The Metres of the Greeks and Romans

CHAPTER V.

CHORAL COMPOSITION.

The form of those poems which, upon certain solemn occasions, were delivered by an entire chorus, or single persons with the accompaniment of music, song and dance, we call choral composition. The religious songs at the festivals of the gods, especially of Bacchus, the festive and mournful songs in honor of distinguished persons, and the melic part of the dramas belong here. What distinguishes these poems above the others, is the greater variety and bolder structure of the rhythms.

We divide them, according to their external form, into antistrophic, ἀντιστροφικά, and free choral songs, ἀπολελυμένα.

We call antistrophic choral songs those which are divided into single strophes, of which always two correspond, xarà σχέσιν : Α Α ; Β Β ; μονοστροφικά, and which are frequently preceded by a third, as προφδός: Β Α Α, προφδικά, οι interrupted by a μεσωδός: Α Β Α, μεσοδικά, or followed by an ἐπωδός : Α Α Β, ἐπῳδικά. Such an union of three strophes into a whole is called a roias indix. Four strophes, also, may form a whole: A A A B, rerqàs inœdixý; A B BA, παλινωδική; Α Β Β C, περιοδική. A whole of five strophes is called a πεντὰς ἐπῳδική. The τριάς is the most common. In the free songs the rhythms changed, the same verses not returning in the same order.

A. Antistrophic Composition.

It was employed by the Dorian lyric, the tragic and older comic poets. In Pindar we find only examples of strophes and antistrophes, and of strophes, antistrophes and epodes; and in the same poem the same strophic trias is repeated. It is probable that he follows in this the older Dorian lyric poets, Alcman and Stesichorus. The former is, however, said, according to Hephaestion, to have written poems which consisted of fourteen strophes, of which the last seven had a different measure from the first. But in the drama each strophe and antistrophe occurs but once, and if the choral song consists of several pairs of strophes, each has its own

measure.

(А А, ВВ, СС; D, А А, В В, С С; А А, ВВ, C C, D). Usually the antistrophe follows the strophe without the intervention of the dialogue; there are, however, exceptions from this, as Aesch. Sept. 203-207, 211–215; 219-222, 226-229; 417-421, 452-456; 481-485, 521-525. Soph. Philoct. 391-402; 507-518. Arist. Av. 451-459, 539-547. The antistrophe is still more rarely entirely wanting, as Soph. Trach. 205-224.

The rhythm of the choral songs is of course influenced by the subject of the poem, and the songs are as different with regard to their form, as the subject is various. The musical mood and the dance, too, were adapted to the subject and form. The Greeks had seven principal moods, the Dorian, Aeolian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Hypolydian, Phrygian and Ionian. These moods are very different in their character. We know them from the statements of the ancients only, who frequently describe their effect in a contradictory manner. Each mood had its appropriate rhythms.

The Dorian mood had a serious manly character, whence it was used in poems in which equanimity and composure prevailed. Rational dactyls and grave trochaic and iambic dipodies (Epitrites) form the ground rhythm in poems of Dorian composition. The dactyls are mostly trimeters, more rarely dimeters, tetrameters and pentameters. They are all catalectic, and indeed in the middle of the verses commonly in disyllabum; at the end in syllabam also; whence, if a choriamb stands as the close, it is to be considered a dimet. dactyl. cat. in syllabam. The anacrusis is always monosyllabic and long. Cretics occur as closing rhythms, and are then to be considered as catalectic trochaic dipodies. Logaoedic series, anapaests, ionics, dochmii, are entirely excluded from purely Dorian poems. Bases and ecbases occur, but usually in a spondaic form. Resolutions of the arses, and contractions of the theses are rare. At the end the short rarely stands for the long. Proper names, however, allowed many liberties.

The Aeolian style was the opposite of the Dorian; Heracl. Pont. in Athen. XIV. p. 624. D. mentions the oyxos as its principal character. Its character is voluptuous fulness, passionate quickness and the boldness of genius. This character shows itself rhythmically in the frequent use of irrational dactyls, logavedic, iambic and trochaic series, which are not to be measured by metres but by feet (from the dipody to

the hexapody). The Aeolion style delights particularly in the forcible collision of arses (antispastic composition); whence dochmii occur prefixed to other rhythms. The verses commonly begin with a rising rhythm; whence anacruses, iambic bases and anapaests frequently occur in the beginning. Resolutions of the arses are especially frequent.

The Lydian composition stood between the Dorian and Aeolian. The chief character attributed to it is soft effeminacy and grace, which sometimes, however, degenerated into weakness. It is said to have been used in particular for songs of lamentation and supplication. The ground rhythms were short trochaic and iambic series (particularly ithyphallics and tetrapodies), Glyconics, Pherecrateans, longer dactylic and anapaestic logaoedic series, bases which were frequently repeated, choriambs, cretics. The arses occur resolved not so frequently as in the Aeolian, but more frequently than in the Dorian style.

The Mixolydian and Hypolydian were subordinate species of the Lydian. Plato mentions with regard to the Mixolydian that it was used for songs of lamentation.

The Ionian, which Plato rejects as effeminate, but Heraclides blames as harsh and rough, was frequently employed in tragedy. Ionic rhythms, especially in a pure form, and choriambs seem to have been the principal measures.

The Phrygian mood was the expression of a bacchanal excitement, of the highest enthusiasm; usually, therefore, in dithyrambs and similar enthusiastic songs. The prevailing measures were cretics, especially in the form of paeons, dochmii in systematic succession, choriambs with frequent resolutions, ionic rhythms, especially in the broken form (galliambs), trochaic also and iambic series, bases and ecbases.

With all its variety of measure, a choral song, as a whole, must have an unity. This unity lies in the fundamental theme which is carried through the whole; for rhythms arbitrarily strung together do not make a strophe. The beginning and close in particular, must be distinctly marked. In epodic poems, the close of the epode must be stronger than that of the strophe or antistrophe. At the beginning, the rhythm delights in rising, exciting measures, as iambic and anapaestic anacruses, iambic bases, anapaests, dochmii; at the close, calming rhythms, especially catalectic dactylic se ́ries, logaoedics, ithyphallics.

The more marked the character of a choral song is, the more complete is its composition. Pindar attained the highest perfection in the structure of strophes. The whole strophic system is to be seen in the tragic choral songs.

It is not possible to give definite rules for the division of rhythms into strophes. A correct feeling, sharpened by careful exercise, must judge here. A strophe must have a satisfactory close; where this is wanting, the strophe cannot possibly end. A strong interpunction occurs usually at the end of a strophe; yet there are exceptions; compare P. 1. ch. 11. p. 41.

With regard to the division of the single verses in the strophe, it is most imporant to ascertain the verse-endings. The indications of the verse-end are found, partly in the rhythm, partly in the metre, and partly in the subject.

The single verses of which a strophe is composed form either a single whole by themselves, and as such have their introduction, their principal rhythm and their close; or they arrange themselves as an introduction to a succeeding verse, or as a close to a preceding one. Such verses provided with their own introductions and closes for the most part occur in the more artful structure of the Aeolian and Lydian strophes; in the more simple Dorian strophe, sometimes the introduction is wanting, sometimes the close.

The following verses may serve as examples: Pind. Olymp. IV. 1.