Writes James Goss, Teacher of Classics
The Classics Lecture Group met up once again on the 17th October for its biweekly meeting of Classically-minded pupils. This week, Adam L. (L6th) gave a presentation on the theme of ancient music. Adam started his talk by giving us some detail on Apollo, the god of music, before then moving on to the situations in which music was played in the ancient world: namely funerals, marriages, the theatre and at parties. He then went on to mention the mythical origins of the lyre (a compensatory gift from Hermes to Apollo after the former stole cattle from the latter!) and perhaps the most famous ancient musician, Orpheus. It was said that Orpheus could charm people, animals, and even stones, and used this skill to persuade Hades and Persephone to allow him to attempt to lead his dead wife Eurydice out of the Underworld. Here is Adam’s take on preparing his presentation:
“On the 17th of October, I gave the third talk in the Classics Lecture Group. My lecture was about Greek Music, specifically the god Apollo, the Lyre and the tale of Orpheus. Music is a big interest of mine, so preparing and then giving a talk about what music was like in ancient times was really fascinating. From the first Microsoft Edge search to the last, learning about music in the ancient world has been an extraordinary ride and I hope my findings have engaged and enlightened the audience that was present.”
