Musical+instruments

Ellie Worthington Music was an important part of ancient Greek culture. Music was played at many gatherings of people or even during leisure activities. Most believed that music nurtured their relationships with the gods. Many Greek myths included musical instruments. One example is that Amphion, a son of Zeus, learned music from Hermes. Then, with a golden lyre, he built the walls of Thebes. As soon as he started playing, the stones started to build themselves into a wall. However, there is not much actually known about ancient Greek music. Most of the information about the ancient Greek musical instruments is known from vase paintings and some texts with descriptions of song and dance. Other information is known because some remote villages have songs and dances that have been preserved through time and tradition. The lyre was used most often in myths because it was believed to be invented by the god Apollo. It was a stringed instrument that was originally made with a tortoise shell. The kithara was a string instrument that was more complicated than the lyre. It was usually used by professional musicians during public concerts, choral performances, and competitions. The pandouris, also known as the trichord, had three strings and is the first fretted instrument known. The source of knowledge about it is the Mantinea marble that depicts the mythical contest between Apollo and Marsyas. On it, the pandouris is being played by a muse seated on a rock. The Greeks also had woodwind instruments. The panpipe was another instrument said to be made by the gods. It consisted of a series of pipes that gradually increased in length and were tuned to a desired scale. The aulos was another wind instrument and was very difficult to play. It had two pipes held together with a band so they would be steady enough to play. It is indicated that the aulos produced a clarinet-like sound.



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