Chapter 03 of 5
Reading Ancient Notation
How the Greeks wrote down music, and how scholars bring it back to life.
- The Culture
Music everywhere
Music filled ancient Greek life: at festivals, theatre, religious rituals, dinner parties and athletic games.
- The Word
Mousikē
The Greek word mousikē, the root of "music", covered poetry, song and dance together.
- The Lyre
The kithara
The lyre and its larger cousin, the kithara, were plucked string instruments played by poets and professionals.
17 more cards in this chapter
Could you answer this?
What kind of instrument was the Greek aulos?
🏺 The Lost Sound of Ancient Music
- 01The Oldest SongClay tablets from an ancient Syrian city hold the oldest known written melody.
- 02The Seikilos EpitaphThe oldest complete song in the world, carved on a grave, and its near-miss as a flowerpot stand.
- 03Reading Ancient NotationHow the Greeks wrote down music, and how scholars bring it back to life.
- 04Guido's HandHow a medieval monk invented the musical staff and gave us do, re, mi.
- 05Playing the PastTutankhamun's trumpets, the lyres of Ur and the challenge of hearing lost sounds.