The power of music. A comparative study of literature and vase paintings from Classical Athens. Master’s thesis. Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Uppsala.

127 Pages·2007·2.65 MB·English

by  Louisa Sakka

THE POWER OF MUSIC

A comparative study of literature and vase paintings from
Classical Athens

University of Uppsala
Department of Archaeology and Ancient History
Master’s Thesis 45 points
Louisa Sakka
Spring 2009
Supervisor: Gullög Nordquist

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ABSTRACT
Louisa Sakka, 2009, The power of music. A comparative study of literature and vase
paintings from Classical Athens. Master’s thesis. Department of Archaeology and
Ancient History, University of Uppsala.

This paper deals with ancient Greek music, and in particular the relation of people to
music during the fifth century BC in Athens. Music is believed to exercise great
power over the human character and behavior, and at the same time is a means of
emotional communication. For the first time during the fifth century, the power of
music leaves the realm of the myths and becomes a subject of philosophical
investigation.
Two different types of sources are examined in order to study the relation of
people to music: on the one hand the literary sources of this period, and on the other
the vase paintings. This method reveals various attitudes towards music by using two
different perspectives. Possible explanations are given for the differing information,
the purpose of each source being a decisive factor.
The paper suggests that although the information from the two types of sources
varies and can even be contradictive, the recognition of the power music exercises is
obvious in both cases.

Keywords: music, ethos, power, Plato, vase paintings, art, Athens, Classical,
literature, New Music.

Louisa Sakka, Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of
Uppsala. Sweden.
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In memory of my father
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 1
1.1 Aim ................................................................................................................. 1
1.2 Definition ........................................................................................................ 2
1.3 Sources ............................................................................................................ 2
1.4 Theoretical background ................................................................................... 4
1.5 Method ............................................................................................................ 4
1.6 Account of earlier research .............................................................................. 5
2. BACKGROUND ................................................................................................... 7
2.1 The Athenian society during the fifth century BC ............................................ 7
2.2 Music in ancient Greek life .............................................................................. 8
2.2.1 Music during the sixth century BC ........................................................... 11
2.2.2 Changes in music during the fifth century BC .......................................... 12
2.3 Plato’s dialogues ............................................................................................. 13
3. ETHOS IN MUSIC ..............................................................................................1 5
3.1 Literature ........................................................................................................ 15
3.1.1 The intellectual debate in fifth century BC Athens ................................... 15
3.1.2 Plato on music’s ethos .............................................................................. 17
3.2 The vase paintings .......................................................................................... 23
3.2.1 Music and wine: the cult of Dionysos ....................................................... 23
3.2.2 The ethos of Orpheus ............................................................................... 25
3.2.3 Thamyris and hubris................................................................................. 26
3.2.4 Marsyas: the debate between the aulos and the lyra .................................. 26
4. MUSIC AND THE CITIZENS ............................................................................. 28
4.1 Literature ........................................................................................................ 28
4.1.1 The ideal education .................................................................................. 28
4.1.2 The symposion ......................................................................................... 32
4.1.3 Women and mousike ................................................................................ 34
4.2 The vase paintings .......................................................................................... 35
4.2.1 Musical education .................................................................................... 35
4.2.2 The symposion ......................................................................................... 37
4.2.3 Women and mousike ................................................................................ 39
5. THE ARTISTS AND THE NEW MUSIC ............................................................ 44
5.1 Literature ........................................................................................................ 46
5.1.1 Amateur and professional musicians ........................................................ 46
Plato’s views on art ...........................................................................................4 6
Plato and Aristotle’s views on professionalism ................................................. 48
Musical contests ...............................................................................................4 9
5.1.2 The musical revolution of the late fifth century ........................................ 50
The New Music ................................................................................................ 50
Resistance to the New Music ............................................................................ 53
5.2 The vase paintings .......................................................................................... 56
The musical contests ......................................................................................... 56
6. DISCUSSION ...................................................................................................... 59
6.1 Reactions to music .......................................................................................... 59
6.1.1 The effects of music ................................................................................. 61
The calming and enchanting effect of music ..................................................... 61
The exciting effect of music .............................................................................. 62
The pedagogical use of music ........................................................................... 64
Music in religion and death ............................................................................... 66
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The multifunctional aulos ................................................................................. 67
6.1.2 Comparison of the sources ....................................................................... 68
6.2 “Good” and “bad” music ................................................................................. 70
6.3 Music in real life ............................................................................................. 74
6.4 Modern theories concerning the psychological power of music ....................... 76
7. CONCLUSIONS .................................................................................................. 80
GLOSSARY ............................................................................................................ 83
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS .................................................................................... 85
ILLUSTRATIONS ................................................................................................... 89
BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................. 113
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1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Aim
The aim of this essay is to study people’s relation to music in Classical Athens. It
concentrates on the role and the importance of music in the lives of the Athenians, the
various uses of music, and the attitudes towards it. Two different types of sources are
used in this study: literary sources and vase paintings. Of the literary sources, Plato’s
dialogues are focused upon: he expresses ideas on the importance of ethos1 and its
relation to music, on the relation of the Athenian citizens to music, as well as on the
status of amateur and professional musicians in the Athenian society. What is of
importance during this period is the emergence of the so-called New Music, which is
studied with the help of, among others, Aristophanes, Pherecrates, Plato, and modern
scholars. The New Music causes many reactions, which are reflected in the written
sources mainly in the form of criticism or satire, and may even be discerned in the
vase paintings of the time.
The main discussion concentrates primarily on the power of music. It is
suggested that the idea of music’s power over the body and soul may be discerned in
most paintings representing music. Parallels of the effects of music visualized in the
paintings are found in the literary sources. The two types of sources are compared and
a possible explanation for similarities and differences in the information they offer is
presented. The intention of this paper is to answer the following questions:
- How is music believed to affect people?
- How is the power of music visualized in the vase paintings? Are there parallels in
the literary sources?
- Do the sources contradict or support each other?
- Is one type of source more reliable than the other?
- Do the sources represent the attitude of the average Athenian citizen towards music?
If not, which type of source represents which class/type of people?
- What sort of information does each type of source offer? What kinds of music do
they mention and what kinds do they not?

1 According to Bundrick: ”The term ethos, a word with a range of nuanced meanings, refers to the
character of a musical instrument or composition, based on such elements as rhythm, mode, tempo, or
pitch. - - - Concepts of musical ethos were tied to perceptions of morality and proper behavior, and to
ideals of sophrosyne (moderation) in the face of hubris (excessive pride in the face of the gods).”
Bundrick 2005, 10f.
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- What could music have been like in real life?
1.2 Definition
This paper concentrates on music in fifth century BC Athens. The fifth century is a
period of many changes with a lot written about it. It is an interesting time in many
ways: the power is coming into the hands of the people, the economic funds are
increasing, while art, literature, science, and philosophy bloom as never before. Most
of the sources concerning ancient Greek music focus on exactly this period. They are
not only contemporary; the interest in the fifth century is seen long into the Roman
times, as for example in works of pseudo-Plutarch and Athenaeus. It is a recognized
fact between these writers that music plays a very important role in the lives of the
Athenians.
It is easy to comprehend why this essay focuses on Athens. Even though the
most famous and talented musicians come from other places, as Thebes or parts of the
Ionian coast, the sources concerning Athens outnumber those of other cities. It is very
unfortunate not to have as much information about places with important musical
traditions, but one can use the Athenian sources to their utmost, hoping to get a
glimpse of the rest of the Greek world at the same time.
The technicalities of music or the way it is composed and played, are not of the
greatest importance for this essay. What is of interest is the study of the social role
and the psychological effects of music on people in different contexts and situations.
The main sources will be those that assist in this specific study.
1.3 Sources
The studying of music of past societies will always be problematic since it is difficult
to reproduce music in its original form. The problem is even harder to solve in cases
like ancient Greece, the music of which has not left much evidence in the form of
notation. One of the main reasons is that the compositions were transmitted through
listening and memorization.2 There are certain sources however, and M. L. West
divides them into five categories: archaeology and art; references to music and music
making in Greek literature; specialist writing on music; non-literary documents as
inscriptions and papyri; and finally the actual musical scores.3 This chapter offers an

2 Comotti 1989, 7.
3 For more information on the various sources, see West 1992, 4-8.