Music Banter - View Single Post

TechnicLePanther · 10-03-2015, 08:38 AM

So, now it's basically impossible to move ahead completely chronologically. It would be like trying to go over all history chronologically. It would just be boring and sound stupid. So, to make sure that distress does not occur, I'll now be taking things in my own totally logical order. And as most of the people reading this will be Western, we're going to start by going through European music quite a ways. Sorry if you're interested in Asia, but you'll just have to wait for that. So, to start with European music, it would be most effecient to start with the most ancient. And where would you find the most ancient European music?

The Music of Ancient Greece

If I wasn't telling you right now, would you know that the Ancient Greeks were probably the first to use the word "music"? It turns out, the word is derived from the name of the Greek goddesses also known as the "Muses", or the daughters of Zeus and the patron goddess of creative endeavors (the arts). The Muses would directly inspire the word "muse", which ironically would go on to become the name of one of the most popular bands of the modern era. Hmm.

Anyways, music was tied into Greek culture. There are countless stories about the gods playing music for one purpose or another. However, actual tunes recovered from Ancient Greece are few and far between, mostly due to people coming and burning everything (multiple times). From several (and I mean like, literally three or so) writings of popular philosphers, most notably Plato, we can get a general idea of what Ancient Greek music was like.

First off, it was very simplistic. For as "advanced" a society as the Ancient Greeks were at the time, their music was likely very simple. They usually didn't play anything but one note at a time, and the rhythm of the music was mostly quarter note after quarter note after quarter note. Think Mary Had a Little Lamb. However, they were one of the first to relate music to math, most notably Pythagoras, and they used more than just whole and half steps, but even incorporated quarter (and may even smaller) steps into their music. However, it wouldn't have been very pleasing to the ear. This ties into the second point.

Second, the music wasn't made to "sound good". It was usually made to honor the gods, and therefore used different scales to represent different things. Their way of doing it was very complicated, but it can basically be related to the major key being for happy things, and the minor being for sad things. Same thing with Ancient Greece, except they had a zillion different slight variations.

Once Athens fell after the Peloponnesian War, the music actually started to be less based on the gods. If you ask me, they were a bit too obsessed with them anyways. Plato lamented the loss of religious values, but Socrates did a little jig in his grave.

The Instruments of Ancient Greece

Probably the most significant development of the Ancient Greek musical period were the instruments. For the first time, they were divided into percussion, strings, and winds, which was a bit of a development. They also probably had the first trumpets, although none have been recovered. Here are a few notable examples:

Lyre

Yeah, the lyre was a big deal. It was a stringed instrument that worked by pulling each string to a specific tightness, probably never adjustable. It would be strummed or plucked to produce a note.

Kithara

Also a strummed, stringed instrument, though it was much more complicated with a lyre. It was meant to be played with a plectrum, otherwise known as a pick for guitarists. The strings were stretched from a bar at the top to a box at the bottom. Wooden wedges were aligned along the bar, to allow this instrument to be tuned.

Aulos

This instrument was like an oboe, but with two pipes. There is some confusion over whether it used a single or double reed, however, it would work either way.

Pan Pipes

One of the first flutes, images of these can be found in most people's heads. They're essentially those small instruments with a series of pipes tied together, each pipe longer than the last to produce a different note. The note was produced by blowing across the top of the pipe.

Hydraulis

A forerunner to the organ, it created pressure in the pipes by compressing water towards them. And like the organ, it would be played with a keyboard, each key releasing air into a corresponding pipe.

And there really isn't much to say about the Music of Ancient Greece beyond that. Next time, we'll take a couple small detours before we get back on track with Europe. See you then!

10-03-2015, 08:38 AM	#9 (permalink)
TechnicLePanther and the livin' is easy... Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: New York Posts: 1,997	So, now it's basically impossible to move ahead completely chronologically. It would be like trying to go over all history chronologically. It would just be boring and sound stupid. So, to make sure that distress does not occur, I'll now be taking things in my own totally logical order. And as most of the people reading this will be Western, we're going to start by going through European music quite a ways. Sorry if you're interested in Asia, but you'll just have to wait for that. So, to start with European music, it would be most effecient to start with the most ancient. And where would you find the most ancient European music? The Music of Ancient Greece If I wasn't telling you right now, would you know that the Ancient Greeks were probably the first to use the word "music"? It turns out, the word is derived from the name of the Greek goddesses also known as the "Muses", or the daughters of Zeus and the patron goddess of creative endeavors (the arts). The Muses would directly inspire the word "muse", which ironically would go on to become the name of one of the most popular bands of the modern era. Hmm. Anyways, music was tied into Greek culture. There are countless stories about the gods playing music for one purpose or another. However, actual tunes recovered from Ancient Greece are few and far between, mostly due to people coming and burning everything (multiple times). From several (and I mean like, literally three or so) writings of popular philosphers, most notably Plato, we can get a general idea of what Ancient Greek music was like. First off, it was very simplistic. For as "advanced" a society as the Ancient Greeks were at the time, their music was likely very simple. They usually didn't play anything but one note at a time, and the rhythm of the music was mostly quarter note after quarter note after quarter note. Think Mary Had a Little Lamb. However, they were one of the first to relate music to math, most notably Pythagoras, and they used more than just whole and half steps, but even incorporated quarter (and may even smaller) steps into their music. However, it wouldn't have been very pleasing to the ear. This ties into the second point. Second, the music wasn't made to "sound good". It was usually made to honor the gods, and therefore used different scales to represent different things. Their way of doing it was very complicated, but it can basically be related to the major key being for happy things, and the minor being for sad things. Same thing with Ancient Greece, except they had a zillion different slight variations. Once Athens fell after the Peloponnesian War, the music actually started to be less based on the gods. If you ask me, they were a bit too obsessed with them anyways. Plato lamented the loss of religious values, but Socrates did a little jig in his grave. The Instruments of Ancient Greece Probably the most significant development of the Ancient Greek musical period were the instruments. For the first time, they were divided into percussion, strings, and winds, which was a bit of a development. They also probably had the first trumpets, although none have been recovered. Here are a few notable examples: Lyre Yeah, the lyre was a big deal. It was a stringed instrument that worked by pulling each string to a specific tightness, probably never adjustable. It would be strummed or plucked to produce a note. Kithara Also a strummed, stringed instrument, though it was much more complicated with a lyre. It was meant to be played with a plectrum, otherwise known as a pick for guitarists. The strings were stretched from a bar at the top to a box at the bottom. Wooden wedges were aligned along the bar, to allow this instrument to be tuned. Aulos This instrument was like an oboe, but with two pipes. There is some confusion over whether it used a single or double reed, however, it would work either way. Pan Pipes One of the first flutes, images of these can be found in most people's heads. They're essentially those small instruments with a series of pipes tied together, each pipe longer than the last to produce a different note. The note was produced by blowing across the top of the pipe. Hydraulis A forerunner to the organ, it created pressure in the pipes by compressing water towards them. And like the organ, it would be played with a keyboard, each key releasing air into a corresponding pipe. And there really isn't much to say about the Music of Ancient Greece beyond that. Next time, we'll take a couple small detours before we get back on track with Europe. See you then! __________________ Many have tried to destroy it... but... true evil never dies. It is only... REBORN *SUGGEST ME AN ALBUM* - I'm probably not going to listen to it but I will if you bother me enough.