Page:The Tragic Drama of the Greeks (1896).djvu/33

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I.]
ARION AND THE DITHYRAMB.
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vation as that suggested[1]. Moreover, Aristotle describes the attempt of Philoxenus, in the fifth century, to write a dithyramb in the Dorian style, as a novel experiment which was foredoomed to failure because of its inherent impracticability[2].

From the dramatic point of view by far the most important of the changes ascribed to Arion is the insertion of 'spoken verses' in the midst of the choral odes[3]. The nature of these interludes is not further defined by the author of the statement, but may be gathered from other sources. We are told by Aristotle that the germ of tragedy was to be found in the speeches delivered by the leader of the dithyramb[4]. We also know that in the period of which we are now treating it was customary for the conductor of the dithyramb to occasionally

  1. ↑ Proclus, Chrest. c. 14 ὁ μὲν γὰρ (διθύραμβος) τὸν Φρύγιον καὶ Ὑποφρύγιον ἁρμόζεται. Aristot. Pol. 8. 7 ἔχει γὰρ τὴν αὐτὴν δύναμιν ἡ φρυγιστὶ τῶν ἁρμονιῶν ἥνπερ αὐλὸς ἐν τοῖς ὀργάνοις· ἄμφω γὰρ ὀργιαστικὰ καὶ παθητικά. δηλοῖ δ' ἡ ποίησις· πᾶσα γὰρ βακχεία καὶ πᾶσα ἡ τοιαύτη κίνησις μάλιστα τῶν ὀργάνων ἐστὶν ἐν τοῖς αὐτοῖς, τῶν δ' ἁρμονιῶν ἐν τοῖς φρυγιστὶ μέλεσι λαμβάνει ταῦτα τὸ πρέπον.In the numerous inscriptions (Corp. Ins. Gr. 217–226), which record the victories of dithyrambic choruses, the name of the flute player is always given (e.g. Ἄρατος ηὔλει, Χάρης Θηβαῖος ηὔλει), but there is never any mention of a harp-player. The process of selecting the flute-players is described by Demosthenes (Meid. §§ 11, 12).
  2. ↑ Aristot. Pol. 8. 7 οἷον ὁ διθύραμβος ὁμολογουμένως εἶναι δοκεῖ Φρύγιον. καὶ τούτου πολλὰ παραδείγματα λέγουσιν οἱ περὶ τὴν σύνεσιν ταύτην ἄλλα τε, καὶ διότι Φιλόξενος ἐγχειρήσας ἐν τῇ δωριστὶ ποιῆσαι διθύραμβον τοὺς Μύσους οὐχ οἷός τ' ἧν, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τῆς φύσεως αὐτῆς ἐξέπεσεν εἰς τὴν φρυγιστὶ τὴν προσήκουσαν ἁρμονίαν πάλιν.
  3. ↑ Suidas (v. Ἀρίων), λέγεται… πρῶτος χορὸν στῆσαι καὶ διθύραμβον ᾀσαι, καὶ ὀνομάσαι τὸ ᾀδόμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ χοροῦ. καὶ σατύρους εἰσενεγκεῖν ἔμμετρα λέγοντας. The words ἔμμετρα λέγοντας, coming immediately after ᾀσαι and ᾀδόμενον, cannot be a mere paraphrase for choral singing, but must denote 'spoken verses.' The word εἰσενεγκεῖν presents some difficulty. It would naturally imply that the chorus consisted of ordinary persons, and that the satyrs were extra performers, who were 'introduced' for the purpose of speaking the dialogue. But it appears to be certain from other testimonies that the satyrs formed the chorus (see p. 15, note 2). Moreover the addition of an extra performer outside the chorus, for the purpose of taking the lead in the dialogue, was an innovation always ascribed to Thespis. We must conclude, therefore, that the above passage meant that the satyrs, besides singing the choral odes, had also spoken dialogues in verse assigned to them. But the language is loose and innacurate, whether the fault be due to the original author of the statement, or to the carelessness with which Suidas has made his transcription.
  4. ↑ Aristot. Poet. c. 4 καὶ ἡ μὲν (τραγῳδία) ἀπὸ τῶν ἐξαρχόντων τὸν διθύραμβον.
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