Ancient Rome was a beautiful place full of art, history, but most importantly, music. Music was actually an immense part of their culture, just like the Greeks. Music was a very extensive part of daily life. Ancient Rome’s music was something very important to their culture and daily life. Live music (which was the only music they had) was played on various occasions including entertainment spectacles such as gladiator flights, public events, military parades, or religious events such as weddings, sacrifices or funerals.
They were also, music accompanied meals in homes that could afford it. Music was also associated with the elite of Rome, as well as the upper class. In Ancient Rome music was very important to the education of the elite. Although this was true with Ancient Rome, the Roman Republic, music was not highly esteemed. Music was not considered essential education for the elites. The Music in Ancient Rome, required many instruments, some of them have been carried on to today’s time.
Roman instruments include pan flutes, straight trumpets, wooden flutes, cane reed instruments, finger cymbals, skin drums, bagpipe-like instrument, lyres, shepherds pipes, and the bucina (G-shaped brass instrument). Woodwind instruments included, brass and percussion instruments and stringed instruments. The tuba was like a long woodwind instrument made of bronze similar to a trumpet, and just like a trumpet, it had a conical mouthpiece which was detachable. Romans also had beautiful string instruments such as the lyra, the cithara, the lute or the harp. The lyra actually came from Greece.
It was made of a tortoise shell or a wooden sounding body, two arms made of animal horn or wood, and strings attached to a cross bar and stretching to the sounding body / shell. Along with all the other instruments they also had other percussion instruments such as the timpani and the sistrum that came from Egypt and which was like a rattle made of bronze. They also had the cymbala which were cymbals that were clashed together to produce a sound. Romans also had more elaborate musical instruments such as the hydraulis which was a water pipe organ which worked with water pressure.
It was used at various events and spectacles and wealthy people also owned and played such instruments in their homes. The lasting impact that ancient roman music has on society today is that it created the first set of common instruments throughout a large region of land. DuPont#3 Like in the Ancient Rome culture, music was also an immense part of Greek culture as well. Music was essential to the pattern and texture of Greek life, as it was an important feature of religious festivals, marriage and funeral rites, and banquet gatherings.
Just like in Rome, the Greeks were familiar with many kinds of instruments, but their particularly favored the for composition and performance: the kithara, a plucked string instrument; the lyre, also a string instrument; and the aulos, a double-reed instrument. Most Greek men trained to play an instrument competently, and to sing and perform choral dances. Instrumental music or the singing of a hymn regularly accompanied everyday activities and formal acts of worship. According to the ancient Greeks, music was divine as it assisted in healing both soul and body.
It purified and soothed people’s souls and it inspired, encouraged and helped them relax. The Ancient Greeks did a lot with music as well. Even though Ancient Rome like the United states “culture” was borrowed, or more likely purloined, from other places. Not everything about Rome’s culture was exactly like the Greeks. To begin with, when it came to art, the Greek classical sculptors were to produce an ideal artistic form, where the goal of Roman artists was to produce realistic portraits, often for decoration. Although this is true not all Roman art imitated the Greek f and not all Greek art looks terribly realistic or impractical.
Much Greek art adorned utilitarian objects, just as Roman art adorned the living spaces. Greek art is divided into the Mycenaean, geometric, archaic, and Hellenistic periods, in addition to its acme in the Classical period. DuPont#4 Obviously we all didn’t live in the Ancient Rome or Ancient Greece time, so what did we really know about it’s music, culture, and art? Well, we know that instruments are known from descriptions, paintings and archaeological remains, which allow us to establish the timbres and range of pitches they produced, even though no one truly knows what the music sounds like.
The Romans recorded their music using a Greek method which consisted of four letters corresponding to four notes with rhythm signs above each note that indicated their length. We also know that Roman music was monophonic consisting of single melodies and not harmonic. The Romans also recorded their music using a Greek method which consisted of four letters corresponding to four notes with rhythm signs above each note that indicated their length. The Greeks had worked out the mathematical ratios of musical intervals – an octave is 2:1, a fifth 3:2, a fourth 4:3, and so on.
The notation gives an accurate indication of relative pitch: letter A at the top of the scale, for instance, represents a musical note a fifth higher than N halfway down the alphabet. Absolute pitch can be worked out from the vocal ranges required to sing the surviving tunes. But some thing very cool about music is that, masterpieces of ancient Greek literature such as the Homeric epics and Ancient Tragedies were preserved thanks to music. DuPont#5 Like any day in the United States or in any country, we all have a daily life, including Ancient Rome.
In Ancient Rome things started out with a light breakfast, then you would be off to work. The common jobs that were apart of Ancient Rome were, a farmer, a soldier, a merchant, a craftsman,a lawyer, a teacher, an engineer, the government, or an entertainer. The job of being an entertainer was important for Ancient Rome’s music. because being an entertainer made you either a musician, a dancer, or an actor/actress along with a chariot racer and a gladiator which have nothing to do with music. Entertainers were very important to the people of Ancient Rome, because the people loved being entertained.
Entertainment was essential. Then after you were done with work in the early afternoon, many Romans would go to the bath to bathe and socialize. Then after you were finished you would eat dinner around 3pm. Like most places, ancient rome also had religion. The religion most people practiced in ancient rome was called Roman mythology. Roman Mythology had beliefs and practices of the inhabitants of the Italian peninsula from ancient times until the ascendancy of Christianity in the 4th century ad.
Roman religion was based not on divine grace but instead on mutual trust between god and man. The Romans believed that this divine help would make it possible for them to master the unknown forces around them that inspired awe and anxiety. The romans worshipped the gods in temples where they made sacrifices of animals and precious things. The Romans believed that blood sacrifices were the best way to communicate with the gods. Sheep were often sacrificed to Jupiter. Sometimes a temple was built to only worship one of the gods. DuPont#6
The Romans as you can see were very involved with music. They had many instruments, musicians, and entertainers. A Lot of Roman culture was from the Greeks culture and they had many things in common, but many things were different. The romans had a slightly different taste or a way of doing things compared to the greeks. Many Romans also had music in their daily life, especially if it was their job. Religion was also important to the Romans just like music. Music was a very big deal and without it Rome could of been alot different.