Catechism of Musical History, Vol. 2 : History of Musical Forms with Biographical Notices of the Most Illustrious Composers (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from Catechism of Musical History, Vol. 2: History of Musical Forms With Biographical Notices of the Most Illustrious Composers

The falling off in the significance of the chorus to wards the end of the classic period, made music more and more easily dispensed with, so that it gradually dis appeared from the drama entirely, and the Roman trage dies and comedies copied from the Grecian, seem not to have taken it up. On the other hand, the dithyramb, re leased from the drama, now develops anew as a virtuoso piece with artistic figures (eolorature) and an over-artificial use of the chromatic and enharmonic genus. While Plato and Aristotle still come within the classic period, the latter's pupil, Aristoxenus of Tarentum (about be longs to the time of the decline of music, which about dates from the time of the loss of Grecian independence (battle of Cheeronea Aristoxenus laments over it, and longs for the old times back again. A new centre of Greek intellectual life now arose in Alexandria, although, in re gard to music it produced only theorists (euclid, Ptolemy). Music descended gradually to the rank of a dishonoured handmaid at the voluptuous feasts of the time of the Roman Empire, which more and more assumed Oriental luxury.

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