Music, Myth and Philosophy
​Week One: Ancient Greece

Philosophy of Music:  Not entertainment, but the very foundation of morality and virtue, healing an wellness

Pythagoras and the Pythagorean School
Music of the Spheres
Greek Modes and their relation to the Greek Gods
Apollo: Order, balance, clarity, form, string instruments, predictable rhythm, moderation, elegance (the "head")
Dionysus: Emotional and tmepo extremes, wildness, the "raw", unpredictable, savage or sublime, percussion and woodwinds (the "heart")
Orpheus: Mediator and integrator of both gods; mythic figure of first human musician
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One of the oldest fragments of music, discovered on a tombstone. The text reads in essence, "Hurry and enjoy life for it is fleeting"

One of the fragments of Greek Tragedy, province of Dionysus. Note the haunting mode, the irregular rhythm and the presence of percussion