The Modes of Ancient Greek MusicMonro, D. B. (David Binning)
History
The Modes of Ancient Greek Music
Monro, D. B. (David Binning)
Music, Greek and Roman
Since the publication of this work, the Seikilos inscription has been
examined afresh by Mr. J. A. R. Munro (of Lincoln College, Oxford).
The result of his examination is to show that the last note of the
melody has been misread. From a squeeze which he has kindly placed at
my disposal it appears that the word [Greek: apaitei] is written--
[Symbols: c x] [Greek: APAITEI]
The line drawn under the three notes [Symbols: C X I] has caused the
last to be read as [Symbol: 3], which has no meaning here. In fact it
is a reversed Gamma ([Greek: g apestrammenon]), and answers to our
_e_ natural.
Hence the last line of the transcription on pp. 89-90 should be as
follows:
[Music: [Greek: to te-los ho chro-nos a-pai--tei]]
The importance of this correction is obvious. The scale employed is
now seen to be the octave--
_e f# g a b c# d e_
If, as I ventured to suggest on p. 90, the mode is the Hypo-phrygian
(the scale of our Major mode, but with a flat Seventh), the key-note
will be _a_. The close on the Dominant _e_ will then have to be noted
as a fact supporting the belief that in Greek music the close on the
Dominant or Hypatê was the usual one (see p. 45).
The line drawn under the three symbols [Symbols: C N1] is found in
several other cases where the melody gives more than one note for a
syllable. So [Symbols: 1K] (l. 2), and [Symbols: 04)] (l. 3),
[Symbols: K1] and [Symbols: 04)] (l. 4). It does not appear however
under [Symbols: K I Z] (l. 1).
D. B. M.
End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Modes of Ancient Greek Music, by
David Binning Monro
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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