Music's influence on Alexander

[cynthia]

There is a story (referenced in "A History of Western Music", Grout and Palisca, p 146) about Alexander suddenly getting up from the banquet table and arming himself for battle when he heard a tune in the Phrygian mode. Has anyone here has ever heard this story before? Might it be documented, or is it something that needs to go on Nick's "myth" page? The National Institutes of Health have a pdf file on their website that states "Alexander the Great was led through the gamut of human emotions by his minstrel, Timotheus"...don't know if this is a clue. Somewhere else (I've misplaced the reference)I read that Alexander had to be restrained when he heard the music, so it's possible his response to the music was not appropriate, i.e. there were no battles to run off to, and it was merely the power of the music that inspired him to prepare for battle.Aristotle believed that the musical modes influenced people's actions and related that the Phrygian mode inspired "enthusiasm". The other modes would have different influences. The Phrygian mode may have been named thus because it was a characteristic of the music of Phrygia, so maybe the story happened or has a connection with Phrygia? (With Gordian's knot? Wasn't that in Phrygia?)I know very little about Alexander. Does anyone here know more about this story? Or know of a more complete source to send me to?Thanks!--Cynthia Cathcart
http://www.CynthiaCathcart.net

[amyntoros]

Hi CynthiaWell, I know of one version of this event although there is no mention of Phrygian music here.Plutarch's Moralia. Volume IV. 334.F - 335.A. (On the Fortune or the Virtue of Alexander II.)
"Various harp-players also were his friends, among them Aristonicus, who came to Alexander's aid in a certain battle, and was slain, fighting gloriously. Therefore Alexander ordered to be made and set up at Delphi a bronze statue of him, with lyre in hand and spear advanced; thereby he not only honoured this particular man, but also paid tribute to Music herself, in the belief that she is a creator of true men and, in particular, that she fills with inspiration and impetuousness those who are truly her foster-children. For once upon a time, when Antigenides was playing on his flute the Chariot Song, Alexander became so transported, and his spirit so inflamed by the strains, that he leapt up and laid hands upon the weapons that lay near, and thus confirmed the testimony of the Spartans who used to sing,The noble playing of the lyre is meet to match the sword."There could be a different version of the story somewhere although I don't know for sure and can't think which writer to search - and Timotheus may or may not be involved historically. The story of Timotheus ("Alexander the Great was led through the gamut of human emotions by his minstrel, Timotheus") may be taken from Dryden's poem, "Alexander's Feast." http://eir.library.utoronto.ca/rpo/disp ... 8.htmlBest regards,Amyntoros

[Avatar]

This is probably a myth, based on a specific style of warrior dance found in Phrygia (Anatolia)The warrior dances were exciting; people watching often got caught up in the mood. The dances incorporate the use of sword and shield, with a great pounding of sword against shield both on the face of the shield and the edge with the flat of the sword. There are usually points in the dance when the participants move as one forward towards the watchers, stomping, executing a vibrational movement of the shoulder, uttering cries of war.. the result is an enticing portrayal of male courage and strength, fearful to watch but seductive at the same time. The use of sword and shield in the dances, the clash of swords, the shouting of the participants and the strong leaps, jumps and stomping could entice many a man to dance and reach a certain state of excitement, an urge to join in. The seduction of the sword is a common one even today. There is a powerful sense of wanting to be a part of something bigger than ones self and the picture created by these dances is one of power, strength and attraction. There were also Dionysian dances in this area known for their affect on the participants. There is a book (available for purchase; I will send a link if anyone wishes) that describes them thusly:"Dance and song were a part of every religious festival, but in some, dance was an instrument with which the dancer could achieve a closer communion with divinity by entering into a state of rapture. The violent whirls and leaps of the dance brought the dancer into a state of ecstasy. The goddess Cybele, known as the Great Mother, whose cult center was in Phrygia in western Asia Minor, was attended by eunuch priests called Corybantes, devotees of the goddess who castrated themselves with flint knives after dancing to the accompaniment of cymbals and castanets until they attained a state of utter rapture. Among the twelve Olympian gods and goddesses of Greece, the nearest counterpart of Cybele was Demeter, who presided over the fertility of the earth, and the dances performed in her honor were generally full of lively movements. In the ancient festival of the Thesmophoria, which the women of Athens held over a period of three days, one dance that was performed was the oklasma. During the oklasma a dancer crouched down, with her knees on the earth, and then swiftly leaped up as high as she could from her crouching position, trying to reach the perfect image of the

[S]

Greetings,Here is a link to the study guide and another quote on dance that may be of interest to the original poster:http://www.bookrags.com/history/arthist ... 02/Another note of interest:Ze++mbekiko and Tarantellaby N. S. AspiotisThe more we study the civilization of the ancient Greeks the more knowledge and wisdom we acquire. At the same time we discover information that has been distorted in its transmission down through the ages, or is not known at all by the vast majority of people.One such example is the well-known and popular dance, Ze++mbekikos.. Many believe that this word is of Anatolian or Turkish origin. This is not true: it is a compound word formed by the joining of "Ze++" and "mb+¬kos." The prefix "Ze++" is none other than the name of the god (Zeus). According to Herodotus, the Phrygian word for bread was "vekos," or "mbekos." The Greek root of that word is found today (in the Arvanitiko dialect of our language) in words such as "mboukia," "mbouk" (= bread); the German "backen (= bake); and the English "baker." The first compound, "Ze++" = Zeus, is symbolic of the god as "spirit," whereas "mbekos" = bread symbolizes the body. It is also useful to remember that the rhythmic measure 9/8ths (3/4 + 3/8) became popular after the famous contest between Apollo and Marsyas,(1) and was said to represent a blending of "Doric" and "Phrygian" harmony. We encounter the word "Ze++mbekos" as well in the name of a mountain in the northern part of Arcadia. Near this mountain, at the river Lousion, Zeus was said to have been baptized and initiated into the chthonic rites of the region.The popularity of today's "pyrrhic"(2) 9/8ths rhythm in the Ze++mbekikos dance can be attributed to the fact that, as a dance which is symbolic and religious, it serves to give pleasure and comfort to the body as well as the soul. The dancer moves his arms and shoulders as if they were wings; as if he desires to fly. He strikes the ground with his feet as if trying to leave the earth and ascend heavenward, suspended between time and space. He looks at the ground so as not to lose his bearings; he touches "Mother Earth" with his knees, with his body, and with his hands -- like another Antaeus (3) -- in order to draw in her power. Her spirit fills him with confidence as he absorbs the geomagnetic rays of the "Mother of us all": Gaea!

[ruthaki]

These are fascinating and excellent responses to a very interesting question. Thanks for the input. I'm going to print it all out for my files!

[S]

Greetings,I would be interested in receiving any other links that you might have regarding dances of Alexander's time. Please send them to:philoalexandros@hotmail.com and put in the subject Attn: SikanderOR feel free to join our yahoo discussion group Alexandria Eschate and post them in a file there as well as at Pothos.Regards,
Sikander

[abm]

this is not directky related to the story you mentioned, but it may be relevant to Alexander and music:from Plutarch, Pericles 1.5: "And so Philip once said to his son, who, as the wine went round, plucked the strings charmingly and skilfully, GÇ£Art not ashamed to pluck the strings so well?GÇ¥ It is enough, surely, if a king have leisure to hear others pluck the strings, and he pays great deference to the Muses if he be but a spectator of such contests."
(http://perseus.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/cgi- ... .+Per.+1.1)regards,
abm