Heather Day
Dr. Proksch
MULT 2340
November 28, 2016
Music in Greek Theatre and Religion
Music was a large part of everyday life in Ancient Greece. The people thought of music as a gift from their gods, associating different instruments with specific gods. Their term for music was not limited strictly to vocal and instrumental melody, but referred to dance, lyrics, and even poetry reading. Music was brought into many facets of life for Ancient Greek citizens, from weddings and funerals, to banquets and religious festivals. Education and Drama were also parts of Ancient Greek life to which music was integral.
Many of the instruments used in Ancient Greek music were thought to be created by the gods. The lyre by Hermes, the aulos by Athena, and the panpipes by Pan. The nine muses personified the various aspects of music in the broader sense of the term. Calliope represented epic poetry and rhetoric, Cleo’s domain was history, Erato signified singing, Euterpe represented lyric poetry, Melpomene’s significance was in singing tragedy, Polymnia’s domain was hymns to the pantheon and to Greek heroes, Terpsichore delighted in dancing, Thalia signified comedy, and lastly Urania represented astronomy. The nine muses were born daughters of Zeus and the titan Mnemosyne after the two copulated for nine consecutive nights. Apollo led a chorus comprised of the nine muses, and they are often associated with him.
The auloi were primarily used in worship of Dionysos, the Greek god of wine,
The muses wre nine in number, the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, Momory. They are of one mind, their hearts are set upon song and their spirit is free from care. Clio was muse of history, urania, of astronomy, melpomene of tragedy, thalia of comedy, terpischore of dance, calliope of epic poetry, erato of love-poetry, polyhymnia of songs to gods, euterpe of lyric poetry.
Music was a big part of the daily life of ancient Greece. Greek children learned a musical instrument at a young age. Music continued to be a part of their lives throughout adulthood. It was
Religion had a very large impact on Greek theatre. Religion was related to many everyday life tasks in ancient Greece such as festivals, initiations, and oracles. Religion was a very important subject and was something they used in their everyday lives. This is why, in my opinion ,religion had a high impact on Greek theatre.
In ancient Greece, they had many different gods and goddesses that represented aspects of life. Some of the gods controlled natural forces such as thunder or water, while others represented abstract concepts like wisdom. Rather than being perfect, the Greek gods were given personality flaws, and behaved similarly to humans. The Greek gods were a huge influence in the culture and technology of ancient Greece. The art made of the Greek gods gave them a highly idealized appearance. In sculptures, carvings, and paintings, they were made to look flawless. Another type of art that was influenced by the Greek gods were stage performances. The amphitheatre, which was an amazing technological invention, was a huge stage where actors performed tales of the gods. There were festivals dedicated to the Greek gods as well, such as the Festival of Lycaeus in Arcadia, which was dedicated to the god Pan.
Music was an important role of the ancient Egyptian lifestyle and is where many musical instruments that are used today developed. It was played in temples for worship, during holidays and social events. Music was also used to make workers more productive because it was found to be more bearable and motivating. This article describes the importance of these instruments by explaining how they originated, the structure of them, and how they are used for worship.
Regardless of where they are located, almost all ancient civilizations share basic features. For example, most civilizations develop things such as a class system, a common religion, or a system of writing. Another mark of a successful civilization is the evolution of music. Since music is not essential to survival, its development is usually within a large established society. The purpose of music varies from civilization to civilization, era to era. In some cultures, music accompanied religious rituals, as one sees in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. In others, such as Ancient Greece, music was a part of education and entertainment. Music also played a very important role in keeping legends and records of history alive through oral tradition. The way it was produced ranged from monophonic vocalizations in its earliest history to complex instruments and systems later in time. Any way it was produced, the role music played was one of the most important in ancient societies.
Music played a significant role in the lives of ancient Greeks. They believed that music fostered one’s relationship with the gods, and some instruments, such as the lyre, were created by the gods. Music and dance were also taught
Music provided rhythm for chores, such as working in the field, and it was also used to celebrate important events as well as
Music was a vital part of Greek culture and daily life; likewise, it was also considered to be from the gods. Because of this, a relationship between Greek myths and daily life is found on the vase Music Lesson by Douris. The scene on this vase shows a man playing an instrument while a boy watches intently. Various instruments
I think it’s because music brings more depth to any play. There’s something about music that harmonizes with every being as it amplifies feelings or emotions that mere words alone cannot. Music is infectious, be it celebratory or sentimental, it always has that strange way of connecting people together to share the actors’ passion and excitement, such as in Ragtime, when Colehouse and Sarah shared their hopes and dreams for their son’s future in a song called “Wheels of A Dream.”
Ancient Greek Theater is the first historical record of “drama,” which is the Greek term meaning “to do” or “to act.” Beginning in the 5th century BC, Greek Theater developed into an art that is still used today. During the golden age of the Athenians plays were created, plays that are considered among the greatest works of world drama. Today there are thousands of well-known plays and films based on the re-make of ancient drama.
Music in Ancient Greece was well integrated in their society, it played a large role in various ceremonies from marriages to funerals, as well as entertainment like plays or epic poetry. Although it is believed that music was invented in Africa over 55,000 years ago, music really began and took shape in Ancient Greece. Even the word music came from the Greek word muses who were believed to be the daughters of Zeus and were the patron Goddesses of creativity. There are many references to music in ancient Greece, from drawings on pottery of people playing, as well as literary works that even describe how the instruments sounded. Speaking of instruments, in addition to the voice being used as one, there are several instruments that are known to have existed in Ancient Greece, a few different string instruments including a lyre, a kithara (which is believed to be the ancient equivalent of a guitar), and a barbitos, which is a taller version of a lyre. They also had several wind type instruments including and aulos, pan pipes, a hydraulis (which eventually led to the modern day organ), as well as a salpinx, which was an ancient type of trumpet with a bone mouthpiece that was the origin of the many brass instruments that we know of today. Finally, we also know of several percussion instruments that were used by the ancient Greeks, these include a tympanum, which was like a tambourine, a crotala, and a koudounia. Music was actually one of the main teachings, along with gymnastics
In ancient Greek plays, the role of the chorus was to sing lyrical passages. The lyrical passages were set up
Greece sits at the crossroad between the Eastern and Western cultures of Asia and Europe. Being at this critical junction, Greece has experienced the ebb and flow of two cultural currents which subjected and allowed her to assimilate creatively diverse influences. Once Constantinople fell in 1453, completing the collapse of the Byzantine empire, there followed four hundred years of slavery which greatly hindered the natural development of Hellenism and restricted its spiritual evolution.
Greek theater can be considered to be one of the building blocks for our theater today. The advancements that the Greeks possessed in the early fifth century were the start of western theater. The Greeks were heavily involved with religion and religious festivals, comedies, tragedies, climatic drama, and took the outdoor amphitheater and made many improvements to its structure.