|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1. The interchangeability, in many metres, of a long syllable with two shorts. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2. The application in musical texts of the symbol  , which we know signified a 'diseme', a doubling of the normal 'monoseme' short note, to notes on which a long syllable was sung. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3. The proportional ratios assigned by Aristotle, Aristoxenus, and other writers on rhythm to the constituent parts of various types of 'foot':  (dactyl)=l : l,  (iambus) =1 : 2,  (paeon) = 2 : 3, etc.7 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In some circumstances, as we shall see later, a long syllable might be given a value equivalent to three shorts (triseme), or even four (tetraseme). But where this happens, it is as a variation of a rhythmic pattern that is clearly defined by longs and shorts of the usual 2 : 1 ratio. These always predominate. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Greek composer of vocal music, then, used only a small number of different note values: in most cases only two, one twice the length of the otherwe will represent them as  and  corresponding to the opposition of long and short syllables. When he divided a long syllable between notes, it was normally between two notes of the shorter value. His rhythmic system was 'additive', built up from units of fixed size, as opposed to the 'divisive' principle of Western music in which the constant is a measure of time (a bar) that may be divided into fractions of many different sizes.8 The modern composer has great freedom of choice in the matter of how much time he allots to each syllable of his text. From the words |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
It's a long way to Tipperary,
it's a long way to go:
it's a long way to Tipperary,
to the sweetest girl I know, |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
there is no way of discovering that the relative values of the notes are 1, 1, 2, 3, 1, 1, 1, 2, 4; 1, 1, 2, 4, 2, 6; 1, 1, 2, 3, 1, 1, 1, 2, 4; 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 8. But with an ancient Greek text the limits of uncertainty are much narrower. Often there is no uncertainty at all. For example, in Anacreon's little song beginning |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7 Arist. Rh. 1409a4, Aristox. Rhythm. 2. 30 Pearson, Quint. Inst. 9. 4. 46-7, Aristid. Quint. 1. 15-17 p. 35. 3ff., schol. Heph. p. 109. 14ff., Anon. Ambros. 14 (Studemund, Anecdota Varia (Berlin, 1886), 227.6ff.), 'Marius Victorinus' (Aphthonius) in Gramm. Lat. vi. 40. 23ff., 42. 7ff., etc. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
8 On these concepts see Georgiades 21-50; Sachs, RT 90-5, 131. |
|
|
|
|
|