and there gained the affections of the great leader
Pericles, not more by her beauty than by her high mental
accomplishments. The story of her life, and of the literary and
philosophical circle which she drew around her, is too well known to
need repetition. Another famous courtesan, though less well endowed
mentally, and evidently on a much lower plane of character, was the
famous flute-player Lamia. It was her beauty rather than her intellect
that won the great honours which she attained; and a temple dedicated to
her as Venus Lamia, as well as a signet upon which her portrait has been
preserved, bear witness to this fact.
The character of Greek music can only be conjectured. At first simple,
it was regulated on a mathematical basis by Pythagoras, who understood
the laws of vibration. Later on it developed into something more rich
and varied, and, while still devoted to unison, or melodic, effects, it
was undoubtedly full of beauty, as is the old Scotch music. Its great
development, as well as the use of many small instruments (kithara,
flute, etc.), go far to prove that music must have formed a larger part
of woman's domestic life than the actual records show.
Roman civilization borrowed much from Greece, especially in the matter
of art. It is not surprising, therefore, to find that the musical status
of Rome, especially in her later days, was a mere replica of that of
Greece. In the instrumental field, we find the lyre of less importance,
but the flute (a term that included reed instruments also) was
constantly used in ceremonial and sacrificial music. Trumpets were in
use at all triumphal processions, while in the days of the empire the
well-known but problematical water-organ became popular. Although the
Roman domestic conditions admitted of more freedom than those of Greece,
it is doubtful if the women took any important part in performance or
composition of music. There are no great poetesses on the Roman roll of
honour, while there are many on that of Greece.
Rome differed from Greece in having its poetry and music written by
different authors, while in Greece both words and notes emanated from
the same brain. But even among men the Romans possessed no important
composers. The names of those who wrote music to the plays of Terence
and Plautus (the plays themselves being imitations of the Greek) are
known to history, but the composers possessed no position of
consequence. If the men received no great homage
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