Author(s): Yorgos Sicilianos
Abstract or Summary:
This article explores the mystery of ancient Greek music, focusing on its incomplete understanding and the challenges in reconstructing its sound. Despite the diligent efforts of musicologists, there is still ambiguity in interpreting ancient musical symbols found on artifacts. The text emphasizes the integral role of music in ancient Greek tragedy, alongside speech and dance, suggesting that the Greek language itself contained musical elements that tragic poets would have utilized. To illustrate his views, the author references his own composition based on a choral passage from Aeschylus’ tragedy “Persians,” where he instinctively and imaginatively attempts to revive the lost tradition of ancient tragic music.
The article further delves into the difficulties of translating ancient Greek texts, highlighting the loss of rhythm, melody, and the intrinsic musicality of the original language in translation. The author argues that contemporary music inspired by ancient Greek tragedy could partially bridge this gap by embracing the prosodic nature of the ancient Greek metric and the evocative power of the original words. He emphasizes that the ancient Greek tragedians, who were both poets and composers, worked within specific musical frameworks dictated by their culture, which included musical modes, forms, instruments, and rhythmic patterns. The article discusses the use of Erasmian pronunciation to better capture the vocal variety and rhythm of the ancient language. The author concludes by presenting his composition “Invocation,” which utilizes these principles to recreate the emotional and acoustic experience of ancient Greek music, demonstrating how modern musicians can draw inspiration and new ideas from the linguistic and musical traditions of ancient Greece.
An abbreviated version of this article forms part of the English supplement at the end of this volume (page 267-268).
Year of Publication: 2007
Published/Presented: Yorgos Sicilianos In the avant-garde of contemporary music
Page(s): 83-89
Language(s): Greek
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Yorgos Sicilianos |
Dimitris Agrafiotis, Theodore Antoniou, Tatsis Apostolidis, Valia Christopoulou, Giorgos Demertzis, Popi Eustratiadi, Byron Fidetzis, Gianni Ioannides, Apostolos Kostios, Giorgos Kouroupos, Katy Romanou, Yorgos Sicilianos, Michalis Stathopoulos, Nikos Synodinos, Nikos B. Tsouchlos |
Benaki Museum |
2007 |
Musicology |
Edited Volume |
Greek & English |
83-89 |