Music in Antiquity

Title Description Reference

Plucked string instrument with a resonating soundbox, two arms,
crossbar, and strings that run parallel to the soundboard and attach to the
lyre crossbar.
Plucked string instrument with a resonating soundbox, neck, and strings
in roughly triangular shape. The strings rise perpendicular from the
harp soundboard to the neck.
bull lyre Sumerian LYRE with a bull's head at one end of the soundbox.
Type or category of musical COMPOSITION, such as SONATA or
genre SYMPHONY.
Song to or in honor of a god. In the Christian tradition, song of praise
hymn sung to God.
(1) In ancient Greek music, adjective describing a TETRACHORD with
two WHOLE TONES and one SEMITONE. (2) Name for a SCALE that
includes five whole tones and two semitones, where the semitones are
separated by two or three whole tones. (3) Adjective describing a
MELODY, CHORD, or passage based exclusively on a single diatonic
diatonic scale.
A system for writing down musical sounds, or the process of writing
down music. The principal notation systems of European music use a
staff of lines and signs that define the pitch, duration, and other qualities
notation of sound.

aulos Ancient Greek reed instrument, usually played in pairs.

Plucked string instrument with a resonating soundbox, two arms,
crossbar, and strings that run parallel to the soundboard and attach to the
lyre crossbar.

kithara Ancient Greek instrument, a large LYRE.

(1) Succession of tones perceived as a coherent line. (2) Tune. (3)
melody Principal part accompanied by other parts or CHORDS.
Consisting of a single unaccompanied MELODIC line.
monophonic
Music or musical TEXTURE in which a MELODY is performed by two
or more parts simultaneously in more than one way, for example, one
heterophony voice performing it simply, and the other with embellishments.
(pl. harmoniai) Ancient Greek term with multiple meanings: (1) the
union of parts in an orderly whole; (2) INTERVAL; (3) SCALE type; (4)
harmonia style of MELODY.
(Greek, 'custom') (1) Moral and ethical character or way of being or
behaving. (2) Character, mood, or emotional effect of a certain TONOS,
ethos MODE, METER, or MELODY.
Having to do with INTERVALS. In diastematic motion, the voice moves
between sustained pitches separated by discrete intervals; in diastematic
NOTATION, the approximate intervals are indicated by relative height
diastematic (see HEIGHTED NEUMES).
note (1) A musical TONE. (2) A symbol denoting a musical tone.

interval Distance in pitch between two NOTES.

A series of three or more different pitches in ascending or descending
scale order and arranged in a specific pattern.
(from Greek, 'four strings') (1) In Greek and medieval theory, a SCALE
of four NOTES spanning a perfect fourth. (2) In modern theory, a SET of
four pitches or PITCH-CLASSES. (3) In TWELVE-TONE theory, the
tetrachord first four, middle four, or last four notes in the ROW.
(Latin, 'class'; pronounced GHEH-noos; pl. genera) In ancient Greek
music, one of three forms of TETRACHORD: DIATONIC,
genus CHROMATIC, and ENHARMONIC.
(1) In ancient Greek music, adjective describing a TETRACHORD with
two WHOLE TONES and one SEMITONE. (2) Name for a SCALE that
includes five whole tones and two semitones, where the semitones are
separated by two or three whole tones. (3) Adjective describing a
MELODY, CHORD, or passage based exclusively on a single diatonic
diatonic scale.
(from Greek chroma, 'color') (1) In ancient Greek music, adjective
describing a TETRACHORD comprising a minor third and two
SEMITONES, or a MELODY that uses such tetrachords. (2) Adjective
describing a melody that uses two or more successive semitones in the
same direction, a SCALE consisting exclusively of semitones, an
INTERVAL or CHORD that draws NOTES from more than one
chromatic DIATONIC scale, or music that uses many such melodies or chords.
(1) In ancient Greek music, adjective describing a TETRACHORD
comprising a major third and two quartertones, or a MELODY that uses
such tetrachords. (2) Adjective describing the relationship between two
pitches that are notated differently but sound alike when played, such as
enharmonic G# and A.
(1) In ancient Greek music, adjective used to describe the relationship
between two TETRACHORDS when the bottom NOTE of one is the
same as the top note of the other. (2) Of a MELODY, consisting mostly
conjunct of STEPS.
(1) In ancient Greek music, adjective used to describe the relationship
between two TETRACHORDS when the bottom NOTE of one is a
whole tone above the top note of the other. (2) Of a MELODY,
consisting mostly of skips (third) and leaps (larger INTERVALS) rather
disjunct than STEPS.
In ancient Greek music, a system of TETRACHORDS spanning two
Greater Perfect System octaves.
The particular ordering of WHOLE TONES and SEMITONES within a
species perfect fourth, fifth, or octave.