Notes

Really Early Music Links to an external site.

Notes:

- The Great Oral Tradition = passing music down through generations without writing it down (orally) 

- people have always had complex ways (or at least ways) of singing, playing, or dancing to music varying based on culture 

Antiquity Part 1Links to an external site. 

Notes:

- music was used for purpose

- Chinese Music: 4000 years, pentatonic, plucked string family

- Egyptian Music: women musicians, almost royalty, lute lyre harp 

- Hebrew Music: music +religion, Old Testament, shofar 

Antiquity Part 2Links to an external site. 

Notes:

- Greek Music: kithara, aulos, festivals plays Olympic Games

- Roman Music: military and entertainment, drums and brass

Music Notation EvolutionLinks to an external site.

- artwork, discussion, no writing it down 

- Psalms: selah (pause), mitkam (quiet), names of tunes and instruments listed 

- Greece: Pythagoras (overtone series 600 bc), muses, plato and social music, instruments of the gods (Apollo), Homer's Iliad and Odyssey were originally sung 

                  muses: calliope (epic poetry), euterpe (music), erato (love poetry), polyhymnia (sacred poetry), clio (history), melpomene (tragedy), thalia (comedy), terpsichore (choral song, dance), urania (astronomy)

- Rome: music=power, marching bands, mammoth spectacles, 

- neumes= early type of music notation using lines. 

- 500 bc imprecise inflection symbols, 500 ad note names Boethius, 600 ad Gregory the Great said "time to write it all down", 1200 ad neumes evolve to show note duration, 1460 ad printing press and bar lines rhythms and meters and more, 1600 ad functional harmony and key signatures, 1830 ad copyright laws 

Six Videos

Video A

• Is this type of music new to you? I would say yes. 

• What were your specific feelings or thoughts in response to the music? It had a few unnerving intervals and an overall anxiety inducing feeling. 

• Tone color/Timbre (bright, brassy, warm, ringing, hollow, etc.) ringing and warm; some of the ringing was an effect of recording instead of the actual song. 

• Texture (monophony, homophony, polyphony, etc.) monophony 

• Your overall impression of the music of ancient times very tribal and ritualistic. Singular (only one person was singing). 

Video B

• Is this type of music new to you? Yes but I really liked it! The flute music felt pretty standard. 

• What were your specific feelings or thoughts in response to the music? The buzzing made me uncomfortable but I really enjoyed the vocals. Then the flute began which was beautiful and cheery, the drums made it feel a bit march-y. 

• Tone color/Timbre (bright, brassy, warm, ringing, hollow, etc.) something was buzzy, but the vocals were warm. The flute was hollow but sweet. 

• Texture (monophony, homophony, polyphony, etc.) homophony, flute was monophony. 

• Your overall impression of the music of ancient times- the first part was very unusual but the flute/drum felt like it could have been written a few years ago! I think it's really interesting that some things never really change over time. 

Video C

• Is this type of music new to you? Yes and no, I've heard lyre before but not necessarily like this. 

• What were your specific feelings or thoughts in response to the music? it was calming, 

• Tone color/Timbre (bright, brassy, warm, ringing, hollow, etc.) warm

• Texture (monophony, homophony, polyphony, etc.) monophony 

• Your overall impression of the music of ancient times I would listen to this now, like all the time. It is absolutely gorgeous and, again, I love that some aspects of life stay so consistent over the course of thousands of years. 

Video D

• Is this type of music new to you? yes. 

• What were your specific feelings or thoughts in response to the music? it kind of hurt my ears at first because the volume on my computer was way up and the timbre was very scratchy. The chords are interesting but the timber is not my favorite. 

•  Tone color/Timbre (bright, brassy, warm, ringing, hollow, etc.) scratchy, ringing 

• Texture (monophony, homophony, polyphony, etc.) homophony 

• Your overall impression of the music of ancient times this one is something you don't see anymore. Although very interesting it is quite angry and alarming. 

Video E

• Is this type of music new to you? not really 

• What were your specific feelings or thoughts in response to the music? this was a very intriguing piece that kept me wanting more. I really enjoyed it. 

• Tone color/Timbre (bright, brassy, warm, ringing, hollow, etc.) bright and warm between the two parts 

• Texture (monophony, homophony, polyphony, etc.) polyphony at times, mostly monophony

• Your overall impression of the music of ancient times This piece was peculiar but not completely separate from modern music. It has its unique qualities that I love but I can see this being played nowadays without much confusion. 

• Describe what you see on the Epitaph of SeikelosLinks to an external site. that might give clues as to how this song should sound

I believe I see some notation above the main letters but its hard to see. These would be inflection markings. 

• Describe what you see of the EuripidesLinks to an external site. parchment that might give clues as to how this music should sound

Symbols above the letters give us a clue that inflection markings are present. They look like P, the symbol pi, T, circles, etc. 

Readings

1. What function(s)/purpose did music of Ancient Times serve?  Music was important for the Roman army,'s signaling, and for entertainment/celebration. It was also important for religious reasons.

2. Why did pipers play during sacrifices? Pipers played to cover up any noises animals made during sacrifices.

3. Which instrument was used to signal retreat, attack and halt? The tuba was used to signal retreat, attack, and halt. 

4. Why were musicians left to play in camps after the army had departed? Leaving musicians in army camps was a trick used to convince enemies that armies were still there. 

5. Whose teaching salary was the highest in the Asia Minor? Music teachers were given the highest salary. 

6. What was a music teacher’s responsibility? Music teachers were responsible for teaching theory and instructing kithara lessons. They might have played with them to teach the students by ear. 

7. What’s up with Nero? Nero was not considered a properly trained "virtuoso" solo musician, even though he was an amazing musician. Nero would hire thousands of men to applaud him, and is rumored to have threatened contest judgers. So although he was seen as a great musician, he disliked not being considered a "virtuoso" and might have only won contests because of judge's fear. 

1. When was Sappho active? Sappho was active from around 600 B.C. to 550 B.C. 

2. What musical instrument/accessory did she invent? Because her hands were too small for the lyre, Sappho invented the plectrum and a pick to go along with it. 

3. How many lyric poems did she compose? She wrote more than 500 poems. 

4. Describe her students and cult. Girls would travel from land and sea to study with Sappho, and a circle of women formed which was described as both "innocent and sensual". Sappho herself headed a cult of Aphrodite and wrote songs for religious festivals. 

5. What were some of the ways she was worshipped even 1000 years after her death? Some sang her songs, some praised her excellence. Song even carved her head into stone or purchased copies of her books and poems. The capital of Lesbos even had coins with her face on them. She was painted on vases, walls, and even carved into gems. Overall, I think she was pretty well liked. 

6. What about her writings made the Christians ‘anxious’? Christians disliked the "pagan" tellings of Sappho, as she blatantly wrote about love and passion in her poems. 

7. When & where were some of her poems discovered? In the twentieth century, at a thousand year old garbage dump in Egypt, archaeologists found some of Sappho's poems. 

1. Where did the history of Western art music begin? The history of Western art music begins at the Christian Church. 

2. Why did Roman musical traditions ‘disappear’ at the beginning of the Middle Ages? The Church disliked the pagan religious affiliation and social aspect music held in Roman tradition. The Church believed this had to be exterminated, leading to a disappearance of musical traditions at the beginning of the Middle Ages. 

3. What attitude did Greek mythology display toward music and music makers? The Greeks believed music and music makers had a divine origin and could heal sickness, purify body and mind, and create natural miracles. 

4. How did Aristotle react to the complexity of music festivals and competitions?  Aristotle was concerned about the complexity of music and warned musicians to be wary of too much technical training.

5. What does monophonic music sound like? Monophonic music has one singular melodic line with no harmony. 

6. Why is the Epitaph of Seikelos of particular interest to music historians? It is of particular interest to music historians because of its clear rhythmic notation.

7. How many notes survived the Euripides papyrus? Only forty two notes of the piece survived.

8. Why did the early Christian Church distrust all instrumental music? The Cristian Church distrusted all music for pleasure, thinking all music should have purpose. This lead to a distrust in instrumental music. 

9. What type of singing is the earliest recorded musical activity of the Christian Church? Hymn singing is the earliest recorded musical activity of the Cristian Church. 

10. How did Byzantine musical practices impact western chant?  Byzantine musical practices lead to classification of repertory into eight modes and many Western chants were borrowed from this city. 

11. Who is ‘Gregorian Chant’ named after? The Gregorian Chant was named after Pope Gregory and his role in the liturgy. 

12. What language replaced Greek as the ‘official language of the Roman liturgy? Latin replaced Greek as the "official language of the Roman liturgy".

13. List a few of the jobs required of a monastic cantor? A monastic cantor maintained the library and scriptorium and directed performance of the liturgy. 

14. Who was allowed to play the lyre to accompany hymn singing and psalms? The faithful were allowed a lyre to accompany hymn singing and psalms. 

15. What role did the Christian missionaries play in developing Western music? Christian missionaries would travel and sing the melodies of the Christian Church all across western Europe. 

16. Who was Boethius?   Describe one of his ideas about music. Boethius was an early documenter of music theory. He organized music into three catagories: musica mundana (numerical relations in the movement of the planets, changing of the seasons, and the elements), musica humana (union of body and soul), and musica instrumentalis (audible music produced by instruments or vocals, exemplifies principals of order). Boethius also praised the importance of music on character and morals and advocated for music education to introduce philosophical ideas. In other words, Boethius believed music was an act of examining the components rather than creating; it is a philosophy instead of an act of art. 

Aural Assessment

1. Describe musical elements from “Sappho’s Marriage Celebration”(A) I hear a flute of some sort playing a monophonic line. The tone is quite hollow and the pitches are mostly in the higher register. The rhythms are in a triplet fashion but I do not believe they are playing in time per-say. A woman's voice enters reading poetry. 

2. What musical elements are present in ‘Euripides’ ?(B) A small stringed instrument resembling a lyre (I can't tell because of the picture quality) begins with a monophonic line in a low register. Soon, percussive lines are added (again, I can't see exactly which instrument) along with another ringing, low- pitched instrument. The repetitive hits and dissonant chords create a feeling of unease. Vocals come in about half way though the piece and add to the eerie feeling. The homophonic line and percussive hits repeat. All voices except the lyre cease and the original monophonic line ends the piece. 

3. What musical elements are present in ‘Epitaph of Seikelos’?(C) A lyre begins with strumming a homophonic tune. The intervals are consonant, the tune is quite happy, and the glissandos add to the cheery tone. 

4. What are the differences in how these three pieces sound?(ABC) The first piece was slow and lyrical, the second was extremely eerie, and the third was cheery (it made me want to lay in a meadow).  

5. Overall, how does the music of ancient times make you feel?(ABC) It depends on the song. If I had to apply a general quality, all of them made me feel like I was looking in on an event or occasion (in other words, all the music felt like it had an intended purpose). 

6. If given the chance, which instrument would you run and hide from?  Why?(ABC) Probably the bone flute because putting my mouth on animal bones grosses me out. 

7. If you were to play an instrument from this time period, what would you choose?  Why?(ABC) The lyre, I think it has a beautiful tone and endless possibilities for how it can be played. 

HONORS TRACK 

Can India & China come out to play?Links to an external site.

• Compare & contrast musical characteristics of Ancient China and Ancient India

• Ancient Indian Music  Links to an external site.
• Ancient Chinese MusicLinks to an external site.

•  

  • How do they sound the same?  Both ancient Indian and Chinese music make use of bends and semitones. They also use a variety of timbers Western music never experimented with. The timber in question can be described as "buzzing" and comes from instruments such as (Chinese) pipa, guzhang, (Indian) pungi, sitar, and the veena. Also, like every culture, they made use of the flute. 

  • How do they sound different?  The ancient Chinese music was much more peaceful, most likely due to music's role as a "pillar of society" to promote harmony. The pitch range was also much higher than the Indian piece, and less percussive. On the other hand, the low, rumbling, percussive Indian piece did not emote "calm". Instead, the Indian piece felt very earthly and bodily. The rumble of a stomach "Brahma Granthi", pounding of a heart beat "Vishnu Granthi", and the melodic flute line sitting atop it all "Rudra Granthi". 

  • How do they compare to the music of Ancient Greece & Rome? The timbers and scales used were alien to western music, leading to major differences in the final product. However, all musical backgrounds still created some method of theory to base their music on.