Debussy’s Syrinx: analysis, history and interpretation
Debussy’s Syrinx: introduction The purpose of this guide is to help you find a clear and detailed answer to the most crucial questions related to the history of Debussy’s Syrinx, its analysis and interpretation. To start out, I’m going to shed some light on the history of the composition; then, I’ll tell you the story […]
Marsyas’ flute and Apollo’s lyre: study of a musical competition in Greek mythology
Marsyas and Apollo: a musical challenge between balance and chaos As you may already know, references to musical instruments are easily found in Greek mythology. This is the case, for example, of the myth of Marsyas and Apollo, which tells of a musical competition between the two and, more specifically, between the flute of Marsyas […]
Lyra constellation and the myth of Orpheus’ lyre: history of a musical instrument in the sky
Lyra constellation: history of a musical instrument in the sky If you are passionate about astronomy or astrology, you have surely heard and tried to recognize some of the most important constellations that animate the night sky such as the Big Dipper and the Orion Belt. But have you ever wondered if there are constellations […]
Bragi: history and worship of the Norse god of music
Musical skills Bragi was the god of music for the Vikings and, at the same time, the god of poetry. He was described as a wise being, particularly creative with words regardless of whether they were sung or recited. This association between music and poetry seems to derive from the idea that a true artist, […]
Mousike in ancient Greece: etymology and meaning
Definition and etymology of mousike In ancient Greece mousike was a multifaceted word whose origin is not so easy to reconstruct. As far as we know, the first literary references to it can be found in Pindar (Ol. 1,15) and Epicharmus (CGF 91). The word mousike corresponds to the nominative feminine singular of the adjective […]
Gods of music in ancient Egypt: Ihy, Hathor and Bes
Who is the Egyptian god of music? Before rushing to answer, we’d better re-frame the question a little bit and ask: what gods were related to music in ancient Egypt? In fact, though Ihy is commonly regarded as the Egyptian god of music, there are two other deities that have been connected with the world […]
Amphion’s lyre: myth and musical iconography
What was the special power of Amphion’s lyre? What happened when he played this musical instrument to accompany a song? How has Amphion been depicted by European artists throughout the centuries? In this article I’m going to answer these three questions by walking you through the musical iconography related to the myth of Amphion. Let’s […]
