The Evolutionary Pentatonism in Nicomachus, the Extant Fragments and an Ancient Greek Musical Praxis

Abstract

Pentatonism in ancient Greek music refers to so called ‘gapped scales’, quoted by Pseudo-Aristotle, Pseudo-Plutarch, Nicomachus and Aristides Quintilianus. In the case of Nicomachus, the interchangeabilities of pitches and positions of notes, with the musical nomenclature, make the text incomprehensible. These extracts have already been analyzed by Chailley (1956, 1968), Barker (1989, 2007) and Franklin (2019). It is important though, to shift from the Western concept of music in order to unfold the musical process revealed in the texts. Ethnomusicological research reveals a network of musical dialects which follows an evolutionary process and suggests new possible interpretations: it breaks down the predominant concept of the theory of the cycle of the fifths and leads to a ‘flexible’ pentatonism, produced by focal points created by a ‘building up’ or ‘making’ of musical scales. Additionally, the critical approach of the extant fragments in the environs of the field of Ethnomusicology offers new interpretations for an ancient Greek musical praxis.