Music of the Ancient Greeks

Music of the Ancient Greeks
Music from 500 BC to 300 AD performers on voice, lyra, kithara, aulos, pandoura, salpinx, syrinx, tympanon and other ancient Greek instruments
De Organographia
Pandourion 1001

Contents:

  1. The "Sappho Painter": Salpinx call (5th c. BC)
  2. Mesomedes: Hymn to the Sun (1st c. AD)
  3. Anon: Dramatic speech (c.100 AD) Oslo papyrus inv. 1413
  4. Seikilos: Song (1st c. AD)
  5. Anon: Invocation of the Muse (2nd c. AD)
  6. Mesomedes: Invocation of Calliope and Apollo (1st c. AD)
  7. Athenaeus: Delphic paean (127 BC)
  8. Anon: Dramatic fragment (3rd c. AD) Oxyrhynchus papyrus 3161, fragment 1
  9. Anon: Dramatic fragment (3rd c. AD) Oxyrhynchus papyrus 3161, fragment 4
  10. Anon: Dramatic fragment (c.200 BC) Vienna papyrus G 29825 a/b recto
  11. Euripides: Choral ode from "Orestes" (c.408 BC) Vienna papyrus G 2315
  12. Euripides: Choral ode from "Iphigeneia at Aulis" (c.404 BC) Leiden papyrus inv. 510
  13. Anon: Piece from a satyr play (2nd c. AD) Oxyrhynchus papyrus 2436
  14. Anon: Instrumental piece (2nd c. AD) Berlin papyrus 6870
  15. Anon: Dramatic lament on Ajax's suicide (late 2nd c. AD) Berlin papyrus 6870
  16. Anon: Piece mentioning Erinyes (2nd c. AD) Oxyrhynchus papyrus 3704
  17. Anon: Christian hymn (3rd c. AD) Oxyrhynchus papyrus 1786
  18. Anon: Dramatic recitative (c.100 AD) Oslo papyrus inv. 1413
  19. Anon: Instrumental exercises (2nd c. AD) Anonymous Bellermann 97-104
  20. Mesomedes: Hymn to Nemesis (1st c. AD)
  21. Anon: Tragic dialogue on Orestes (2nd c. AD) Michigan papyrus inv. 2958
  22. Anon: Instrumental piece (2nd c. AD) Berlin papyrus 6870
  23. Anon: Paean (late 2nd c. AD) Berlin papyrus 6870
  24. Limenius: Paean and processional (127 BC)

Performers: Gayle Stuwe Neuman (voice, trichordon, lyra, kithara, psithyra, tympanon), Philip Neuman (aulos, syrinx monokalamos, lyra, kithara, syrinx, kroupeza, photinx, psithyra, salpinx, echeia, voice), William Gavin (pandoura, pandourion, seistron, psithyra, kymbala, tympanon)

Playing time: 57'

Production date: 1995

This is a small scale, very direct and sincere rendition, as opposed to the more extravagant and mysterious Kérilos production. As opposed to the frequently French-sounding accents of the latter, the present one has a more American accent, likely more palatable to the average American listener. The whole production is also more intimate, although less dramatic.

It is interesting to see how very distant music of this sort seems to reflect its performers' own cultural setting so clearly.

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Todd M. McComb