Apollo's Lyre

Apollo's Lyre
Author: Thomas J. Mathiesen
Publisher: U of Nebraska Press
Total Pages: 832
Release: 1999-01-01
Genre: Music
ISBN: 9780803230798

Ancient Greek music and music theory has fascinated scholars for centuries not only because of its intrinsic interest as a part of ancient Greek culture but also because the Greeks? grand concept of music has continued to stimulate musical imaginations to the present day. Unlike earlier treatments of the subject, Apollo?s Lyre is aimedøprincipally at the reader interested in the musical typologies, the musical instruments, and especially the historical development of music theory and its transmission through the Middle Ages. The basic method and scope of the study are set out in a preliminary chapter, followed by two chapters concentrating on the role of music in Greek society, musical typology, organology, and performance practice. The next chapters are devoted to the music theory itself, as it developed in three stages: in the treatises of Aristoxenus and the Sectio canonis; during the period of revival in the second century C.E.; and in late antiquity. Each theorist and treatise is considered separately but always within the context of the emerging traditions. The theory provides a remarkably complete and coherent system for explaining and analyzing musical phenomena, and a great deal of its conceptual framework, as well as much of its terminology, was borrowed and adapted by medieval Latin, Byzantine, and Arabic music theorists, a legacy reviewed in the final chapter. Transcriptions and analyses of some of the more complete pieces of Greek music preserved on papyrus or stone, or in manuscript, are integrated with a consideration of the musicopoetic types themselves. The book concludes with a comprehensive bibliography for the field, updating and expanding the author?s earlier Bibliography of Sources for the Study of Ancient Greek Music.

The Berkeley Manuscript

The Berkeley Manuscript
Author: Oliver B. Ellsworth
Publisher: U of Nebraska Press
Total Pages: 332
Release: 1984-01-01
Genre: Music
ISBN: 9780803218086

Completed in Paris in 1375, this important manuscript combing several musical treatises was kept in private hands until the 1960s, when it was sold to the University of California at Berkeley and at last became readily accessible to scholars. This is the first complete edition and translation of the manuscript to be published, and extensive notes, a critical introduction, and indexes rerum et verborum augment the volume. Inasmuch as some of the treatises appear in later manuscripts located in Britain, Belgium, and Italy, full collations are provided. An appendix reviews more distantly related manuscripts. This edition will make widely available a collection of treatises that has already revised the history of music theory and practice. The treatises collected in the Berkeley Manuscript (olim Phillipps 4450) consider topics as fundamental and diverse as counterpoint, notation, tuning, chant, and speculative matters, for example, the history of the development of the scale. There is thorough coverage of the doctrine of coiuncta, which provides a means for accounting for chromatic accidentals in music, previously thought to be an invention of a century later. The discussion of tuning suggests the possibility of equal temperament some two centuries earlier than had been assumed. Two plates illustrate the edition. The first depicts musical instruments of the fourteenth century; the second provides a representative example of the handwritten manuscript.

Greek and Latin Music Theory

Greek and Latin Music Theory
Author: Edward Nowacki
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer
Total Pages: 239
Release: 2020
Genre: Music
ISBN: 1580469957

A long-needed overview of, and guide to, the principles behind the treatises on music theory written in ancient Greece and Rome and continuing through the Middle Ages.

A Companion to Ancient Greek and Roman Music

A Companion to Ancient Greek and Roman Music
Author: Tosca A. C. Lynch
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 564
Release: 2020-07-08
Genre: History
ISBN: 1119275474

A COMPANION TO ANCIENT GREEK AND ROMAN MUSIC A comprehensive guide to music in Classical Antiquity and beyond Drawing on the latest research on the topic, A Companion to Ancient Greek and Roman Music provides a detailed overview of the most important issues raised by the study of ancient Greek and Roman music. An international panel of contributors, including leading experts as well as emerging voices in the field, examine the ancient 'Art of the Muses' from a wide range of methodological, theoretical, and practical perspectives. Written in an engaging and accessible style, this book explores the pervasive presence of the performing arts in ancient Greek and Roman culture—ranging from musical mythology to music theory and education, as well as archaeology and the practicalities of performances in private and public contexts. But this Companion also explores the broader roles played by music in the Graeco-Roman world, examining philosophical, psychological, medical and political uses of music in antiquity, and aspects of its cultural heritage in Mediaeval and Modern times. This book debunks common myths about Greek and Roman music, casting light on yet unanswered questions thanks to newly discovered evidence. Each chapter includes a discussion of the tools or methodologies that are most appropriate to address different topics, as well as detailed case studies illustrating their effectiveness. This book Offers new research insights that will contribute to the future developments of the field, outlining new interdisciplinary approaches to investigate the importance of performing arts in the ancient world and its reception in modern culture Traces the history and development of ancient Greek and Roman music, including their Near Eastern roots, following a thematic approach Showcases contributions from a wide range of disciplines and international scholarly traditions Examines the political, social and cultural implications of music in antiquity, including ethnicity, regional identity, gender and ideology Presents original diagrams and transcriptions of ancient scales, rhythms, and extant scores that facilitate access to these vital aspects of ancient music for scholars as well as practicing musicians Written for a broad range of readers including classicists, musicologists, art historians, and philosophers, A Companion to Ancient Greek and Roman Music provides a rich, informative and thought-provoking picture of ancient music in Classical Antiquity and beyond.

Ars Cantus Mensurabilis Mensurata Per Modos Iuris

Ars Cantus Mensurabilis Mensurata Per Modos Iuris
Author: C. Matthew Balensuela
Publisher: U of Nebraska Press
Total Pages: 348
Release: 1994-01-01
Genre: Music
ISBN: 9780803212459

An anonymous fourteenth-century treatise that borrows heavily from the Libellus cantus mensurabilis attributed to Johannes de Muris, the Ars cantus mensurabilis mensurata per modos iuris differs from others ars nova treatises in its systematic application of scholastic philosophy and allusions to medieval law. Using music as the subject of inquiry, the writer addresses questions that occupied scholastic philosophers in other fields, such as the natural minimum of a substance and the potentia Dei absoluta. The writer quotes legal maxims and alludes to medieval legal issues such as the lex regia and the Becket controversy to justify and prove the rules of music. A substantial portion of the treatise was first published as Anonymous V in Edmond de Coussemaker's Scriptores de musica medii aevi, where it was paired with a counterpoint treatise beginning "Cum notum sit". The treatise published by Coussemaker, however, is not the entire work. From textual and manuscript evidence, the Greek and Latin Music Theory edition demonstrates that a set of three figures and an introduction are related to the mensural treatise; the same evidence suggests that the counterpoint treatise "Cum notum sit" should not be considered part of the treatise. The GLMT editionøpresents a complete critical text for the treatise together with a facing-page English translation. Annotations to the translation explain the numerous legal and scholastic allusions in the treatise. Also presented are corrected versions of the approximately one hundred musical figures. Preceding the critical text and translation, an extended introduction explains the musical and intellectual sources of the work.

A Companion to Science, Technology, and Medicine in Ancient Greece and Rome, 2 Volume Set

A Companion to Science, Technology, and Medicine in Ancient Greece and Rome, 2 Volume Set
Author: Georgia L. Irby
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 1111
Release: 2019-12-05
Genre: History
ISBN: 1119100704

A Companion to Science, Technology, and Medicine in Ancient Greece and Rome brings a fresh perspective to the study of these disciplines in the ancient world, with 60 chapters examining these topics from a variety of critical and technical perspectives. Brings a fresh perspective to the study of science, technology, and medicine in the ancient world, with 60 chapters examining these topics from a variety of critical and technical perspectives Begins coverage in 600 BCE and includes sections on the later Roman Empire and beyond, featuring discussion of the transmission and reception of these ideas into the Renaissance Investigates key disciplines, concepts, and movements in ancient science, technology, and medicine within the historical, cultural, and philosophical contexts of Greek and Roman society Organizes its content in two halves: the first focuses on mathematical and natural sciences; the second focuses on cultural applications and interdisciplinary themes 2 Volumes

The Monochord in Ancient Greek Harmonic Science

The Monochord in Ancient Greek Harmonic Science
Author: David Creese
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 427
Release: 2010-06-10
Genre: History
ISBN: 0521843243

Traces the history of the monochord from its earliest appearance to Claudius Ptolemy (mid-second century AD).

The Cambridge History of Western Music Theory

The Cambridge History of Western Music Theory
Author: Thomas Christensen
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 1033
Release: 2006-04-20
Genre: Music
ISBN: 1316025489

The Cambridge History of Western Music Theory is the first comprehensive history of Western music theory to be published in the English language. A collaborative project by leading music theorists and historians, the volume traces the rich panorama of music-theoretical thought from the Ancient Greeks to the present day. Recognizing the variety and complexity of music theory as an historical subject, the volume has been organized within a flexible framework. Some chapters are defined chronologically within a restricted historical domain, whilst others are defined conceptually and span longer historical periods. Together the thirty-one chapters present a synthetic overview of the fascinating and complex subject that is historical music theory. Richly enhanced with illustrations, graphics, examples and cross-citations as well as being thoroughly indexed and supplemented by comprehensive bibliographies of the most important primary and secondary literature, this book will be an invaluable resource for students and scholars alike.

The Oxford Handbook of Greek and Roman Comedy

The Oxford Handbook of Greek and Roman Comedy
Author: Michael Fontaine
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 913
Release: 2014-04
Genre: Drama
ISBN: 0199743541

The Oxford Handbook of Greek and Roman Comedy marks the first comprehensive introduction to and reference work for the unified study of ancient comedy. From its birth in Greece to its end in Rome, from its Hellenistic to its Imperial receptions, no topic is neglected. The 41 essays offer cutting-edge guides through comedy's immense terrain.