CLASSICS 2K03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Barbiton, Cithara, Aulos
Document Summary
Festivals gave people a break from the everyday. Athens had over 60 state sponsored festival days a year. Some festivals were panhellenic or regional, but most were local. There were festivals centered upon athletics, theatre, music and more. Festivals like the panathanaia emphasized links between citizens and celebrated the greatness of the polis. The chorus in the theatre sand its lines, accompanied by musicians playing instruments. Music was a part of nearly every aspect of life in the greek world. Athletes and hoplites trained to the sounds of pipes. Barbiton: similar to the lyre, but with longer strings. Aulos: similar to an oboe, although typically referred to as a flute. Lyre (or kithara): a stringed instrument, kind of like a guitar. Poetry was composed based on a strict metrical scheme (based on the length of syllables) Greek poetry was typically meant to be sung, especially epic poetry. Singing long epic poems made them easier to remember.