Epigonion
The epigonion ( ancient Greek ἐπιγόνειον epigóneion ) was a stringed instrument in ancient Greece . It was invented or at least spread by the musician Epigonus von Ambracia in Epirus . It was possibly a box zither that the musician played horizontally on his knees, similar to the medieval psaltery .
history
The Epigonion is only known from Greek vase pictures and ancient descriptions, such as the description of Athenaios (p. 183c) or Polydeucos . Archaeological finds such as those at Kithara and Lyra have not yet been made. Juba II , King of Mauritania claimed that Epigonus of Ambracia brought the instrument from Alexandria : he plucked it with both hands and accompanied his own voice and a group of other instruments.
Style of play
The musician played the 40-string epigonion with both hands plucking like the psaltery or with the plectrum and underlined his own singing.
reconstruction
In 2008, Francesco De Mattia from the Conservatorio di Musica in Salerno and his colleagues had virtually reconstructed such an instrument in the computer as part of the Ancient Instruments Sound / Timbre Reconstruction Application (ASTRA) project and calculated its sound. He also orientated himself on psalteries and harps . The result was a four-part piece of music. Hundreds of mainframes were linked to form a grid for the calculation .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ap. Athens. lc
- ↑ Epigonion. in: Epoch. News. Heidelberg, September 4, 2008, ISSN 1865-5718
literature
- Friedrich von Drieberg: Dictionary of Greek music in detailed articles on harmony, rhythm, metrics, canonics, melopoïe, rhythmopoïe, theater, fighting games, instruments. Schlesinger, Berlin 1835.
- Epigonion. in Encyclopaedia Britannica. 11th edition. London 1911.
- Sounds from the past. In: Der Spiegel. Hamburg 2009, ISSN 0038-7452 .