MUSIC. all playing on different instruments. But this instrument, though it was so greatly admired, after his death rapidly fell into disuse."
42. Now the system of playing the harp without any vocal accompaniment, was, as Menæchmus informs us, first introduced by Aristonicus the Argive, who was a contemporary of Archilochus, and lived in Corcyra. But Philochorus, in the third hook of his Atthis, says—"Lysander the Sicyonian harp-player was the first person who ever changed the art of pure instrumental performance, dwelling on the long tones, and producing a very rich sound, and adding also to the harp the music of the flute; and this last addition was first introduced by Epigonus; and taking away the jejuneness which existed in the music of those who played the harp alone without any vocal accompaniment, he first introduced various beautiful modifications[1] on that instrument; and he played on the different kinds of harp called iambus and magadis, which is also called [Greek: syrigmos]. And he was the first person who ever attempted to change his instrument while playing. And afterwards, adding dignity to the business, he was the first person to institute a chorus. And Menæchmus says that Dion of Chius was the first person who ever played on the harp an ode such as is used at libations to the honour of Bacchus. But Timomachus, in his History of Cyprus, says that Stesander the Samian added further improvements to his art, and was the first person who at Delphi sang to his lyre the battles narrated in Homer, beginning with the Odyssey. But others say that the first person who ever played amatory strains on his harp was Amiton the Eleuthernæan, who did so in his own city, whose descendants are all called Amitores.
But Aristoxenus says that just as some men have composed parodies on hexameter verses, for the sake of exciting a: "As a technical term in Greek music, [Greek: chrôma] was a modification of the simplest or diatonic music; but there were also [Greek: chrômata] as further modifications of all the three common kinds (diatonic, chromatic, and enharmonic)." Liddell and Scott, in voc.
Smith, Dict. Gr. and Rom. Ant. v. Music, p. 625 a, calls them [Greek: chroai], and says there were six of them; one in the enharmonic genus, often called simply [Greek: harmonia]; two in the diatonic, 1st, [Greek: diatonon sintonon], or simply [Greek: diatonon], the same as the genus; 2d, [Greek: diatonon malakon]: and three in the chromatic, 1st, [Greek: chrôma toniaion], or simply [Greek: chrôma], the same as the genus; 2d, [Greek: chrôma hêmiolion]; 3d, [Greek: chrôma malakon]. V. loc.]
- ↑ The Greek word is [Greek: chrômata
