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been reorganized. It became a grand city show at which, among other events, rhapsodes, citharodes, aulodes, and auletes competed for prizes.39 For the time being, however, this festival was of only local importance. Not till the fifth century do we hear of musicians coming from elsewhere to perform at it, or, for that matter, of Athenians who attained national distinction in the musical arts. |
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The leading region for musical excellence in the sixth century was the Argolid. Sakadas of Argos' three Pythian victories in the auletic contest were succeeded by a run of six (574-554) by Pythocritus of Sicyon.40 The pioneer psilocitharist Aristonicus was an Argive, though he lived in Corcyra. And we have a statement to the effect that in the time of Polycrates of Samos, about 530, 'the Argives were spoken of as occupying the first place for music among the Greeks'.41 It is this strong regional tradition that lies behind the technical and theoretical accomplishments of Epigonus and Lysander of Sicyon and Lasus of Hermione, men to whom we shall return presently. |
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Among the western Greeks the 'Terpandrian' manner of singing epic to the seven-stringed kithara flourished and evolved. Xenocritus (or Xenocrates) of Locri in south Italy made a name for himself, in the late seventh or early sixth century, with heroic narrative songs which some classed as paeans and others as dithyrambs.42 One Xanthus, whose place of origin is not recorded, also seems to have composed works of this sort.43 We may guess that he was another westerner. Later in the sixth century this line of tradition becomes more visible to us in the work of Stesichorus, who is said to have made much use of Xanthus' material. He came from the Locrian foundation of Matauros, but his activity is associated chiefly with Locri and with Himera in Sicily. There is some reason to believe that he sang at Sparta. His compositions were epic in scale and subject matter, but strophic in form. The metres were largely dactylic,44 sometimes dactylo-epitrite (p. 151). The strophes, some- |
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39 See J. A. Davison, JHS 78 (1958), 37, 42, and 82 (1962) 141f. = From Archilochus to Pindar, 55f., 64-8. |
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40 Paus. 6. 14. 10. His name ('Chosen for Pytho') and his father's (Callinicus, 'Victor') surest that he came from a family of dedicated and ambitious auletes. At Sparta in the 5th c. 'heralds, auletes, and chefs follow their fathers' crafts: aulete is born from aulete, chef from chef, and herald from herald (Hdt. 6. 60). |
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41 Hdt. 3. 131. 3 (perhaps an interpolation). |
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42 Glaucus ap. ps.-Plut. De mus. 1134bc, el. For his use of the Locrian mode see p. 184. |
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43PMG 699. |
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44 Perhaps in irrational rhythm: see p. 136. |
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