“There is no benefit when music stands secret and hidden.” — Lucian

In this Sheet Music Book, we focus on helping aspiring lyre players to enter the world of the ancient Greek modes.

Did you know that the ancient Greek modes were deeply related to a human being’s emotional state? Plato, Aristotle, and other philosophers delved into the psychology of music and formulated the theory of ethics, which negotiates the effect of music on human’s emotional and psychic spheres.

Furthermore, according to Aristoxenus of Tarentum, the examination of the ethos of harmonies gives us the following descriptions:

• Mixolydios: Passive and complaining.
• Lydios: Soft and pleasant, suitable for children’s music.
• Phrygios: Ambitious, violent, irritating, and emotional (sounds like modern Spanish tunes).
• Dorios: Manly, majestic, dignified.
• Hypolydios: Bacchic, flirtatious, and intoxicating.
• Hypophrygios: Tough and strict or, for other writers, elegant and cheerful.
• Hypodorios: Proud, pompous, steady.

Songs’ list: Lima ✦ Dancing ✦ Luce ✦ Nocturne ✦ Seven ✦ Perception ✦ Fiori ✦ Clearness ✦ Equal

“This Sheet Music Book is our latest addition to our effort to enrich the available educational resources for lyre and lyre-like musical instruments,” Nikolaos Koumartzis, the series’ director, explains.

The book is part of the Lyre Sheet Music series, in which some of the greatest lyre players around the world participate, including Lina Palera, Thanasis Kleopas, Michael Levy, Theodore Koumartzis, Giorgio Sancristoforo, et cetera.

Pages: 20 | Dimensions: 9 x 12 inches

(sheet music for lyres or kitharas with 7 or more strings)