The nomos ( el, νόμος), also nome, is a genre of

ancient Greek music Music was almost universally present in ancient Greek society, from marriages, funerals, and religious ceremonies to theatre, folk music, and the ballad-like reciting of epic poetry. It thus played an integral role in the lives of ancient Greek ...

, either solo instrumental or for voice accompanied by an instrument, characterized by a style of great complexity. It came to be associated with virtuoso performers. Although it designates a specific, nameable melody, it is unclear just how fixed it might have been in detail. Most likely, each performer was given some freedom to vary and interpret the melody, using musical phrases and gestures that would change from one performance to another.

Etymology

The root sense of the Greek word νόμος is "that which is in habitual practice, use or possession"; its specific musical sense is "melody, strain". In the particular application to these melody types called ''nomoi'', it may be translated as "set piece".

Types

There are four types of ''nomoi'', two vocal and two purely instrumental: # Kitharoedic nomoi, the earliest type, sung to the accompaniment of a kithara, associated with

Terpander Terpander ( grc-gre, Τέρπανδρος ''Terpandros''), of Antissa in Lesbos, was a Greek poet and citharede who lived about the first half of the 7th century BC. He was the father of Greek music and through it, of lyric poetry, although his o ...

of Sparta (early seventh century BC) # Auloedic nomoi, sung to the accompaniment of an

aulos An ''aulos'' ( grc, αὐλός, plural , ''auloi'') or ''tibia'' (Latin) was an ancient Greek wind instrument, depicted often in art and also attested by archaeology. Though ''aulos'' is often translated as "flute" or "double flute", it was usu ...

, first devised by Clonas or

Ardalus Ardalus ( grc, Ἄρδαλος) was in Greek mythology a son of the god Hephaestus who was said to have invented the flute, and to have built a sanctuary of the Muses at Troezen, who derived from him the surname Ardalides or Ardaliotides. This st ...

Troezen Troezen (; ancient Greek: Τροιζήν, modern Greek: Τροιζήνα ) is a small town and a former municipality in the northeastern Peloponnese, Greece, on the Argolid Peninsula. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the munic ...

# Auletic nomoi, extended compositions for solo aulos, introduced at the Pythian games in 586 BC # Kitharistic nomoi, solo instrumental works for kithara, introduced at the Pythian games in 558 BC

Composers/performers

Chrysothemis In Greek mythology, Chrysothemis or Khrysothemis (; grc, Χρυσόθεμις, "golden law") is a name ascribed to several characters. ''Female:'' * Chrysothemis, may refer to known as the attributes of the golden harvest as an agricultural demi ...

of Crete, costumed as

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

, was the first to sing a solo nomos, accompanying himself on the kithara.

Lysias Lysias (; el, Λυσίας; c. 445 – c. 380 BC) was a logographer (speech writer) in Ancient Greece. He was one of the ten Attic orators included in the "Alexandrian Canon" compiled by Aristophanes of Byzantium and Aristarchus of Samothrace i ...

names as particularly skilled musicians in this genre Polymnestus, Olympus of Mysia,

Mimnermus Mimnermus ( grc-gre, Μίμνερμος ''Mímnermos'') was a Greek elegiac poet from either Colophon or Smyrna in Ionia, who flourished about 632–629 BC (i.e. in the 37th Olympiad, according to Suda). He was strongly influenced by the examp ...

, and Sacadas.

References

Cited sources

* * * * {{wikicite, ref={{harvid, West, 1992, reference=West, M rtin L tchfield ''Ancient Greek Music''. 1992. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. {{ISBN, 0-19-814897-6.

Etymology

Types

Composers/performers

References

Cited sources

Further reading