Author: Nikolaos A. Ioannidis

Year of publication: 2009

Institution: University of Sussex

© Copyright 2009:  Nikolaos A. Ioannidis

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INTRODUCTION The problem of researching through different disciplines The holistic view of the entire traditional musical landscape and the problem of access and management of a vast amount of information from many different cultures. The problem of scarcity of notated musical documents in the research of early music Aims and method of research Acknowledgements Note on translation of ancient texts and transliteration of non-English names Note on referencing passages quoted from digital sources   CHAPTER 1 Comparative analysis of the key features in the musical traditions of the three broad musical domains:  Christian Orthodox, Christian Latin, Islamic. 1. HARMONIC THEORY A) THE ANCIENT GREEK MUSICAL SYSTEM Systems and genera The concept of Tonos The relation of the Tonoi with the Harmoniae Some musical examples of Greek music Harmonic ratios of intervals and tetrachordal tunings   B) THE MODES OF THE CHRISTIAN LATIN MUSICAL DOMAIN The investigation of the concept of mode in the West The modes of Boethius The adoption of the Byzantine terminology The development of modal theory after Boethius Theories of sub-species The transpositional uses of Guido’s hexachord   C) THE OCTOECHOS SYSTEM OF THE CHRISTIAN ORTHODOX MUSICAL DOMAIN Introduction Definition of terms and concepts Note on transcriptions of Byzantine melodies The Echos modes Sub-species of Echos modes   D) THE MAKAM SYSTEM OF THE ISLAMIC MUSICAL DOMAIN Introduction Basic concepts of the Makam system Intervals Species of the fourth Species of the fifth The Makam modes   E) GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE RESULTS OF THE COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS The relationship of diatonic octave species The survival of the Synemmenae tetrachord The correspondence of the chromatic species The survival of the ancient tunings Enharmonic genus Conclusion   2. RHYTHM Basic meters Mixed meters Popular mixed rhythms of the Eastern Meditteranean and the Balkans Long composite meters   3. GENRES AND POETIC FORM 1. Introduction a) Parallels in the folk traditions of the three domains b) The medieval roots of modern folk traditions 2. The origin of medieval liturgical chant a) Christian chant      Christianization of Pagan liturgical practice      Pagan roots of Christian poetry      Misconceptions about the origin of Christian chant b) Islamic religious music. 3. The origin of medieval epic and romance a) The Greek themes of the troubadour repertory The Homeric tradition The Hellenistic love-story The Alexander Romance   4. INSTRUMENTS The relationship of Ancient Greek instruments with their modern ethnic counterparts 1) The origin of Greek instruments 2) Historical continuity    a) Modern guitar versus ancient Cithara    b) Bowing Evidence of bowing in antiquity Identification of medieval bowed instruments with ancient instruments 3) Name derivation of ethnic instruments a) Chordophones b) Aerophones c) Membranophones d) Idiophones 4) Conclusion   CHAPTER 2 Evaluation of results. Determining whether similarities can be explained as a result of processes other than Greek influence. A) SOPHISTICATION AND SUPERIORITY OF ANCIENT GREEK MUSIC COMPARED TO LATER MUSICAL CULTURES 1. Greekness of music language 2. Dependence of music theory on the ancient Greek music treatises. 3. The Greek roots of the aesthetical, ethical and philosophical aspects of musical education 4. The Greek roots of the note symbols of modern staff notation. 5. Absence of significant changes or original musical developments in the post-classical period, at least until the Renaissance.   B) CULTURAL CONNECTION FROM PREHISTORIC TIMES 1. The mythological descendence of ancient peoples from Greek gods and heroes Connection with the peoples of Near East Egyptians Phoenicians          Connection with the peoples of Europe                 Romans Celts Hyperboreans Scythians Amazons India 2. The religious bonds between ancient peoples 3. The direction of influence    C) THE IMPACT AND CONTINUITY OF ANCIENT TRADITION 1. SOCIO-POLITICAL PROCESSES OF CONTINUITY 1. The Greek colonial empire of the archaic period 2. The Hellenistic Empire of Alexander the Great 3. Continuity and expansion of Hellenism in the Greco-Roman era 4. Christian Hellenism 5. Byzantium: The Greek Empire of the Middle Ages a) The Byzantine impact on Western Europe. The Greek-Byzantine influence  after the collapse of the Western Roman empire b) The Byzantine Impact on Eastern Europe c) The Hellenistic, Greco-Roman and Byzantine legacy in the Arabic Empire d) The Ottoman route of Byzantine influence on the Islamic domain 6. Hellenism after the Fall of Constantinople      2. CULTURAL PROCESSES OF CONTINUITY           1. Worship a) Universality of religious music as a result of common liturgical practice in Pagan antiquity b) Continuity of liturgical practice across religions and retaining of the traditional musical content of religious life.          2. Literature, myth and legend          3. Musical borrowing and interaction between genres CONCLUSION BIBLIOGRAPHY AUDIO Ioannidis N. is a composer, musicologist, multi-instrumentalist performer, media theorist, and digital media creative producer (with formal qualifications in Music, Musicology, Media Studies, and Digital Media Studies) For a list of other writings by IOANNIDIS you can visit his PUBLICATIONS page.