Page:History of the Literature of Ancient Greece (Müller) 2ed.djvu/175

153 LITERATURE OF ANCIENT GREECE. 153 peculiar character was the origin of these styles. Yet their fixed and systematic relation to the Doric style must have been the work of a Greek musician, probably of Terpander himself, who, in his native island of Lesbos, had frequent opportunities of becoming acquainted with the different musical styles of his neighbours of Asia Minor. Thus a fragment of Pindar relates, that Terpander, at the Lydian feasts, had heard the tone of the pectis, (a Lydian instrument, with a compass of two octaves,) and had formed from it the kind of lyre which was called Barbiton*. The Lesbians likewise used a particular sort of cithara, called the Asiatic ('Ao-tae) ; and this was by many held to be the inven- tion of Terpander, by others to be the work of his disciple Cepion f. It is manifest that the Lesbian musicians, with Terpander at their head, were the means of uniting the music of Asia Minor with that of the ancient Greeks (which was best preserved among the Dorians in Pelopon- nesus), and that they founded on it a system, in which each style had its appropriate character. To the establishment of this character the. nomes (vofioi) contributed, musical compositions of great simplicity and severity, something resembling the most ancient melodies of our church music. The Doric style appears from the statements of all the wit- nesses to have had a character of great seriousness and gravity, pecu- liarly calculated to produce a calm, firm, collected frame of mind. "With regard to the Doric style (says Aristotle), all are agreed that it is the most sedate, and has the most manly character." The Phrygian style was evidently derived from the loud vehement styles of music employed by the Phrygians in the worship of the Great Mother of the gods and the Corybantes J. In Greece, too, it was used in orgiastic worships, especially in that of Dionysus. It was peculiarly adapted to the expression of enthusiasm. The Lydian had the highest notes of any of the three ancient styles, and therefore approached nearer to the female voice ; its character was thus softer and feebler than either of the others. Yet it admitted of considerable variety of expression, as the melodies of the Lydian style had sometimes a painful and me- lancholy, sometimes a calm and pleasing character. Aristotle (who, in his Politics, has given some judicious precepts on the use of music in education) considers the Lydian style peculiarly adapted to the musical cultivation of early youth. In order to complete our view of this subject, we will here give an account of the other styles of Greek music, although they were much contested passage. Pindar's meaning probably is, that Terpander formed the deep-resounding barbiton, by taking the lower octave from the pectis (ormagadis). Among the Greek poets, Sappho is said to have first used the pectis or magadis, then Anacreon. f Plutarch de Mus. 6. Anecd. Bekker, vol. i. p. 452. Compare Aristoph.Thesm. 120. with the Scholia. J See ch.iii. §8.
 * In Athenseus. xvi. p. G35. There are great difficulties as to the sense of this