For the Ancient Greeks, music was a way to express their love and respect, even fear, towards their reigning gods. The oral tradition of ethos used in song created ways in which the entire culture learned more about and were strengthened in their polytheist beliefs.
The musical tradition in Ancient Greece seems to take strength from stories of their gods. Pan, the half-goat half-man god of the wild, fields, and nature was commonly depicted as playing a flute or lyre. The Muses were often described as dancing and singing. To the ancient Greeks, music was a form of worship to their gods, and a way to act like their most playful gods. It was present at Olympic games, dramas, leisure activities, certain religious rituals, etc.
Music was a way for the ancient Greeks to express their religious beliefs through a medium that would cause many people to interact, like the Chorus learning exercise we tried in class. The ancient Greeks used ethos, or a type of oral language that describes the society's overall beliefs, to bring people together. These were sometimes made into light, frivolous tunes played along with a dance, or sometimes they were laments, used to express a loss of a loved one or the anger of the gods.
The song played in this video is a hymn for the god Apollo.
Ancient Greek music, like our music, preserved the culture. Due to this song being written down, we are able to recreate it. But, can we recreate the song with the same artistic or cultural affection as the original creator of the song? Perhaps that is the whole purpose of the oral tradition. While writing things down means we cannot lose the words being said, without knowing the oral tradition of it, we can only assume the mood in which the song was created.
Therefore, there is always that dichotomy between the words and the attitude or actions. Words can be saved, but actions cannot be preserved, only remembered. (Maybe this has something to do with our ability to repent and return?) So, in the end, without having written down any of the songs created, the ancient Greeks could have been subjected to their entire culture being lost.
So, which one do we think can help preserve the culture more? Writing down the song, or passing it on only by way of mouth and hand?
i think it's really interesting that you talked about how we can recreate the notes of the song, but don't know the attitude it was originally performed in. i distinctly remember in my piano playing days practicing a song without looking at how it is supposed to be played, then realizing i need to play it more upbeat or slower or something else, and the entire mood of the song is changed.
ReplyDeletein my interview with my Mesopotamian expert we talked about how though he can read and write ancient Mesopotamian languages, there is noone who knows for sure how the language is pronounced. he said that they have developed a system of pronouncing it so that those studying the language can discuss things, but they could be completely wrong. the emotion or intonation or emphasis of things is lost forever. because of this loss, my vote is that writing is best for preserving the factual basis of a culture or civilization, but only the combination of folklore and orally transmitted traditions can preserve the emotion, the feel, the real substance of a culture