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J. G. Landels
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Music in Ancient Greece and Rome 1st Edition

by John G Landels (Author), John G. Landels (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 4 ratings
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Music in Ancient Greece and Rome presents a comprehensive introduction to the study of music from Homeric times to the Roman emperor Trahan, presented in concise and user-friendly chapters, with suggestions for further reading.
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  1. ISBN-10
    0415248434
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0415248433
  3. Edition
    1st
  4. Publisher
    Routledge
  5. Publication date
    July 12, 2000
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    6.14 x 0.71 x 9.21 inches
  8. Print length
    320 pages
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

'A well-illustrated and comprehensive introduction to ancient music from Homeric times to the emperor Hadrian ... we recommend it highly as a book that is both scholarly and approachable, and of value to everyone with an interest in the subject, scholars, students and the general reader.' - Classical Association News

'John Landels has produced a lively and illuminating survey of what we know ... his book can be recommended to any musical person wishing to imagine for himself the sound, the atmosphere and the meaning of ancient song and dance.' - Roger Scruton, The Times

'The clarity of Landels' writing, even on complex matters, is a real virtue.' - The Classical Review

Landel's monography succeeds very well in making a highly technical subject accessible to a wide variety of audiences ... there will be few who do not learn a good eal ... from its detailed account fo ancient instruments, musical notation, and the intricacies of the tetrachord.' - Mouseion



'A well-illustrated and comprehensive introduction to ancient music from Homeric times to the emperor Hadrian ... we recommend it highly as a book that is both scholarly and approachable, and of value to everyone with an interest in the subject, scholars, students and the general reader.' - Classical Association News

'John Landels has produced a lively and illuminating survey of what we know ... his book can be recommended to any musical person wishing to imagine for himself the sound, the atmosphere and the meaning of ancient song and dance.' - Roger Scruton, The Times

About the Author

John G Landels

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Routledge; 1st edition (July 12, 2000)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0415248434
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0415248433
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1450L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.06 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.14 x 0.71 x 9.21 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 4 ratings

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J. G. Landels

J. G. Landels

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
4 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Rosatto
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2008
Verified Purchase
This book is great. I was looking for a clear and concise introduction to the world of ancient western music, and this is it. There are other books, thicker and full of technicisms, detailing all the little nuances of modality, tuning, lexicography... Try to read them if you can. This book manages to cover all the topics I was interested in (instruments, scales, notation) and some others in a brilliant way. It is a bit on the expensive side, but totally worth it.
6 people found this helpful
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sweetviolets
5.0 out of 5 stars Understanding Music History Better
Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2007
This is so far a fascinating book to read. It covers music from ancient times and he uses actual music that was uncovered from those times. What I find very interesting is the connection to the modal/tonal music that we are most familiar with in this day and age. I like the way he connects things in his book! I recommend this to anyone who is interested in history and music alike. I think I shall enjoy this book for years to come!!!
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Peter J Bray
4.0 out of 5 stars Music in ancient Greece and Rome - Review
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 29, 2012
Verified Purchase
Music in Ancient Greece and Rome
Music in ancient Greece and Rome is a book written by John Landels, during his retirement. He is a retired professor in classics who lectured at both the university of Reading and Hull. What is noticeable immediately is his no-nonsense approach, yet at the same time detailed, clear and concise and a joy to read.
Even though he is a `classicist' his knowledge and understanding of the subject matter regards the music is quite remarkable, even from an ethnomusicological point of view it makes sense. Then again as a classicist you are trying to understand another culture and given the amount of understanding Prof. Landels has in the subject, adding in some musicology shouldn't be too difficult, more on that later.

At the very start of the book he emphasises the connotations of the term ethnomusicology into context from what I believe ethnomusicology to be, "the study of music in a cultural or ethnic context". On the first page he is talking about the music and its uses in ancient Greece and later on in the book, that of ancient Rome. He explains what the Romans did, like borrowing the Greek inventions and then `changing it' to improve it and make it their own. However, when it comes to music, the Romans where quite happy to sit back and enjoy. Though having said this he certainly was not disparaging towards the Roman culture, in regards to their music.

He made clear in the preface that in Roman culture music wasn't such a major thing like it was with the Greeks. However this something which I do contest, though it did come with its own inventions of instruments, mainly from modern day Tuscany or even Greece for that matter. Therefore, naturally he has a lot more to say for Greece. Though what he has done and that is given Rome `fair treatment'. He hasn't glossed over it with a few disparaging sentences as other authors and scholars have done before him, though I feel more could be done. Nevertheless he has done exactly the same as with Greece albeit not in such a large quantity as previously explained. Like anywhere else in time and place music and culture go hand in hand, John Blacking explains this in his book "How musical is man?" as does Thomas Turrino in his Article in the Ethnomusicology Journal "Structure, Context and Strategy in Musical Ethnography".

As previously mentioned; in ancient times culture and music go hand in hand, just like they do today and musicians get up to various antics, which generally involve drinking. What I like about this book and that is some rather amusing anecdotes of musicians getting drunk `under the table' and put on the back of a wagon and carted home. Although I can safely say I have never been in that situation myself, I can still relate to it after taking drunken friends home after a gig.

Instruments and inventions of the ancient world are absolutely fascinating sections for Greece and Rome. He demonstrates a great knowledge on the instruments, how they work and the physics behind it. He explains how the instruments worked with technical drawings and illustrations, which again are clear, concise and easily understandable. But what is great is that the laws of physics have never changed and poses questions where would be now musically had the Roman Empire not fallen? Would a Buccina have valves? Edward. H. Tarr writes that the trumpet died in Western Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire and didn't reappear until crusaders brought it back from the middle-east.

The Greeks had several instruments some of which were really complex and in many respects, with a certain amount of naivety and certainly from a modern perspective, ahead of their time. For more knowledge on the inventors and developers these fine examples of ancient Greek engineering and creativity; he refers you to his other book called "Engineering of the Ancient World".
To many musical cultures tuning and scales are important. It is widely documented that the ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician "Pythagoras" was one of the pioneers behind the development the diatonic scale. He figured out that if you stop a piece of string in the middle (in half), each will side will sound an octave above that of the full length and variations on theory regarding fourths, fifths and other intervals.

The author explores this in large detail the work of Pythagoras, but also the work Aristoxenos and many other mathematicians and theorists of the time. He goes on to explain about the chords and scales used. It is fascinating to read about what the scales and chords which were used by the ancient Greeks and how they were devised.
The author explains about acoustics and how Vitruvius (a Roman writer on architecture) used his knowledge of sound effectively when it came to designing and building new stadiums and theatres. He designed them so that people in the back row could hear what was going off or what was being said. What was known by Vitruvius two thousand year ago is just as important today as it was then.
John Landels' final section(s) is about notation and surviving scores of both ancient Greece and Rome.

From an ethnomusicological point of view and certainly as an undergraduate when learning about music from different cultures, for me one of the most important perspectives is that of having a base point of understanding. This is usually one's own culture and comfort zone. In written music pitches of instruments, note values and rhythms are important. He has transcribed the surviving scores into standard western notation; which as a classically trained musician is absolutely fantastic in trying to understand the music of these innovative and fantastic ancient cultures.

From music to engineering and the mathematics and science behind it; it is a fantastic read for a university student studying music or a science as there is plenty of information in this book that is certainly useful. His method of delivering information is clear and detailed and keeps the reader interested. It tells you everything you need to know, and even contains transcribed surviving music of the ancient Romans and Greeks. However the only problem I have with this book is in places a slight lack of musical understanding, when it comes to the more in depth ethnomusicological and musicological conception. While some points, especially in his references to the Romans and brass in particular are basically correct, there is so much more that can be extrapolated from this research to put across a more accurate 'picutre' or should that be 'soundscape'.

Other than that it is absolute gold dust, especially if you have an interest in the music and the ancient world or a student studying anything from science to music.

Clear, Detailed and Concise!
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