    the

    most

    difficult

    obstacles

    that

    beset

    even

    seasoned

    performers.

    Many

    a

    singer

    is

    criticized

    nowadays

    for

    faulty

    intonation;

    the

    tones

    are

    not

    one,

    stationary,

    and

    identical .

    In

    conclusion

    Aristoxenus

    says:

    Enough

    has

    been

    said

    to

    show

    that

    there

    are two

    species

    of the

    voice's

    motion,

    and

    that one is

    continuous

    and

    employed

    in

    speak-

    ing,

    while

    one

    proceeds

    by

    intervals and

    is

    employed

    in

    singing. 21

    In

    his

    explanation

    of

    his

    conception

    of

    singing

    Aristoxenus

    shows

    quite

    clearly

    that

    he is

    thinking

    of the

    actual

    practice

    of

    singing

    while

    most

    other

    authors are

    interested

    only

    in

    definition.

    Aristoxenus's

    manual

    was

    followed

    by

    others such as

    those

    of

    Philodemus

    (fl. 75-50

    B.

    C.),

    Cleonides

    (2nd

    century

    A.

    D.),

    and

    Gaudentius

    (2nd

    century

    A.D.),

    all

    of

    which

    are

    largely

    based

    on

    the

    work of

    Aristoxenus.

    Philodemus

    says

    in

    discussing

    whether

    melody can be conducive to erotic excitement that it is not because

    19

    Macran,

    op.

    cit.,

    p.

    175.

    20

    Ibid.,

    p.

    170.

    21

    Ibid.,

    p.

    172.

    3959595

    This content downloaded from 161.116.100.129 on Thu, 2 Oct 2014 17:03:22 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

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  • 8/10/2019 Vocal Art in Antiquity

    8/22

    The Musical

    Quarterly

    he Musical

    Quarterly

    he Musical

    Quarterly

    of

    physical

    weakness that men

    succumb,

    but

    because

    of

    thoughts

    or

    physical

    suggestions.

    Even

    if

    the

    melody

    conformed

    with the

    quality

    of

    the

    voice it could

    not

    have been

    [the

    cause].

    Therefore

    we

    shall

    grant

    if

    they

    wish that

    lovers

    are

    beguiled not

    by

    melodies

    but

    by

    words

    and ideas. 22

    Apparently

    the

    opposing

    point

    of view

    had

    also been

    maintained.

    Gaudentius

    treats

    of

    notes, intervals,

    tones,

    etc.,

    after

    the

    Aris-

    toxenian

    manner. He

    says

    that

    what is to be

    studied

    about

    these

    must

    first

    be known

    by

    experience,

    by

    actually

    perceiving

    sounds:

    It is

    necessary

    that the

    hearing

    shall

    first have

    been

    trained

    by experience,

    and

    that

    it

    shall

    perceive

    the notes

    exactly,

    and be alert

    to

    intervals,

    consonant

    and dissonant, so that one may add reason to sensitivity to the properties of

    tones,

    and

    create

    perfect

    knowledge

    [science]

    derived

    both

    from

    experience

    and

    reason.

    But as

    for the

    person

    who

    comes

    to

    study

    the

    reasoning

    without

    listening

    to

    the note

    or

    exercising

    his

    ear,

    let him

    go

    out

    and

    depend

    on his

    hearing.

    For

    he

    blocks

    up

    his

    ears,

    and comes

    without

    first

    knowing

    through

    sensation

    the

    subjects

    with

    which

    the discourse

    is concerned.23

    This

    hardly requires

    explanation.

    Of

    course

    he

    is

    talking

    about

    ear-

    training,

    a

    required

    subject

    for

    every

    singer

    in

    all of

    our

    schools.

    Cleonides

    divides

    his

    treatise

    into

    the

    following

    sections:

    the

    Note, the Interval, the Harmonic Genus, Composition

    of

    Intervals,

    Scales,

    Transformation.

    He

    defines

    melopoeia

    as

    ...

    the

    use of

    those

    elements

    which

    underlie

    the

    business

    of

    music

    in

    an

    appropriate

    way

    for

    every

    purpose .24

    This

    is a

    practical

    approach,

    and would

    seem

    to

    be

    a

    quite

    adequate

    explanation

    of

    the

    term.

    And his

    discussion

    of transformation

    is

    very

    interesting

    to

    us. He

    says:

    Transformation

    in

    melopoeia

    occurs

    when

    there

    is

    a

    change

    from

    the

    expan-

    sive

    mood

    to

    the

    contracted

    one

    or

    the

    reposeful

    one,

    or from

    the

    reposeful

    mood to

    one

    of the

    others.

    The

    expansive

    mood of

    melopoeia

    is

    the

    one

    which

    betokens magnificence and loftiness of soul, manly and heroic deeds, and the

    emotions

    proper

    to

    these.

    Tragedy

    especially

    uses

    these,

    and the

    others as

    much

    as

    it

    possesses

    the

    character

    proper

    to

    them.

    The

    contracted

    mood

    is the one

    that

    reduces

    the soul

    to

    lowliness

    and

    an

    unmanly

    state. Such

    a condition

    is

    suited

    to

    the erotic

    emotions

    and

    to

    laments

    and

    expressions

    of

    pity

    and similar

    matters.

    The

    reposeful

    mood of

    melopoeia

    is

    that

    which

    brings quiet

    to

    the

    soul,

    and

    a

    free

    and

    peaceful

    condition.

    Triumphal

    hymns,

    songs

    of

    praise,

    counsels,

    and

    forms

    of

    this

    sort

    are

    suitable

    for

    the

    reposeful

    mood.25

    22

    Philodemus,

    Treatise

    on

    Music,

    in Herculanensium

    voluminum

    quae

    supersunt,

    Naples,

    1793,

    I,

    col.

    14.

    The

    same

    work,

    ed.

    by

    J.

    Keinke,

    Leipzig,

    1884,

    beginning

    of

    Bk. IV.

    23

    Karl von

    Jan,

    Musici

    Scriptores

    Graeci, Leipzig, 1895, p. 327. Cf. Plutarch, below,

    p.

    407.

    24

    Jan,

    op.

    cit.,

    p.

    180.

    25

    Ibid.,

    p.

    206.

    of

    physical

    weakness that men

    succumb,

    but

    because

    of

    thoughts

    or

    physical

    suggestions.

    Even

    if

    the

    melody

    conformed

    with the

    quality

    of

    the

    voice it could

    not

    have been

    [the

    cause].

    Therefore

    we

    shall

    grant

    if

    they

    wish that

    lovers

    are

    beguiled not

    by

    melodies

    but

    by

    words

    and ideas. 22

    Apparently

    the

    opposing

    point

    of view

    had

    also been

    maintained.

    Gaudentius

    treats

    of

    notes, intervals,

    tones,

    etc.,

    after

    the

    Aris-

    toxenian

    manner. He

    says

    that

    what is to be

    studied

    about

    these

    must

    first

    be known

    by

    experience,

    by

    actually

    perceiving

    sounds:

    It is

    necessary

    that the

    hearing

    shall

    first have

    been

    trained

    by experience,

    and

    that

    it

    shall

    perceive

    the notes

    exactly,

    and be alert

    to

    intervals,

    consonant

    and dissonant, so that one may add reason to sensitivity to the properties of

    tones,

    and

    create

    perfect

    knowledge

    [science]

    derived

    both

    from

    experience

    and

    reason.

    But as

    for the

    person

    who

    comes

    to

    study

    the

    reasoning

    without

    listening

    to

    the note

    or

    exercising

    his

    ear,

    let him

    go

    out

    and

    depend

    on his

    hearing.

    For

    he

    blocks

    up

    his

    ears,

    and comes

    without

    first

    knowing

    through

    sensation

    the

    subjects

    with

    which

    the discourse

    is concerned.23

    This

    hardly requires

    explanation.

    Of

    course

    he

    is

    talking

    about

    ear-

    training,

    a

    required

    subject

    for

    every

    singer

    in

    all of

    our

    schools.

    Cleonides

    divides

    his

    treatise

    into

    the

    following

    sections:

    the

    Note, the Interval, the Harmonic Genus, Composition

    of

    Intervals,

    Scales,

    Transformation.

    He

    defines

    melopoeia

    as

    ...

    the

    use of

    those

    elements

    which

    underlie

    the

    business

    of

    music

    in

    an

    appropriate

    way

    for

    every

    purpose .24

    This

    is a

    practical

    approach,

    and would

    seem

    to

    be

    a

    quite

    adequate

    explanation

    of

    the

    term.

    And his

    discussion

    of transformation

    is

    very

    interesting

    to

    us. He

    says:

    Transformation

    in

    melopoeia

    occurs

    when

    there

    is

    a

    change

    from

    the

    expan-

    sive

    mood

    to

    the

    contracted

    one

    or

    the

    reposeful

    one,

    or from

    the

    reposeful

    mood to

    one

    of the

    others.

    The

    expansive

    mood of

    melopoeia

    is

    the

    one

    which

    betokens magnificence and loftiness of soul, manly and heroic deeds, and the

    emotions

    proper

    to

    these.

    Tragedy

    especially

    uses

    these,

    and the

    others as

    much

    as

    it

    possesses

    the

    character

    proper

    to

    them.

    The

    contracted

    mood

    is the one

    that

    reduces

    the soul

    to

    lowliness

    and

    an

    unmanly

    state. Such

    a condition

    is

    suited

    to

    the erotic

    emotions

    and

    to

    laments

    and

    expressions

    of

    pity

    and similar

    matters.

    The

    reposeful

    mood of

    melopoeia

    is

    that

    which

    brings quiet

    to

    the

    soul,

    and

    a

    free

    and

    peaceful

    condition.

    Triumphal

    hymns,

    songs

    of

    praise,

    counsels,

    and

    forms

    of

    this

    sort

    are

    suitable

    for

    the

    reposeful

    mood.25

    22

    Philodemus,

    Treatise

    on

    Music,

    in Herculanensium

    voluminum

    quae

    supersunt,

    Naples,

    1793,

    I,

    col.

    14.

    The

    same

    work,

    ed.

    by

    J.

    Keinke,

    Leipzig,

    1884,

    beginning

    of

    Bk. IV.

    23

    Karl von

    Jan,

    Musici

    Scriptores

    Graeci, Leipzig, 1895, p. 327. Cf. Plutarch, below,

    p.

    407.

    24

    Jan,

    op.

    cit.,

    p.

    180.

    25

    Ibid.,

    p.

    206.

    of

    physical

    weakness that men

    succumb,

    but

    because

    of

    thoughts

    or

    physical

    suggestions.

    Even

    if

    the

    melody

    conformed

    with the

    quality

    of

    the

    voice it could

    not

    have been

    [the

    cause].

    Therefore

    we

    shall

    grant

    if

    they

    wish that

    lovers

    are

    beguiled not

    by

    melodies

    but

    by

    words

    and ideas. 22

    Apparently

    the

    opposing

    point

    of view

    had

    also been

    maintained.

    Gaudentius

    treats

    of

    notes, intervals,

    tones,

    etc.,

    after

    the

    Aris-

    toxenian

    manner. He

    says

    that

    what is to be

    studied

    about

    these

    must

    first

    be known

    by

    experience,

    by

    actually

    perceiving

    sounds:

    It is

    necessary

    that the

    hearing

    shall

    first have

    been

    trained

    by experience,

    and

    that

    it

    shall

    perceive

    the notes

    exactly,

    and be alert

    to

    intervals,

    consonant

    and dissonant, so that one may add reason to sensitivity to the properties of

    tones,

    and

    create

    perfect

    knowledge

    [science]

    derived

    both

    from

    experience

    and

    reason.

    But as

    for the

    person

    who

    comes

    to

    study

    the

    reasoning

    without

    listening

    to

    the note

    or

    exercising

    his

    ear,

    let him

    go

    out

    and

    depend

    on his

    hearing.

    For

    he

    blocks

    up

    his

    ears,

    and comes

    without

    first

    knowing

    through

    sensation

    the

    subjects

    with

    which

    the discourse

    is concerned.23

    This

    hardly requires

    explanation.

    Of

    course

    he

    is

    talking

    about

    ear-

    training,

    a

    required

    subject

    for

    every

    singer

    in

    all of

    our

    schools.

    Cleonides

    divides

    his

    treatise

    into

    the

    following

    sections:

    the

    Note, the Interval, the Harmonic Genus, Composition

    of

    Intervals,

    Scales,

    Transformation.

    He

    defines

    melopoeia

    as

    ...

    the

    use of

    those

    elements

    which

    underlie

    the

    busine


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