Ancient Greek Worship Music

Location and Chronology

Written Sources

William A. Johnson: "Ancient Greek Music on Papyrus: Two New Fragments" [The Yale Musical Papyrus (P. Yale CtYBR inv. 4510) and The Michigan Instrumental Papyrus (P. Mich. inv. 1205r)]

Images

Musical Objects: Idiophones

Rattler: presently held in Leeuwardem, Fries Museum

Finger Cymbals: Amsterdam, Allard Pierson Museum
Finger Cymbals:

Apulein sistrum:

Musical Objects: Membranophones

Musical Objects: Chordophones

Lyre: presently held in Archaeologishes Institut der Universitat Heidelberg
Lyre: presently held in Centre for Acropolis Studies

Barbiton: presently held in British Museum

Musical Objects: Aerophones

Syrinx: presently held at Alise-Saint-Reine, Musee Alesia
Syrinx: presently held at Rijksdeinst voor Oudheidkundig Bodemonderzoek

Musical Representations: Idiophones

Clay Amphora with Female Castanet Player: 600 - 575 BCE, Greece

Musical Representations: Membranophones

Sarcophagus Relief: Female dancer playing tympanum, 2C CE
Sarcophagus Relief: Male dancer playing tympanum, 2C CE

Musical Representations: Chordophones

Sarcophagus Relief: Centaurs playing lyre and double flute, 2C CE
Pottery Kylix with a Kitharist: [top] c. 430 BCE, Greece
Pottery Kylix with a Kitharist: [bottom] c. 430 BCE, Greece
Kithara player with plectrum: pottery
Sketch of kithara player:

Teacher and student with lyres: pottery
Sketch of a lyre:

Vase painting of female harp-player:

Musical Representations: Aerophones

Aulos

Pottery Bell Krater with Satyr Flautist: 440 - 430 BCE, Italy
Pottery Bell Krater with Female Double-Flute Player: 4C BCE, Campania, Italy
Sketch of Double-Flute:
Pottery with Male Double-Flute Player wearing a phorbeia: Athens, 5C BCE
Vase with female double-aulos player: 5C BCE, presently held in the Musee de Bruxelles
Statuette of aulos-player:
Statuette of double-aulos player:
Statuette of aulos-player wearing a phorbeia: Amsterdam, Allard Pierson Museum
Bronze statue of centaur playing the double-aulos: 3C - 1C BCE

Plagiaulos (transverse flute)

Plaque with plagiaulos-player: Amsterdam, Allard Pierson Museum

Syrinx (Pan-Pipe)

Statuette of Pan playing syrinx:

Hydraulis (Hydraulic organ)

Diagram of Hydraulis: from New Dictionary of Music and Musicians

Musical Representations: Singing

Musical Representations: Dancing

Musical Representations: Mixed

Audiofiles

Instrumental renditions of the extant fragments from Stefan Hegal's copyrighted website at the Austrian Academy of Sciences

Athenaios: Paian [DAM, 19 / AGM, 12] (128 BCE) [RealPlayer / midi] on an inscription from Delphi
Limenios: Paian and Processional [DAM, 20 / AGM, 13] (128 BCE) [RealPlayer / midi] on a fragmentary inscription from Delphi
Song of Seikilos [DAM, 18 / AGM, 15] (1C CE) [RealPlayer / midi] on an inscription on a stele
Mesomedes?: Two invocations [DAM, 1s / AGM, 16s] (2C CE) [RealPlayer / midi] MS transmission
Mesomedes: Hymn to Helios [DAM 4 / AGM, 18] (2C CE) [RealPlayer / midi] MS transmission
Mesomedes: Hymn to Nemesis [DAM, 5 / AGM 19] (2C CE) [RealPlayer / midi] MS transmission
Paion PBerlin 6870, 1-15 [DAM, 30s / AGM, 40s] (2C -3C CE) [RealPlayer / midi]

Other reconstructions

Lament (Threnos) by Simonides from Music of Greek Antiquity by Aulites #653: Band 1 (1995)
Pindar: First Pythian Ode from Music of Greek Antiquity by Aulites #653: Band 2 (1995)
Sikkinis from Music of Greek Antiquity by Aulites #653: Band 3 (1995)
Ithyphallic Song from Music of Greek Antiquity by Aulites #653: Band 4 (1995)
Entrance Song of the Phallophoroi from Music of Greek Antiquity by Aulites #653: Band 5 (1995)
Instrumental Fragments from Contrapollinopolis from Musique de la Grece Antique: Band 2 (1988)
First Delphic Hymn to Apollo from Musique de la Grece Antique: Band 3 (1988)
Lament of Tekmessa from Musiqe de la Grece Antique: Band 4 (1988)
Music from Vienna Papyrus 29825 from Musique de la Grece Antique: Band 5 (1988)
Euripides: Orestes Fragment from Music from Ancient Greece: Band 2 (1996)
Euripides: Iphigeneia at Aulis Fragment from Music from Ancient Greece: Band 3 (1996)
Athenaios, Son of Athenaios: Delphian Hymn to Apollo from Music from Ancient Greece: Band 3 (1996)
Limenios, Son of Thoinos: Delphian Hymn to Apollo from Music from Ancient Greece: Band 3 (1996)

Studies

General / History

Music in the Greek and Roman World: Kelsey Museum of Archeology
Calvin Bower: "Greek Music" from Grolier Electronic Publishing
Sean E. Allison: "The History of Ancient Greek Music"
Geroyiannopoulou, Niki, and Eugenia Mouzakis. "History of Ancient Greek Music." N.d.
Hagel, Stefan. "Ancient Greek Music." N.d.
St. Andrew's University course: CL3211 Greek and Roman Music

Lyrics

"Ancient Greek Women's Laments"
King, Nathalia. "Archaic Greek Lyric." N.d.

Instruments

Michael Freel: "The Ancient Greek Aulos"
"The Hydraulic Organ"
"The Aulos (Auloi, Tibiae)"
"Pan-Pipe or Syrinx"
"Military Instruments"
"Strings"
"Percussion"

Theory

Bibliography

Electronic Bibliography

Books

Barker, Andrew, ed. Greek Musical Writings. Vol. 1 of
The Musician and his Art. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 1984.

Landels, John. Music in Ancient Greece and Rome.
London: Routledge, 1999.

Wellesz, Egon, ed. Ancient and Oriental Music. London:
Oxford University Press, 1957.

Articles

Barbera, Andre. "Ancient Greek Music." Notes. Vol. 50,
no. 4 (June 1994): 1359-1361.