West Martin L. Ancient Greek Music

Clarendon Press, 1992. — 424 p.Ancient Greece was permeated by music, and the literature teems with musical allusions. For most readers the subject has remained a closed book. Here at last is a clear, comprehensive account that presupposes no special knowledge of music. Topics covered include the place of music in Greek life; instruments; rhythm; tempo; modes and scales; melodic construction; form; ancient theory and notation; and historical development. Thirty surviving examples of Greek music are presented in modern transcription with analysis, and the book is fully illustrated. A brief Epilogue sets Greek music in the wider context in a border zone between Afro-Asiatic and European culture.Martin L. West (1937-2015), formerly Professor of Greek at the Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, London, and Senior Research Fellow, All Souls' College, Oxford.