The Deipnosophists; or, Banquet of the Learned of Athenæus, Vol. 3 (of 3)Athenaeus, of Naucratis
Philosophy
The Deipnosophists; or, Banquet of the Learned of Athenæus, Vol. 3 (of 3)
Athenaeus, of Naucratis
Civilization, Greco-Roman; Dinners and dining -- Greece; Greece -- Social life and customs; Homosexuality -- Greece
But these Sub-Dorian songs, as they are called, are sung by nearly
everybody. Since, then, there is a Sub-Dorian melody, it is with great
propriety that Lasus speaks of Æolian harmony. Pratinas, too, somewhere
or other says—
Aim not at too sustain'd a style, nor yet
At the relax'd Ionian harmony;
But draw a middle furrow through your ground,
And follow the Æolian muse in preference.
And in what comes afterwards he speaks more plainly—
But to all men who wish to raise their voices,
The Æolian harmony's most suitable.
[Sidenote: MUSIC.]
"Now formerly, as I have said, they used to call this the Æolian
harmony, but afterwards they gave it the name of the Sub-Dorian,
thinking, as some people say, that it was pitched lower on the flute
than the Dorian. But it appears to me that those who gave it this name,
seeing its inflated style, and the pretence to valour and virtue which
was put forth in the style of the harmony, thought it not exactly the
Dorian harmony, but to a certain extent like it: on which account they
called it ὑποδώριον, just as they call what is nearly white
ὑπόλευκον: and what is not absolutely sweet, but something
near it, we call ὑπόγλυκυ; so, too, we call what is not
thoroughly Dorian ὑπόδωριον.
20. "Next in order let us consider the character of the Milesians,
which the Ionians display, being very proud of the goodly appearance
of their persons; and full of spirit, hard to be reconciled to
their enemies, quarrelsome, displaying no philanthropic or cheerful
qualities, but rather a want of affection and friendship, and a great
moroseness of disposition: on which account the Ionian style of harmony
also is not flowery nor mirthful, but austere and harsh, and having a
sort of gravity in it, which, however, is not ignoble-looking; on which
account that tragedy has a sort of affection for that harmony. But the
manners of the Ionians of the present day are more luxurious, and the
character of their present music is very far removed from the Ionian
harmony we have been speaking of. And men say that Pythermus the Teian
wrote songs such as are called Scolia in this kind of harmony; and that
it was because he was an Ionian poet that the harmony got the name of
Ionian. This is that Pythermus whom Ananius or Hipponax mentions in his
Iambics in this way:—
Pythermus speaks of gold as though all else were nought.
And Pythermus's own words are as follows:—
All other things but gold are good for nothing.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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