The Ancient Greeks were music lovers. Music was an important part of almost every aspect of their daily lives. It was valued partly because it could control peoples' moods;
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The two main festivals were the Panathenaia and the Great Dionysia.
The first (NB the Parthenon frieze) included a large procession of
musicians. In pottery, their representation is reduced to 2 aulos players
and 2 kithara players - on sculpture, to 4. Festivals usually involved
formal musical competitions with categories for soloists and choirs etc.
The Pythian games at Delphi were held in honour of Apollo, the
divine musician. Competition was fierce. Victory odes for athletic and
musical competition winners were composed specially.
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Not only was music played at sporting events, but athletes trained to
music.
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Music was played on the battlefields, possibly to help soldiers march in
time.
Commands were given on a war trumpet. On war boats, percussion instruments (usually) were played to keep the oarsmen rowing in time. A trireme boat for example, had 170 rowers who needed to keep to a rhythm.
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Music was vital in theatre. Greek playwrights were expected to compose the music, train the singers AND direct the performance of their plays! Large amounts of the story in a Greek play was narrated in song rather than acted.
Similarly, the performance of narrative poems was more likely to be said in a sing-song chant - NB -professional performers of Homeric poems were called rhapsodes.
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Athenian youths learnt the lyre as part of their education. The kithara was more difficult and therefore left to professionals.
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