poets

Topic for Discussion

Heirs of the Muses

we all pronounce music to be one of the pleasantest things, whether instrumental or instrumental and vocal music together at least Musaeus says, ‘Song is man’s sweetest joy,’ and that is why people with good reason introduce it at parties and entertainments, for its exhilarating effect, so that for this reason also one might suppose that the younger men ought to be educated in music. Read more

Topic for Discussion

Performance of epic | Part 2: Rhapsodes

"Homeric poetry was performed at the Panathenaia by rhapsōidoi, ‘rhapsodes’ ... The rhapsodes narrated the Iliad and Odyssey in relay, following traditions of rhapsodic sequencing: each rhapsode waited for his turn to pick up the narrative where the previous rhapsode left off." In this post we share a selection of passages that describe the repertoire, performance, and skills of rhapsodes. Read more