ERATO Proceedings Istanbul 2006.pdf - Odeon

A CONTEMPORARY APPROACH AND REINTERPRETATION OF ANTIC
GREEK AND ROMAN PERIODS’ MUSIC AND DRAMA ART WITHIN THE
FRAMEWORK OF ERATO PROJECT
Ruhi Ayangil, Yildiz Technical University, Art and Design Faculty, Music and Stage Arts Department, Istanbul, Türkiye, ayangil@yildiz.edu.trr
Yücel Açın, Istanbul Technical University, Turkish Music State Conservatory, Musical Technology Department
It is hard to make judgments for music researchers about both Greek and Roman music, since there
is limited written theoretical information in these areas.
This limited information is described by various authors as “preplexing incongruity” due to their
“speculative, scholar character, incomplete, obscure and contradictory” features, while some others
characterized “the sum of tangible information” as “exasperatingly insufficient”.
Although the sources on Greek and Roman periods’ music is limited, it is still possible to find
serious treatises, essays and interpreted information on the subject throughout the time.
ERATO Project’s aim can be described and summarized as “measuring the acoustical features of
the antic theaters and odea by using musical and dramatic elements of antic Greek and Roman
periods.
Since the Greek music is the predecessor of the Roman music, our studies mainly focused on the
Greek music aspects in ERATO Project’s context.
During the ERATO Project studies, we worked on the theoretical information, the fragments related
on the music and drama, the notation system, the musical instruments, acting on the scene by chorus
and individual actors, costumes and masks in drama art and their probable impacts on musical
reverberation, and we classified all, case by case and studied on them with all details by using
research and training techniques.
We also tried to reach some important treatises such as “Anderson, W.D. Ethos and Education in
Greek Music”, “Barker, A. Greek Musical Writings vol. I – II), “Michaelides, S. The Music of
Ancient Greece an Encyclopedia”, etc. Besides our researches at the libraries and the archeological
museums in Türkiye.
We transferred our findings on the theoretical and musical matters to YTU Music Department
composition and theatre acting students, by the help of seminars that are organized periodically.
YTU drama students are given the chance of practicing the linguistic and dramatic pronouncing
findings and acting features of old Greeks, and they made live performances on stage and the
audience had the opportunity to hear the consequences of our research.
At the end of these studies many information was gathered and “the three sorts of tetrachords”, “the
Greater Perfect System” was understood. The definite meanings of “Proslambanomenos,
Dythyramb, Nomoi/ Nomos, Dorian, Ionian, Phrygian, Aeolian, Thesis, Arsis, and many other
musical terms” were understood.
Three young composers from Music Department of YTU, named: Alper Antmen, Ulaş Güneş
Kacargil and Utku Fırat Ünsal composed new musical pieces in antic style. They used the
information gathered throughout the research in composing these pieces. Their compositions were
so realistic and while they are performed, they gave the impression to the listeners that, these young
composers had actually lived, learned and experimented in old Phrygia, Ionia or Lesbos at
“Terpander’s school” or “Timotheus Circle” in Miletos.
Their compositions are also recorded at both YTU and TUBITAK sound recording studios.
91