Harmonic Elements for the Lyre Player
24.00 €
Some consider Harmonic a sublime science and expect a course of it to make them musicians; some even believe it will exalt their moral nature. — Aristoxenus of Tarentum
We may know a lot about ancient Greece—history, mythology, politics, even abstract concepts such as philosophy—but ancient music is almost a blank slate for us. What did it actually sound like? How was a lyre player trained back then? What music theory did they have to be familiar with? What exercises were a must?
In our endeavor to rediscover ancient Greek music, Aristoxenus of Tarentum is, without a doubt, the most valuable source. The world’s first musicologist and a pupil of Aristotle, he wrote 453 works. Of these, only one survives almost completely: Harmonic Elements.
From simple intervals to tetrachords to the three ancient genera, Aristoxenus attempted to paint a complete picture of what harmony is and how we can use it. His seminal work remains the most important resource for the student of ancient music, who faces, however, an almost insurmountable problem.
Written for his ancient peers, Aristoxenus’ treatises are almost incomprehensible for the modern musician due to a terminology that is either completely unknown or contradictory to Western music theory. This is exactly where the value of this book lies.
A long-awaited publication, Harmonic Elements for the Lyre Player bridges that gap. Featuring both the original and the translated text, it goes one step beyond. Using sheet music, modern notation, and passages from the original text with explanatory notes, this book explains Aristoxenus’ teachings in a simple way aimed at the modern musician.
Whether you have a lyre at home or a genuine eagerness to understand ancient Greek music thought, this book is the way to dive into the world of ancient music.
_Credits
Nikolaos Koumartzis, D.Phil. (editor-in-chief)
Fotis Giantsios, M.Litt. (research director)
Lina Palera (composer)
Massimo Raffa, Senior Researcher, University of Salento (foreword)
Armand D’Angour, Professor of Classics (scholarly advisor)
Michael J. Griffin, Professor of Classics (scholarly advisor)
_Publication ID
Paperback Premium Edition
Dimensions: 16 x 23 cm
Pages: 216
Plus Sheet music for the ancient Greek lyre
24.00 €
A Complete Lyre Learning Series
Learn using sheet music and tablatures specially designed for your instrument
Historic Accuracy & Playability
It's not a battle. It's about finding the right balance.
^ Linus, the legendary lyre teacher, along with one of his students, Mousaios. This is one of the earliest surviving school scenes, and it is depicted on an Attic red figured kylix, ca. 450-400 B.C. Attributed to Eritrea Painter. Musée du Louvre, Paris, France.
< Linus, the legendary lyre teacher, along with one of his students, Mousaios. This is one of the earliest surviving school scenes, and it is depicted on an Attic red figured kylix, ca. 450-400 B.C. Attributed to Eritrea Painter. Musée du Louvre, Paris, France.
Bringing Ancient Artifacts Back to Life
Re-inventing the ancient lyre and re-introducing it to the modern world is an act that can directly connect us to our ancient heritage. Giving a voice to a musical instrument silenced for two thousand years and more is our way of paying our deed to the great minds of the ancient world.
But how, you may ask, can an educational system be developed when there are so many different types of lyres out there with entirely different tunings and numbers of strings? The solution is simple but not easy: we have to standardize the lyre as the modern classical guitar was standardized back in the 19th century by Antonio de Torres Jurado, Ignacio Fleta, Hermann Hauser Sr., and Robert Bouchet.
And this is precisely what we have been up to for the last decade. With careful steps and persistence, we listen closely to the people that matter the most: the musicians. And then, we act on their feedback before pausing and listening closely, once again, to their comments.
So, this book series is the latest addition to our effort to enrich the available educational resources for lyre and lyre-like musical instruments. Our hope is that this three-volume series will beneficially complement our already established and very effective online studies or even make you explore more techniques available at the Lyre Academy.
References
Hawkins, J. (1776). A General History of the Science and Practice of Music, Cambridge University Press.
King, A. H. (1968). Four Hundred Years of Music Printing, Trustees of the British Museum, London.
Pöhlmann, E. (1970). Denkmäler altgriechischer Musik. Sammlung, Übertragung und Erläuterung aller Fragmente und Fälschungen
Our research is featured in major media:
What to Expect?
Delivery
Premium publication
We use state-of-the-art printing technologies for our premium publications, considering deeply our impact on the environment. This is why we only use carbon-neutral processes and exclusively FSC-certified paper made of responsibly sourced wood fiber.
Help us dive deeper
Help us dive deeper
Rest assured that your order finances the research needed for the next installment of the Lyre Mythos series so we can dive deeper and bring you the next valuable insight into the rich lyre mythos.
Premium publication
We use state-of-the-art printing technologies for our premium publications, considering deeply our impact on the environment. This is why we only use carbon-neutral processes and exclusively FSC-certified paper made of responsibly sourced wood fiber.
Delivery
Harmonic Elements for the Lyre Player
24.00 €
