Chapter 1: Music In Antiquity

Question 1

Lyre

Answer 1

Plucked string instrument with a resonating soundbox, two arms, crossbar, and strings that run parallel to the soundboard and attach to the crossbar

Question 2

Harp

Answer 2

Plucked string instrument with a resonating soundbox, neck, and strings in roughly triangular shape. The strings rise perpendicular from the soundboard to the neck.

Question 3

Bull Lyre

Answer 3

Sumerian lyre with a bull’s head at one end of the soundbox; had religious significance

Question 4

Genre

Answer 4

Type or category of musical composition

Question 5

Hymn

Answer 5

Song to or in honor of a god.

Question 6

Notation

Answer 6

A system for writing down musical sounds, or the process of writing down music.

Question 7

Aulos

Answer 7

Ancient Greek reed instrument, usually played in pairs. Associated with Dionysus, the god of fertility and wine, and used in the theater. After the 6th century BCE it was played as a solo instrument, and some musicians were able to win fame and fortune touring and playing in contests

Question 8

Lyre (Greek)

Answer 8

Seven-stringed instrument strummed with a plectrum in the right hand while the left hand touched the strings, producing harmonics. Associated with the Apollo, the god of light, learning, prophecy, and the arts. Learning to play this instrument was a core aspect of education in Ancient Greece, and it was used to accompany dancing, singing, or recitation of epic poetry.

Question 9

Kithara

Answer 9

Ancient Greek instrument, a large lyre used especially for processions and sacred ceremonies, and in the theater. After the 6th century BCE, it was played as a solo instrument, and several musicians made a living touring the country and performing in contests.

Question 10

Melody

Answer 10

From the Greek “Melos,” a succession of notes forming a coherent line.

Question 11

Monophony

Answer 11

Music or musical texture consisting of unaccompanied melody

Question 12

Heterophony

Answer 12

Music or musical texture in which a melody is performed by two or more parts simultaneously in more than one way, for example, one voice performing it simply, and the other with embellishments.

Question 13

Polyphony

Answer 13

Music or musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody.

Question 14

Harmonia

Answer 14

Ancient Greek term with multiple meanings (1) the union of parts into an orderly whole; (2) interval; (3) scale type; (4) style of melody. This concept was present in all aspects of society, including the human soul. Music was thought to be an exemplification of this concept, and reflected order in the universe.

Question 15

Ethos

Answer 15

(Greek, “custom”) (1) Moral or ethical character or way of being or behaving; (2) Character, mood, or emotional effect of a certain tonoi, mode, meter, or melody.

Question 16

Diastematic

Answer 16

Adjective describing movement in which the voice moves between sustained pitches separated by discrete intervals.

Question 17

Note

Answer 17

(1) A musical tone; (2) A symbol denoting a musical tone.

Question 18

Interval

Answer 18

Distance in pitch between two notes.

Question 19

Scale

Answer 19

A series of three or more different pitches in ascending or descending order and arranged in a specific pattern.

Question 20

Tetrachord

Answer 20

(From Greek, “four strings”); in Greek and midieval theory, a scale of four notes spanning a reflect fourth.

Question 21

Genus

Answer 21

(Latin, “class”; pl. genera); in Ancient Greek sic, one of three forms of tetrachord: diatonic, chromatic, and enharmonic.

Question 22

Diatonic (genus)

Answer 22

Genus of tetrachord consisting of (descending) two whole steps and a half step, or a melody using this tetrachord.

Question 23

Chromatic (genus)

Answer 23

(From Greek “chroma”, “color”); in Ancient Greek music, adjective describing a tetrachord comprising a minor third and two semitones, or a melody that uses such tetrachords.

Question 24

Enharmonic (genus)

Answer 24

In Ancient Greek music, adjective describing a tetrachord comprising a major third and two quartertones, or a melody that uses such tetrachords.

Question 25

Conjunct

Answer 25

In Ancient Greek music, adjective used to describe the relationship between two tetrachords when the bottom note of one is the same as the top note of the other.

Question 26

Disjunct

Answer 26

In Ancient Greek music, adjective used to describe the relationship between two tetrachords when e bottom to of one is a whole one above the top note of the other.

Question 27

Greater Perfect System

Answer 27

In Ancient Greek music, a system of 4 tetrachords plus a single note, spanning an octave.

Question 28

Species of Consonances

Answer 28

The particular ordering of whole steps and half steps within each consonant (perfect) interval, identified and named by Cleonides.

Question 29

Tonos

Answer 29

(Pl. tonoi); Ancient Greek term used with different meanings by various writers; one meaning is a particular set of pitches within a certain range or region of the voice. Associated with a particular character and mood

Question 30

Enheduanna

Answer 30

(2300 BCE); an Akkadian high priestess at Ur, and the first known composer by name. She wrote hymns for the moon god Nanna and the moon goddess Inanna.

Question 31

Dionysus

Answer 31

Ancient Greek god of wine and fertility

Question 32

Apollo

Answer 32

Ancient Greek god of light, prophecy, learning, and the arts, especially music and poetry

Question 33

Pythagoras

Answer 33

Ancient Greek theorist who discovered that the consonant intervals (P4, P5, and P8) were based on the simplest ratios:

2: 1 - P8
3: 2- P5
4: 3 - P4

Question 34

Plato

Answer 34

(Ca. 429-347 BCE) Ancient Greek philosopher and author of Republic and Timaeus, some of the most influential writings on music. Believed that music should be used in education, and that only specific harmoniai should be used, as they fostered desirable traits in their listeners. Also believed that rules in music should not be broken or change.

Question 35

Aristotle

Answer 35

(Ca. 384-322 BCE) Ancient Greek philosopher and author of Politics, some of the most influential writing on music. Believed that music affected behavior: music that imitated a certain ethos aroused that ethos in the listener. Believed that music should be used for enjoyment as well as education.

Question 36

Euripides

Answer 36

(Ca. 485-406 BCE), Ancient Greek playwright and composer, and author of the play Orestes.