Reconstructing Damon: Music, Wisdom Teaching, and Politics in Perikles' Athens

Description

Fifth-century Athenian musical and political theorist Damon was the first to study music's psychological, behavioural, and political effects, profoundly influencing debates on music theory throughout antiquity. Considered by Isokrates to be the most intelligent Athenian of his age, Damon worked alongside Perikles during the most vibrant decades of Athens' democracy. Probably using fourth-century BC sources, Olympiodoros records that 'Damon taught Perikles the songs through which Perikles harmonized the city'. However, musical and political entanglements caused this teacher-theorist to be ostracized from Athens for ten years, at the height of Perikles' power. Reconstructing Damon is the first comprehensive study of the most important theorist of music and poetic meter in ancient Athens, detailing his extensive influence, and providing the first systematic collection, translation, and critical examination of all ancient testimonia for him. In doing so, this volume makes an important contribution to a number of key fields, including classical Greek music and music theory, fifth-century philosophy (particularly the sophists), political history including the growth of democracy, and the life and career of Perikles. Cover Reconstructing Damon: Music, Wisdom Teaching, and Politics in Perikles’ Athens Copyright Dedication Introduction Table of Contents Abbreviations and References Preface: Plato on Damon Part I 1: Teaching and wisdom counsel (A) DAMON AND ATHENS’ EARLY MUSIC SOPHOI (B) DAMON DIDASKALOS (C) SOPHOI, SOPHISTAI (D) DAMON ‘SOPHIST’ ? 2: Êthos theories of music and poetic metre (A) FIFTH-CENTURY AFFECT THEORIES AND DAMON (B) THE AFFECTIVE QUALITIES OF HARMONIAI AND POETIC METRE (C) TECHNAI OF METRE AND MUSIC (D) MUSIC AND MEDICINE (E) EXPERIMENTATION (F) INSTRUMENTS 3: Music and politics (A) DAMON’S OSTRACISM (B) MUSIC AND THE POLIS 4: Damon after Plato (A) DAMON’S ‘AREOPAGITIKOS’ (B) THE AREOPAGOS AND HERAKLEIDES OF PONTOS (C) ‘DAMON’S SCHOOL’ AND THE HARMONIKOI Conclusion Part II Testimonia and Commentary TESTIMONIA (A): DAMON’S LIFE (i) Damon’s Deme (ii) Damon’s teachers (iii) Damon’s students and associates (iv) Other biographical reports (v) Damon’s Ostracism TESTIMONIA (B): DAMON’S THEORIES Testimonia (C): Damon’s followers Testimonia (D): Some passages possibly reflecting Damon’s influence Testimonia (E): Two passages of alleged Damonian influence APPENDIX 1: Did Damon publish? APPENDIX 2: Damon’s chronology APPENDIX 3: The êthos theory and Pythagoreanism APPENDIX 4: Four questions (a) Did Damon teach schoolboys? (b) Music experiments at symposia? (c) prepeia, homoiotês? Conspectus of Testimonia Select Bibliography Index locorum General Index