| MUSIC is an art which reflects social and cultural structures. If the society or the culture of a certain area is going into decline, it will be reflected in the music of that place straight away. Likewise, when the society or the culture is booming, the music will also flourish. Thus, music has a major function in the tracking down the past of a country and its culture.
Modern music owes much to the Ancient Greeks. In fact, the word "music" is originated from the 9 muses of Ancient Greece - goddesses controlling the arts and sciences. Contemporary musicians refer to their muse, which is somebody who influences another person's creative work. A number of musical terms have their roots in Greek. Yet, with the decline of Ancient Greece and the collapse of the Byzantine and Roman Empires, Greek music stopped developing for a few centuries until it was renewed in the 19th century.
Greeks are said to have considered music a way of worshipping God. Music was also an important of their social life. It was played on all kinds of social occasions. Since drama was also popular in Greece, they also used music when drama was staged.
Greek music is often believed to have lacked harmony. It was generally sung by one vocalist and not by a choir as is ordinarily shown in Greek plays. Ancient musicians strictly observed the laws of music and didn't combine one form with another. The rules were so stringent that the audience or listeners could not even applaud. The aim of musical shows was not to entertain but to teach common people.
Pythagoras was the first to use numbers to denote musical scales. The concept spread to Ancient Greek Music, and Pythagoras became known as the father of music theory. Most musical works are reported to be monophonic. Thus, they did not differ from each other mush. But when musicians began introducing new things to music, some experts like Plato called it sacrilege of the purest form of music.
These days Greek music is made up of folk and Eastern and Western influences. |
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