Musicology reports to Pythagoras

Musicology reports to Pythagoras (6th century BC) the role of being the first philosopher to organize what will later be called in general lines of musical theory, despite the contradictory data that surround this character. The first of these refers to the fact that no written account has come to us, for what came was secondary material: accounts by contemporary authors such as Herodotus, Heraclitus, and Xenophanes; Of authors who would have been students or followers of their doctrines, called Pythagoreans; Or later authors, Pythagoreans or not. The common point between these narratives is the contradiction of information, whether of the theories of their doctrine, or even of the qualities attributed.

• Pythagoras

From charlatan to demigod, there is a wide range of varied definitions. 'Another aspect concerns the presence of Pythagoras in the history of music. In several periods (the Middle Ages, Baroque and even in the twentieth century), there are references to him and his theories, which would fulfill the role of sustaining and proving new ideas, thus showing that, in truth, they were already Inscribed in an older thought, and which therefore have their true foundation. This set of information described makes Pythagoras, without a doubt, the most controversial character in the history of music.

FUBINI 1997

It is extremely problematic to reconstruct Greek thought about the music of the archaic period, that is, from Homeric times to the sixth and seventh centuries of Christ: there are no direct sources and the testimonies are almost all of late times. It is quite difficult to distinguish, on the one hand, the historical data and, on the other, the myths and legends within the set of news that was transmitted.

MUSIC IN COMPLEX MODE

What can be said in general terms is that music was understood in a complex way, since it had direct links with medicine, psychology, ethics, religion, philosophy and social life. The Greek term for music, mousiké (pronounced mussikê), comprised a set of quite different activities, which were integrated into a single manifestation: studying music in Greece also consisted in studying poetry, dance and gymnastics. These fields, however, were not understood as specific areas, with their own knowledges and actions as if they were conceived today, but rather as areas that could be thought of simultaneously and which would thus be equivalent. All these aspects, when related to music had an equal importance and, therefore, did not exist a hierarchy between them.