By what is called Greek music, therefore, we understaud the union of poetry and mteeic, the former of the two exercising the greatest sway over the mind, because expressing noble sentiments, gracefully incul cating religion and morality, teaching obedience to the laws, exciting generous feelings, end inspiring patriotism and courage by the praise of those who had distinguished themselves by their public services and their valour. It in thus we account for the effects said to have been wrought by ancient music ; for it is impossible that Plato should have been thinking of mere vocal melody and the sounds of mean and imperfect instruments, when he said that no change can be made in music without affecting the constitution of the state—an opinion in which Aristotle acquiesced. and which Cicero afterwards adopted. It is not to be credited that the laws of Lycurgus, set to measured souuds by Terpander, were turned into a song, or that this Lcabian musician quelled a sedition In Sparta by singing some pretty air to the mob. It is absurd to auppose that when Polybille tells us of a savage nation civilised by music, he means to say, by coarse pipes and guitars ;—and not Ices ridiculous is it to imagine that men were raised to the rank of chiefs and the dignity of legislators, solely on account of their taste in singing, or their skill on the lyre and the flute.
We cannot quit the subject of the vocal music of Greece without adding a few words concerning the Greek Names and Scalia. The former (from rdp.os, nomos, a law) were so called, says Plutarch, because they were not allowed to transgress certain melodic rules by which they were characteriaod, and were at first hymns to the Gods. The latter were songs of a less restrained kind, sling at bauquets and enter tainments, by great proficienta; hence I leaychius derives the term from ereoacbs (skolios, digicull to sing). But others think that the word should be rendered literally,—erookcd, following a tortuous course,— because, at table, it did not pass regularly, but only to those who were skilful singers. Plutarch, on the authority of Pindar, tells us that the scuba were invented by Terpander. Muller, in his ' History of the Literature of Ancient Greece,' considers Tcrpander to "have been pro perly the founder of Greek lie also Invented the seven-stringed yre, and was probably the first to set poetry to music.
As to the instrumental music of the Greeks, we confess our inability to treat the subject in a satisfactory manner. The accounts given of it by the ancient writers are either so suspicious or so indefinite, that nearly all our labour in endeavouring to gain some knowledge of its nature has been expended in vain. Having Bianchini'm learned work on ancient instruments before us, we are enabled to form some opinion of their capabilities, and our opinion is not in their favour. They appear to have been rude, and suited only to music of the grapiest description.
The musical scale, or disdiapason, of the Greeks comprised two octaves, the lowest note of which was A, the first space iu the base of the moderns. This was divided into five Tetmehorcls, or subdivisions
of four sounds in each, the extremes being at the distance of a fourth. [TemseRonn.] The notes or sounds were represented by the letters of the alphabet, great and small, which, in order to extend their appli cation and distinguish the various modes, were placed in different positions— the direct, the averted, the inverted, and the horizontal ; and these were, as occasion required, altered in form. The time or duration of the notes was known by the long and short syllables to which they were set ; the long syllable was in duration as two, the short as one. But we know only the comparative times of these; of the positive lengths of notes we remain in ignorance. The movement however of Greek music is supposed to have been slow. The modes were, according to Alypius, fifteen in number : Aristoxenus makes them thirteen, each a semitone distant from the next in order. Under the word 3foee we have given the table of Alypius ; that of Aristoxenus, the oldest of the Greek writers on music, commences with the Hypo dorian, the lowest, and varies considerably in the key-note from that of Alypius, and there are no certain means of reconciling the discrepancy.
By the word nixes (melos) the Greeks generally signified what we call air, or something like it ; but sometimes, Twining remarks, " they used it in the sense of Appoefa, that is, melody abstracted from rhythm, or time; sometimes or measured melody ; and sometimes as equivalent to song, including melody, rhythm, and words." By Cippovta (harmonia) they intended simply to express, as we have in a former article observed, the proper relationship of one sound to another—the pleasing agreement of intervals; that is to say, melody. 3letastasio believes that by this term the Greeks signified what we mean by melody, founding his opinion on the following passage from Plato (' De Legib.', lib. ii.) :—The regulation of the movement is called rhythm ; but the regulation of the voice is called harmony.
The long-contested question, whether the Greeks understood counter point, or music in parts, seems now to be set at rest, and determined iu the negative by a preponderating weight of authority and a large majority of voices. To what we have before remarked on this subject [HARMONY], see now add, that further inquiry and reflection have only confirmed the opinion we have long entertained, namely, that though the ancients, by mere accident, if not from experiment, must have been acquainted with the effect of simultaneous sounds, nevertheless that which we call harmony formed no part of their musical art, either theoretically or practically. And we repeat our belief, that in the union of poetry and song, which undeniably operated with such amazing force ou all classes of the people,—which inflamed them with ardour,—softened them into obedience, and melted them into pity,— music was but the ally of verse.