I am sharing
this unique musical interpretation for two basic reasons. On the one hand, I
find it quite amazing that Alexander
is still remembered in India,
although he hardly spent a full year in that country, which includes modern Pakistan
as well. On the other hand, I am very much impressed by the reconstructed Greek
lyre, Alexander’s favorite
instrument. As far as I am concerned, this beautiful kithara reminds me of the lyre Apollo is holding in his arms at the
Museum of Tripoliin Libya. This labeling, however, appears
to be incorrect since the lyre counts “only” four strings, whereas the professional
kithara counts seven strings. The
instrument Apollo is holding seems to have even more than seven strings, or is
it my imagination?
For further information, I copy hereafter
the accompanying explanation about this piece of music and the instruments
involved.
The surbahar belongs to the Veena
Family of the classical instruments of India, and is comparable to the
western cello in size and register. The one you see in the video was made for
me about 50 years ago by the great Indian luthier, Kanai Lal of Calcutta.
The Greek “kithara” was built by master
luthier, Anastasios Koumartzis, of LUTHIEROS MUSIC INSTRUMENTS, which is
located in the Macedonian region of Northern Greece.
This is the same area in which Alexander the Great was born. The kithara was
the instrument of choice for professional musicians during the Golden Age of Greece
which reached its height around 500 B.C.E.
In his military exploits, Alexander
travelled east as far as the IndusRiver, which he reached
in 326 B.C.E. By that time, he was far from home, his men were getting tired,
and they were met by fierce opposition from the armies of the rulers whose
territories they invaded. As a result, Alexander never penetrated into the
Indian subcontinent, and died in Babylon
in 323 B.C.E., on his way back home.
This composition is in the Indian scale
(“thaat”) known as “bhairav” (flat 6th and flat 2nd). The surbahar was built to
be tuned to an F#, so the kithara is tuned F# G B C C# D F F#.
Music truly is of all times and certainly unites peoples
from around the globe! And I can’t help wondering what Alexander would have thought about all this. He must have liked
most of it!
The problem is that we know barely nothing about the Greek music. Only very few fragments are survived. We not know the difference between the various centuries ( the III BC music was different by the music of V century?) and if was a difference between a "pop" music and a "classical" music.
Yes, But the question is for a Greek of III or II century BC the musical music pieces from we said Euripides 's tragedies, or hymns from V century were perceived as the classical music for us? And about "pop", mean populars songs ( for exemple for banquets) compared with ancient and "high" music.
Quoting Robin Lane Fox in The Making of Alexander (movie): There was also the difficult question of music. Oliver [Stone] was wondering if the film might be set to a replay of ancient Greek music: what do we know about it and can we research it? One of the great experts on the subject had kindly agreed to attend, but he was rightly unable to give any guidance about the correct sort of music at particular points in the story. Even the Greeks’ instruments are hard to reconstruct with certainty. What would have been played, Oliver asked, at a fourth century wedding to Roxane in Bactria? We simply do not know. “Well, I’m staging another wedding, this time in fourth century Macedonia: what sort of music should we play here?” Correctly, the expert view was that we have no idea.
The problem is that we know barely nothing about the Greek music.
ReplyDeleteOnly very few fragments are survived.
We not know the difference between the various centuries ( the III BC music was different by the music of V century?) and if was a difference between a "pop" music and a "classical" music.
The appellation "pop music" was born last century and what we know as "classical" music was just music in the days of Bach, Beethoven or Mozart.
DeleteYes, But the question is for a Greek of III or II century BC the musical music pieces from we said Euripides 's tragedies, or hymns from V century were perceived as the classical music for us?
ReplyDeleteAnd about "pop", mean populars songs ( for exemple for banquets) compared with ancient and "high" music.
Quoting Robin Lane Fox in The Making of Alexander (movie):
DeleteThere was also the difficult question of music. Oliver [Stone] was wondering if the film might be set to a replay of ancient Greek music: what do we know about it and can we research it? One of the great experts on the subject had kindly agreed to attend, but he was rightly unable to give any guidance about the correct sort of music at particular points in the story. Even the Greeks’ instruments are hard to reconstruct with certainty. What would have been played, Oliver asked, at a fourth century wedding to Roxane in Bactria? We simply do not know. “Well, I’m staging another wedding, this time in fourth century Macedonia: what sort of music should we play here?” Correctly, the expert view was that we have no idea.