Ancient Greek Music Theory - Modes

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 23:36:36 GMT

clipped by: Rustee
clipper's remarks:

The Greeks had developed a complex system of relating particular emotional and spiritual characteristics to certain modes (scales). The names for the various modes derived from the names of Greek tribes and peoples, the temperament and emotions of which were said to be characterized by the unique sound of each mode, which included the Ancient Greek subgroups (Ionians, Dorians, Aeolians), one small region in central Greece (Locris), and certain neighboring (non-Greek) peoples from Asia Minor (Lydia, Phrygia). Thus, Dorian modes were "harsh", Phrygian modes "sensual", and so forth.

Clip Source: en.wikipedia.org

The very word music, itself, comes from the muses, the daughters of Zeus and patron goddesses of creative and intellectual endeavours.

It is important to note that the entire study of such things by the Greeks was less a formula for the production of playable music than it was a mathematical and philosophical description of how the universe, in general, was perceived to be constructed—the stars, the sun, the planets, all vibrating in harmony.

Yet, it is equally true that once formal descriptions of consonant intervals were in place, there followed, rather naturally, descriptions of what notes should be played in succession to be "correct" scales from which "correct" melodies might be formed. These scales were called modes, and they were crucial to the further development of western music.

Clip Source: en.wikipedia.org

Plato and Aristotle describe the modes to which a person listened as molding the person's character.

The effect of modes on character and mood was called the "ethos of music".

Tags: music theory, history, culture

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Ancient Greek Music Theory - Modes