Ancient Greek Music Essay

Ancient Greek melody was extremely popular in those times, and frequently used at ceremonies such(prenominal) as weddings and funerals. It was also compete a lot because the Greeks saw contend it as a way of worshipping the Gods, pipes and pans were played when worshipping Dionysus, the god of wine and partying and former(a) instruments played for other gods. The intelligence service music comes from the muses who were daughters of Zeus and were known to be the goddesses of the inspiration of literature, science and the arts. Although no- bingle actually knows what ancient Greek music sounded like, they do know what instruments were played. There were The lyre- an ancient stringed instrument played by the Greeks, the word comes from the Greek The aulos- two double-reed pipes, played with a mouth band to fit in the reeds steadily next to the musicians lips The kithara- also a stringed instrument, but more conglomerate than the lyre. Another difference was that it was played wi th a plectrum. The Hydraulis- The head start instrument,The LyreThe ascendents of the LyreThe Lyre was one of the first ever stringed musical instruments and was invented by the Greeks. Traditionally, the original lyres soundbox was do from a tortoise s hell on earth and then two, sometimes hollow, wooden arms extended up. The origin of the lyre is tied in with a Greek myth. When Hermes was born, he crawled out of his rocking chair and found a tortoise shell. He killed and then stretched a cow strip down around the shell then stuck two horns in. Then to finish turned he attached some strings to the instrument. When his parents found out they were very(prenominal) angry until they heard the music from the lyre and forgave him for killing the cow. There are some(prenominal) variants of the story. In one he steals an entire flock of cows. The Structure of a lyrePoor Greek musicians would have their instruments soundbox made from tortoise shells (these were called barbitos or a lyre) and richer ones would use wood for their sound box (these were called kitharas or phorminxes). Although the instruments had varied names they were all essentially lyres, just in different but similar forms.Mythology and the LyreGreek mythology and music were greatly related, mainly because sight saw music as a way to worship the gods. The lyre was the close to common in these stories.Orpheus and his LyreOrpheus is the son of Apollo, god of music, and therefore was gifted with musical talent. Apollo gave Orpheus his first lyre and with it Orpheus charmed everything animate and inanimate, from birds to rocks. He charge helped the Argonauts on their journeys, manner of speaking their lives many a time with his music. He fell in cognise with a nymph called Eurydice and charmed her with his music. They were a very happy pas de deux and decided to get married. But their love was short lived as afterward the ceremony Eurydice was bitten by a snake and died. Orpheus was terrib ly sad and mourned her expiry for years. Finally he decided to go to the underworld to get her back. He travelled down and got past Cerberus using his music. He played his lyre in front of Hades and the music was so sweet it horizontal softened the lord of the deads heart.He begged hades to let him have Eurydice back and Hades said yes, but on one condition, on the way back up you must not facial gesture back at Eurydice or she will be stuck in hell forever. Orpheus agreed. On the way back he did not look back, even though he desperately wanted to. They were just at the mouth of the living world and Orpheus stepped out, happy that they had made it. He looked back to per centum this moment with Eurydice but she was still in the land of the dead and was now dragged back to hell. Orpheus was sadder than ever and travelled aimlessly, his only companion his lyre. But he was murdered by a group of maenads who ripped him apart and threw his head and lyre into the river. His Lyre and he ad travelled down until it reached the shore of lesbos, whose people buried his head and threw his lyre up into the sky to make a star constellation.