When we look back in time to an era so distant as the Ancient Greeks, we can have a large degree of speculation and educated guessing to conclude.Thankfully, there is much evidence that has survived to inform us about the importance of The Arts in the Ancient World and to act as a guide for our enquiries.We can, for instance, with a high level of certainty know that music as an art form was extremely important to the Ancient Greeks.As it does today, music often forms a central part of ceremonies and celebrations. Music would have been heard at weddings, funerals, to accompany the military, and in a theatrical context with poetry.Cultural Significance of the Muses and Historical FiguresIt is interesting to note that the word music stems from the Greek Muses, who were the daughters of the all-powerful God Zeus.
Muses were believed to be the divine source of inspiration for the Arts, Literature, Science, and more; vitally important for the creation of ideas. As Greek culture developed, the three first Muses became nine, each eventually with their assigned characteristics from epic poetry to astronomy.Key cultural Greek figures like Plato, Pythagoras, Ptolemy, and Aristides are our main source of knowledge, especially when considering The Arts.Their writings, along with pottery and mosaics, often provide invaluable insights into Ancient Greek traditions and practices. Pythagoras and his followers (Pythagoreans), for example, strongly linked music and mathematics.The laws of music were cosmic in origin, as were the laws surrounding mathematics. These concepts are embedded in the ideas of the Music of The Spheres.Music’s Role in Education and Society
Music, according to reliable sources like Plato (in his work called The Republic), details how music runs as a constant thread through Greek society. It forms a central component of Greek education alongside gymnastics.
Such was the importance of music that Plato considered that if one alters the modes of music at a fundamental level, then this will result in a fundamental societal change too.(How interesting it is to compare this ideology with that of the 21st century, where music is frequently relegated to an extracurricular activity in many schools).
Greek Tragedies are many, but one of the most revealing is one called Orestes by Euripides. Euripides, along with Socrates and Aeschylus, were the three most important writers of Ancient Greek Tragedies.Each author wrote many plays, many of which have survived to the present day. The tragedy in question is Orestes from 408 BCE. What’s remarkable about this particular play is that a fragment of musical notation etched on papyrus survived, showing notes for a Chorus section.
